downtown magazine spring 2012 preview

DOWNTOWNGRIFFIN DUNNETalks to Us About Film, Television and Life in TriBeCa

SPRING AHEADWarm Weather Trends for Women and Men

THE TRIBECA FILM FESTIVALWhat to see, how to see it

PLUS27 Insider Wedding Secrets

LIVING HIGH IN LOWER MANHATTAN

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A DYNAMIC RESOURCE FORA DYNAMIC COMMUNITY

CENTER FOR WOMEN’S HEALTH

Dr Giti Bensinger, Dr. Christina Kong, Dr. Sophia Wu, Dr. Nina Caplin

Dr. Robbi Kempner Dr. Christina Kong Dr. Giti Bensinger

Dr. Sophia Wu

11 Letter from the Publisher

12 Letter from the Editor

14 Advisory Board

16 Contributors

ENTOURAGE INSIGHT19 Gateway to America

20 The Worst Governor of Them All: Edward Hyde

22 Sheldon Silver Downtown’s Voice in Albany

24 Rachelle Friedman The Woman Behind J&R

26 Downtown’s North End Gets a Facelift Get to Know the New Neighbors

30 Relocating to New York Foreign Nationals Call Lower Manhattan Home

32 The Monopoly of Aggressive Investing

34 Keeping Up with the Jobses and the Gateses How to Ensure Technology at Your Small Business Stays Current

CULTURE CODE37 All Eyes on TriBeCa

38 Culture Report Unfolding Art and Entertainment News

39 Tribeca Film Festival 2012 Highlights

40 Danny Meyer New York City’s Favorite Friend and Restaurateur

42 Globe-Trotting Two Travel Destinations to Satisfy Your Wonderlust and a Staycation Just Across the River

DOWNTOWN ON: SOHO47 Not So Long Ago

48 Iron Antiquity

50 The Merchants that Make the Streets Buzz

FEATURES52 Griffin’s Dunne It All The Actor, Writer, Director, Producer

Is Dedicated To New York

60 Scotto by Scotto All the News on Journalism, Food and Family

64 Wedding Dos Perfect Downtown Nuptials

52

DOWNTOWNSpring 2012

Volume 3, Issue 1

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STYLE VAULT71 Family Baggage

72 Style Report Unfolding Fashion and Beauty News

74 Sorbet Scoop

75 Tee Time

76 Kiddie Closet Casual, Trendy Styles for Spring

78 Love in SoHo

82 Modern Luxury Old World Meets New World

83 Man, Oh, Man His Lifestyle, Personalized

84 Beauty Buys Make Your Skin Glow at Any Age

86 ABSolute Spring Kick-Start Your Bathing Suit Body

88 Eat Right. Breathe Right. Shine Bright! Expert Advice for Starting Your Mornings Off on the Right Foot

CITY BITES91 It’s Anything but Plain at Plein Sud

92 Food Report Unfolding Culinary News

94 Easy Eggs All Day Amplify Your At-home Brunch Menu with Simple Egg Recipes Just in Time for Mother’s and Father’s Day

96 Shaking Up Latin Cocktails

98 Time Traveler’s Menu Lower Manhattan Restaurants with a Side of History

EXTRA! EXTRA!101 Hidden Gem 5 Beekman Street

102 Downtown Diaries

106 Rearview Mirror View from Greene Street

108 Soapbox Chew the Fat with Barclay Hudson

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DOWNTOWNCEO AND PUBLISHERGRACE A. CAPOBIANCO

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR EDITOR-AT-LARGEShari Hartford Mike Hammer EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Andrea Tullman

EDITOR Matt Essert

CREATIVE DIRECTORMia Macfarlane

FASHION EDITOR Amanda OrlinskyMEN’S FASHION EDITOR Matt ScottoPHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR Sarah RossiSENIOR FOOD EDITOR Murray YankerFOOD EDITOR Amy MatlockTECHNOLOGY EDITOR Michael Kaufman, AIAFITNESS CONSULTANTS Shawna Cordell, Kirk MyersWELLNESS CONSULTANT Denielle LicciardoCOPY EDITOR Barbara MachtigerCREATIVE ASSISTANTS Lisa DiCarlucci, Albert Gremse

PHOTOGRAPHERS Lana De Doncker, Tony ShiCONTRIBUTORS Marissa Bienstock, John J. Capobianco, Michael DeSano, Kristin Doney, Dr. Steven Friedman, Maria Hadjidemetriou, Lana Levy, Samuel A. Litt

TECHNOLOGY Bradley Kirkland, Stefan Lucut, Nicu Lordachescu, Lynn BrooksADVISORS TO THE PUBLISHER Mikael Gianfranco R, Andrew Wheatcroft LEGAL COUNCIL Thomas Farley, Luigi RosabiancaACCOUNTANT Vincent CunzioFINANCIAL ASSISTANT Courtney BranenCIRCULATION DIRECTOR Frank Rosner

DESIGN INTERNS Gina Defelice, Chris McCallEDITORIAL INTERNS Samantha Abram, Carmen Bica, Charissa Che, Dorée Harootunian, Tayla Holman, Karen MillerFASHION INTERNS Kelly Abrams, Margarita Mukhsinova, Christine Tran, Ariel WellsGRAPHIC DESIGNER Jane GardnerPHOTOGRAPHY INTERNS Nisran Azouaghe, Sarah Coulter, Ariana de Luca, Eddie SchnecklothVIDEOGRAPHERS Kristopher Kelly, Joseph Masone

COLUMNISTS Suzanne Corso, Stacy Seiler, Samuel A. Southworth

INTERNATIONAL SALES BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Patrice DelancyFASHION AND LIFESTYLE MARKETING DIRECTOR Marsha Wright BUSINESS AND REAL ESTATE MARKETING DIRECTORS Tory Peman-Dupier, Roberto Valentin ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT MARKETING DIRECTOR Jacqueline R. Heller MARKETING AND SALES ASSISTANTS Jaclynn Castellano, Will Jankunis, Louisa Tush

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERGrace A. Capobianco

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHERAnnaël Benhamou

CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICERArmando Esposito

DOWNTOWN Magazine NYC, INC

CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS64 Fulton Street, Suite 501New York, NY 10038Phone: 212.962.1916 downtownmagazinenyc.com

Copyright 2012 by DOWNTOWN Magazine NYC, Inc. All rights reserved.DOWNTOWN (ISSN 2164-6198) is published quarterly in Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter for $24 per subscription by DOWNTOWN Magazine NYC Inc., 64 Fulton St. Suite 501, New York, NY 10038. Ap-plication to mail at Periodical postage rates is pending at New York, NY, and additional mailing offi ces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to DOWNTOWN, 64 Fulton St. Suite 501, New York, NY 10038. Reproduction without permission of the publisher is prohibited. The publisher and editors are not responsible for unsolicited material. Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, photographs and drawings. To order a subscription, please call 212.962.1916 or visit downtownmagazinenyc.com.

“Starting with the ‘free antipasto,’ this ‘!rst-rate’ TriBeCa Tuscan is know for its ‘sumptuous’ repast served by ‘bow-tied’

sta" that makes you feel like family.” - Zagat 2011

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Come and Enjoy a cocktail after work on our outside balcony Cipriani Thursday Party (every other Thursday) Live DJ

Open breakfast lunch and dinner from 7 AM till 11 PM Monday thu Friday

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Ballroom is available for private events, smaller private rooms are also available in the club and restaurant for any occasion.Special Cipriani Club Membership price for downtown magazine readers

646.300.8163 www.cipriani.com

Here’s to the Tulips of

SPRINGAlthough this past winter wasn’t particularly treacherous, and

we seem to have adopted a mild, European climate these

the thought of spring. Spring and springtime refer to the season, but also broadly to the

idea of rebirth, renewal and regrowth, all things DOWNTOWN knows only too well.

We are in our second year—and on our second spring—of delivering to you inspiring, insightful content, stunning photography and an account of one of the most energetic cities in the world, where you can interact with a variety of different cultures without leaving your own neighborhood.

outdoors in pastel fashions, eating lighter and sipping fruity cocktails.

center stage.

my own winter and spring. After a series of procedures for an ongoing back problem, I knew I needed to get real about my own health and

enthusiastic to ride my bike!

turns during its lifespan, our bodies need to develop the strength and

Grace A. CapobiancoPUBLISHER

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12 SPRING 2012 DOWNTOWNMAGAZINENYC.COM

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

At the beginning of February (in the height of Awards season) I headed down to the East Village to see The Artist with some of my

friends. As we stood at the corner waiting to cross the street, an elderly lady with a cane turned to me, grabbed my arm and asked if I could help her cross the street so she would make the light. Caught off guard, I replied, “Sure,” and walked her to the other side. Three days later, when I arrived at the M15 Select bus stop and as I was about to insert my metro card into the kiosk to get my receipt, a lady handed me the ticket she purchased and said, “Please, take this! I’m going to walk instead.”

Karma (for what it’s worth) was on my side…and it all started several days prior. Paying it forward really paid off, and not only for my personal gain; these acts of kindness made for a friendly neighborhood.

Lessen learned: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. As simple as it may seem, it’s a good

motto to renew each year; simple acts of kindness just make you feel good. Spring is an ideal time to reinforce such personal values, clean your slate and test drive the

We’ve taken this opportunity to do just that at DOWNTOWN. In this issue, we’ve decided to dedicate our mornings to personal wellness in order to lead the healthful life (page 88). We’re introducing industry news pages to highlight new and noteworthy stories about Downtown and New York City culture (page 38), style (page 72) and food (page 92). Look for new icons like those that alert you to gift ideas for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Piggybacking on the winter issue’s gift guide insert, we have another special seasonal section: this time it’s about spring weddings, with an emphasis on celebrating in Lower Manhattan. We even have our

on the last page of the magazine. In keeping with our constant improvements, we’re

paying equal attention to our website. We’ve given our

daily content a boost with regularly revolving editor’s

and an About Us section at the bottom of the home page so you can meet the DTM team.

As we get out and about this spring we want to get to know you, our neighbors. So like us on Facebook.com/downtownmag, tweet us at @DowntownMag and shout out to me at @andjt. Comment on our web stories! Email us! Subscribe!

See you in the ’hood!

Andrea TullmanEDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ph

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It’s a Beautiful Day in THIS NEIGHBORHOOD

I had the pleasure of hanging with Rosanna Scotto at FRESCO by Scotto during her shoot. Read the full story on page 60.

Carolyn Rafaelian, creator of Alex and Ani, and I celebrated the opening of the brand’s SoHo store. Check out Love In SoHo on page 78 for his-and-her trends, featuring Alex and Ani and more.

I caught a sneak peak of Jason Wu’s Orchid Rain candle, produced by NEST Fragrances, just in time for its April launch. For more designer collabs, turn to Style Report on page 72.

Keep an eye out for sugges-tions on what to gift Dad and Mom with these “For Dad” and “For Mom” buttons.

JOB: HW1-CNY-Y85913C (Revise)DOCUMENT NAME: 2C68734_HW1_a2.1_pg.indd

DESCRIPTION: Opening Announcement Ad - P4CB (Re-size)BLEED: 10.25” x 12.25”

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GUTTER: NonePUBLICATION: Downtown Magazine NYC

ART DIRECTOR: Gabe Hoskins 8-3176COPYWRITER: Cheryl Chapman 8-3542

ACCT. MGR.: Zachary Cyrus 8-3616ART PRODUCER: Deena Fayette 8-3368PRINT PROD.: Peter Herbsman 8-3725

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WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT RECYCLING AND BEING GREEN THAT YOU HAVE CARRIED OVER TO YOUR HOME AND BUSINESS?

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WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED DOWNTOWN ADVISORY BOARD

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT RECYCLING AND BEING GREEN THAT YOU HAVE CARRIED OVER TO YOUR HOME AND

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT RECYCLING AND BEING GREEN THAT YOU

THE C

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WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED

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DOWNTOWN ADVISORY BOARDDOWNTOWN ADVISORY BOARD

ERIC BONNETAINMANAGER,CIPRIANI WALL STREET

I already have been taking environ-mentally friendly steps at home, so it’s a natural extension to take similar measures at work. I’ve invested in an energy-saving computer and set the computer to sleep mode when I’m away for short periods of time. I also have reduced printer use and print on both sides of the paper.

425 WEST BROADWAYSoHo | NEW YORK

646.484.5099

WWW.ALEXANDANI.COM

AARON DWORKINFOUNDER OF

THE SPHINX ORGANIZATION AND

A MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL

ON THE ARTS

ALBERT M. LEFKOVITS,M.D., P.C.

ASSOCIATE CLINICAL PROFESSOR OF

DERMATOLOGY ATMOUNT SINAI

SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

RORY McCREESHFOUNDER,

DUCE CONSTRUCTION

At Sphinx, we are undergoing a green evolution by sharing our program materials electronically. All our design materials are virtual, allowing for broader usability and maximizing use of technology to ultimately uphold our collective responsibility as citizens of the planet.

Plastic bags from the laundry are recycled to pick up waste from our dog, Chase. In my

unneeded lights and, whenever possible, we use green products.

With recycling being such an important fac-tor for our future, we try to recycle every-thing we can at home. In business, I encour-age and educate customers through the Duce Green Division of our company.

LUIGI ROSABIANCAPRINCIPAL AND

FOUNDER OFROSABIANCA &

ASSOCIATES, PLLC

JEFF SIMMONSVICE PRESIDENT FOR COMMUNICATIONS,

DOWNTOWNALLIANCE

In a climate of feel-good sentiments, “Green” gets its share of attention. Living an environmentally responsible life should

designations or embraces to plant life. Be it water usage, cycling, public transportation or the like, our habits can make an impact.

Being green is all about being smart. My partner works for Con Edison and prac-tices what he preaches, and so do I. I don’t leave lights on when leaving a room, I don’t hike up the thermostat or AC unit and I use

JULIE MENINCHAIRPERSON OF

COMMUNITYBOARD 1, SERVING

LOWER MANHATTAN

JEFFREY MENKESPRESIDENT AND CEO,

DOWNTOWN HOSPITAL

DREW NIEPORENTCHAIRPERSON OF

THE MYRIADRESTAURANT GROUP

I am proud that we were able to locate the

City, P.S. 276, in Battery Park City.

pital has developed a green energy strategy

tors, which will provide superior and more

environmental controls.

One of the best things that has come out of the baby boomer generation is the im-plementation of green efforts. When I was a kid, there was no such thing as recycling.

in our restaurants, green efforts are in place.

DREW ALEXANDERHEAD OF SCHOOL,

LÉMAN MANHATTAN PREPARATORY SCHOOL

MELISSA ANDREEVPRESIDENT OF THE FIDI

ASSOCIATION AND MANAGER AT LA MAISON

DU CHOCOLATE, WALL STREET

CHRISTOINTERNATIONALLY

ACCLAIMED HAIRSTYLIST

Working in a school setting, educators have the responsibility of modeling the triple R’s: reducing, reusing and recycling as the green way of life. Using motion sensors on water and lights, adjusting thermostats, using mass transit are all planet-friendly measures that support a green planet for future generations.

Growing up a few blocks away from the

“green” lesson was about water pollution. I encourage my friends and co-workers to con-serve water at all times. Clean running water is a luxury that we should all be thankful for.

In my salon, I have a cut-off switch that al-lows me to turn off all the electricity in the salon at the end of the day from all my out-

cient. I think we have to try to make a differ-

DONALD ROLAND,M.D., FACS

BOARD-CERTIFIEDPLASTIC AND

RECONSTRUCTIVESURGEON

CHAIRPERSONOF DOWNTOWN

MAGAZINE’SADVISORY BOARD

Being green has become a family affair for us. My kids have become experts at separating our trash into one of three designated bins. Pro-

switch over to electronic medical re-cords, which will have a huge impact on our paper consumption over the next 25 years.

AARON DWORKIN

ORGANIZATION ANDA MEMBER OF THE

NATIONAL COUNCIL

ALBERT M. LEFKOVITS,

ASSOCIATE CLINICAL

DERMATOLOGY AT

SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

DUCE CONSTRUCTION

LUIGI ROSABIANCA

ASSOCIATES, PLLC

VICE PRESIDENT FOR COMMUNICATIONS,

BOARD 1, SERVINGLOWER MANHATTAN

PRESIDENT AND CEO, DOWNTOWN HOSPITAL

DREW NIEPORENT

RESTAURANT GROUP

DREW ALEXANDERHEAD OF SCHOOL,

LÉHEAD OF SCHOOL,

ÉHEAD OF SCHOOL, MAN MANHATTAN

PREPARATORY SCHOOL

MELISSA ANDREEVPRESIDENT OF THE FIDI

ASSOCIATION AND MANAGER AT LA MAISON

DU CHOCOLATE, WALL

INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED HAIRSTYLIST

DONALD ROLAND

BOARD-CERTIFIED

RECONSTRUCTIVE

OF DOWNTOWN

ADVISORY BOARD

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Contributors

MARIA HADJIDEMETRIOURelocating to New York page 30A Downtown resi-dent for over 11 years, Maria Had-jidemetriou has a

weekly column for DOWNTOWN’s website as “Downtown Mom” focusing

and her three-year-old daughter strolling along the esplanade in Battery Park City. Hadjidemetriou enjoys writing (presently working on an animated screenplay) bike riding, kayaking and is a board member for Cooley’s Anemia Foundation.

LANA LEVY Eat Right. Breathe Right. Shine Bright! page 88Lana Levy is a reg-istered yoga teacher and nutritionist spe-cializing in a holistic

approach toward healthy eating, not only to help her clients achieve their goals, but also help them maintain a healthy life-style. Levy works to create customized nutrition plans and yoga sequences that

Whether the goal is weight loss, healthy weight gain, energy improvement, pre- and postnatal health, or relief from various gastrointestinal ailments, Just for Today LLC (justfortodaynyc.com) provides tools to make a change for life.

SAMUEL A. LITTSound Advicepage 34 Samuel A. Litt is an

-nical coordinator as

member of the Apple Consultants Network. He currently serves as the director of technology for John Carris Investments. His published works to date include Mac OS X Administration Basics Exam Cram Study Guide, Mac OS X Bible for Panther, Tiger and Leopard edi-tions, as well as several articles for Ele-ment K’s Mac Administrator Journal and Quark’s XRAY magazine.

SARAH SEKULA Where the Wild Things Are page 43When Sarah Sekula is not zigzagging around the planet—swim-ming alongside sea

lions in the Galápagos, trekking glaciers in Iceland or roaming the remote jungles of India—she’s writing about her adven-

wellness, extraordinary people and social injustice issues. Her work has appeared in USA Today, ISLANDS, Sherman’s Travel, Caribbean Travel & Life, Cayman Airways Skies and more. Follow her travels at sarahsekula.com.

MICHAEL DESANOBasic Investing: Know the Playing Field page 32Born and raised on the South Shore of Long Island, Michael De-Sano spent the bulk of

his youth angling the waters of the Great South Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Before getting hooked on the immense amount of money that the stock markets could pro-

-sions in life. As a teenager, he was inspired by his cousin’s successes as a Wall Street stock broker and decided to follow in his footsteps.

KRISTIN DONEY A Chat with TriBeCa Resident and Paw-Fect Pet Illustrator Kristin Doney page 108TriBeCa resident Kris-tin Doney is a free-

lance illustrator specializing in children’s books. She studied art at Syracuse Uni-versity. Sketching the streets of New York City is one of her favorite pastimes. She also enjoys doing custom illustrations of kids, dogs and the occasional cat. To see more of her work, visit kristindoney.com.

DR. STEVE FRIEDMAN Time Traveler’s Menu

page 98Dr. Friedman is the chairman of the De-partment of Surgery at New York Down-

town Hospital and lives with his wife and two daughters on the North Shore of Long Island. He and his wife enjoy theater in Manhattan on Saturday afternoons, fol-lowed by a new gourmet experience.

MIKAEL GIANFRANCO R The Monopoly of Aggressive Investing page 32Mikael Gianfranco R is a global equity trad-

at the International University of Monaco,

and information technology before mov-ing to New York. After settling in the city, he became a registered stock broker with

Gianfranco enjoys traveling, exercising,

DOWNTOWN

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Date: Feb 14, 2012

Project: New York by Gehry

Publication: Downtown Magazine

Issue: 04.13.2012

Specs: Full Page 4C

Trim Size: 10.0 in ! 12.0 in

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212.877.2220 Eight Spruce StreetNewYorkbyGehry.comOwner Developer: Forest City Ratner Companies Marketing Consultant: Nancy Packes, Inc. Marketing & Leasing Agent: Citi Habitats Marketing Group

Gateway to AMERICA

Class Lesson / Visionaries / Downtown Development / Tech Spot

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Shi

.ENTOURAGE INSIGHT

For a brief period in time, Ellis Island was the second beacon in New York harbor, a sight as welcoming as the Statue herself. But few realize that the busiest immigra-tion center in the country was only operational for 62 years, beginning in 1892—a mere blip in the timeline of the island of Manhattan. After the wave of European immigration in the early part of the 20th century, 1924 saw Ellis Island become primarily a detention and de-portation processing center until it was closed for good in 1954.

Work began in 1986 to restore the main building—the largest historic restoration ever undertaken in the coun-try. And in 1990 the Ellis Island Immigration Museum opened, followed by the American Family Immigration History Center in 2001, which holds a database contain-ing over 22 million immigration records from 1892-1924.

A little-known fact is that three-term Mayor Fiorello La Guardia worked on the island from 1907-1910 as an interpreter, before beginning his law and political career.

—SHARI HARTFORD

New York has been both blessed and cursed by its leadership, but it never has had bland leaders. Something about the island city tends to jazz things up and attract the ambitious in droves.

From Peter Stuyvesant to Mayor Bloomberg, they come (from Holland and Massachusetts, respectively) and are lit up as if on a stage, emerging

such an experiment in mayhem as Manhattan. Boss Tweed was perhaps the most powerful; Jimmy Walker perhaps the most corrupt. Indeed a lengthy and fascinating book could be made of the various mayors and governors of New York over 400 years. William Randolph Hearst, the press magnate, wanted the job, but couldn’t get over the people’s bitter aftertaste of his own brand of “yellow journalism,” which the public well recalled. Former mayor Rudolph Giuliani and former governor Nel-

the Roosevelt cousins (Theodore and Franklin) were able to make the jump to the presidency from the governorship, and no mayor has ever

gone the distance to the White House. Fiorello LaGuardia was perhaps the best beloved (especially when he started reading the comics over the radio during a newspaper strike), and John Lindsay, while not admired much these days, was a very decent man with a wonderful campaign slo-gan, which older readers may recall: simple black lapel buttons with the words in bright white saying “Give a Damn.” Senator Bobby Kennedy wasn’t able to see how far he could have gone, but perhaps our current secretary of state and former senator from New York, Hillary Clinton

For a truly rotten governor, impossibly high-handed and so crooked he probably needed a corkscrew to get his trousers on, we’d have to cast our spyglass back to the early 1700s and take up the remarkable case of Edward Hyde, Viscount Cornbury (and later the 3rd Earl of Clarendon).

Now, keep in mind how compact this thriving seaport was at that time. The wall, which was at present-day Wall Street, came down in 1699, and a new city hall was built at the intersection of Wall and Broad

The Worst Governor of Them All: Edward Hyde

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streets. In 1704, we are told, there were 5,000 people living in 750 houses, and many of them were made of brick and stone, lessening the ever-present fear of

and another 15 were dug to accommodate the increas-ing population. The houses were tidy, but the streets were a wreck. Eventually homeowners would be required to pave the street in front of their build-ing, and this helped a little, but the chance of being run down by horses and carriages, to say nothing of the roaming packs of almost-wild pigs, hardly lent any coziness to this dark sea-port. Footpads (highway rob-bers on foot) and thugs awaited

night travelers dared go out, if at all, only in pairs or threesomes. In 1697 each house was required to show some light “in the Darke time of the moon,” which

New York, eh? It doesn’t pay to wander around after dark with your head in the clouds.

Onto this scene as part of the push for Angliciza-tion of the port city arrived one Edward Hyde, Vis-count Cornbury, a well-connected British noble. In-deed, his aunt, Lady Anne Hyde, would later be King James II’s bride, and his grandfather was the 1st Earl

-ber of Parliament, Hyde was also a member of the Royal Regiment of Dragoons (dragoons being heavily armed and armored cavalrymen), and Master of Horse

thing he did was attack the Dutch Reformed Church, attempting to impose the Trinity Church and its brand

the colony—much to the discontent of Reformed Church followers. Hyde also started handing out huge land grants, never a good sign in a governor, with one of them being as large as half of Connecticut: some two million acres. But there was more to Viscount Cornbury than merely rewarding his backers and pun-ishing people of other faiths.

People began to talk, as they will, about the time he rode his horse into the city’s most prominent coffee-house, the King’s Arms (just north of Trinity Church on Broadway), which might just indicate high spirits, but it was imputed that there was a lack of sobriety in his actions. Indeed, what might have been passed off as all right in Dodge City in the 1870s was an unusual action for a social meeting place in the New York of the early 1700s, where much business and politics were

done. And, after all, horse-and-polo-mad Vanderbilts and Astors of the Gilded Age are shown in one pho-tograph having an entire meal on horseback—but for Hyde, this was just the beginning.

It began to be noised about that the fellow wore dresses . . . indeed, that he liked to wear dresses, and some-times walked the ramparts of the fort dressed as a wom-an, or else sprang out from behind a handy tree to alarm passersby with his cross-dressing and loud “shrieks.” Good Lord! This, evidently,

was beyond the pale; although transvestism has been with us since the dawn of time, and is largely agreed to be a harmless pastime. Well, it was one thing to be a crooked liar, but quite another to be the queen’s ap-pointed governor in crinoline and lace!

A tidy groundswell of opinion now threatened Hyde’s authority, and those who were not fans of his religious op-pressions were hardly taken by his private and not-so-private practices. Fortunately for them, Hyde’s transgres-sions were fairly manifest, such as the 1,500 pounds for harbor improvements that somehow went missing. He had formerly been very proud of his wife’s ears (!), but her death in 1707 (she rests in the Trinity graveyard) won him little sympathy—not least because it was re-ported he attended her funeral dressed as a woman. Did he actually open the New York Assembly in a hooped gown and fancy head gear, waving a fan? And the lovely portrait of Viscount Corn-bury that is in the possession of the

really be him? As it turns out, the entire cross-

dressing accusation seems to have been a bum rap, just another shovel of mud to be piled on a political leader with a heavy-handed and corrupt way about him. There was no eyewitness testi-mony—just rumors in letters, and not many of those. Be that as it may, he was recalled to England to face charges of corruption, and saved only by the death of his father, which made him the 3rd

Earl of Clarendon, and thus unable to be charged with such things. Oh, nobility does have its uses! This didn’t, however, save him from dying in poverty in 1725.

Hyde had an agenda when he arrived, and lined his own pockets along the way with a reckless abandon that showed little stealth and no honor. And not for the last time, New Yorkers demanded better leader-

were offered, and get on with it. But starting in New York, it seemed almost as if new rules applied in the New World, and in time those new rules would include freedom and self-governance. New Yorkers come by their bold audacity honestly, honed over centuries of

rule and control such a beehive of activity—and that’s just the elected leaders. After all, neither Robert Moses nor Cornelius Vanderbilt ever stood to election—and,

Manhattan than the now-almost-forgotten Edward Hyde, Viscount Cornbury.

—SAMUEL A. SOUTHWORTH

It was one thing to be a crooked liar, but quite another to be the queen’s

appointed governor in crinoline and

lace!

ENTOURAGE INSIGHT ! DOWNTOWN REWIND

Opposite page:Federal Hall, Seat of Congress. 1790 hand-colored engraving depicting Washington’s April 30, 1789 inauguration at the former City Hall where Hyde served.This page: Portrait of an Unidentified Woman, said to be Hyde in women’s clothing.

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You have lived on the Lower East Side for your en-tire life. What has compelled you to remain in the neighborhood for all these years?What I like about the neighborhood, what draws me to it, is its history and diversity. To truly know the Lower East Side is to know the city of New York.…Really, it’s to know America! Getting to interact with people from every ethnic and economic background teaches me something new every day. To have raised my children in a community such as this, which is not so driven by materialism, was a true blessing.How do you think New York City, and specifically Lower Manhattan, changed after 9/11?

I think New Yorkers are more united now than before 9/11. Lower Manhattan has emerged as a vibrant, 24/7, mixed-use community. While we are as committed as

capital of the world, we are aggressively pursuing new companies from sectors such as media, professional services, technology, creative services and not-for-prof-its; all of this on top of dozens of new hotels and retail shops. Lower Manhattan is the place to be.What has been the biggest factor(s) helping Down-town revitalize itself over the last 10 years?The $2 billion investment made by the federal govern-ment to rebuild Lower Manhattan has enabled us to build new parks and a beautiful new waterfront on the east and west sides, improve our infrastructure and as-sist businesses to rebuild. And when Condé Nast, the Daily News, Oppenheimer Funds, the William J. Clinton Foundation, and the New York Academy of Sciences arrived, that sent a message that the revitalization was real and sustainable.What have been your proudest accomplishments in the last 35 years in the New York State Assembly?As speaker, my greatest source of pride is the establish-ment of the state’s universal prekindergarten for every four-year-old. Having read the studies and recognizing that children who receive quality early education fre-quently go on to enjoy long-term academic achieve-ment, I pushed for the creation and the funding of this

across our state.As the assemblyman who represents Downtown, I

am particularly proud to have had a hand in Down-town’s comeback. The legislation I crafted to permit the conversion of commercial buildings to residential and the Marshall Plan for Lower Manhattan, which I authored and which sparked the commercial resur-gence of Downtown, are particular sources of pride. What else do you want to accomplish?Looking forward, I would like to see the day when the World Trade Center is fully constructed and fully occu-pied. Equally important, I am working toward the day

near their homes in Lower Manhattan.How do you think you have been able to stay so successful and popular after many years in office?I have never forgotten and will never forget that it is the people who elect me. I have never lost sight of

-

you are, know what it is you do and see the results of your leadership. I walk the district and am approach-able. I seek the input of my neighbors. I listen to their concerns and I act to address them. Staying engaged, listening, leading…these are the keys to success in pub-lic service.

—MATT ESSERT

Irepresent Downtown in the New York State Assembly than Sheldon Silver. Born on Henry

generations of Silvers can call home), Silver spent his childhood summers working at his father’s hard-ware store on Ludlow Street and now lives on Grand Street. Having lived in the neighborhood for his en-tire life, Silver’s “roots run deep in this community.”

After graduating from Yeshiva University and ob-taining his law degree from Brooklyn School of Law, Silver eventually found his way into New York State politics when he was elected to the assembly in 1976

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ENTOURAGE INSIGHT ! LEADERS IN TIME

Rachelle Friedman with Blues Legend BB King

SHELDON SILVER DOWNTOWN’S VOICE IN ALBANY

It took love—and money—to turn an idea into an empire. Forty years ago, Rachelle and Joe Fried-man parlayed their wedding loot into a small mom-

and-pop store, J&R, hawking audio equipment on Park Row in Downtown Manhattan.

Rachelle and Joe have since turned that passion into a worldwide shopping destination with 650 employees. Emblematic of that resilience and growth, Crain’s New York anointed J&R Music and Computer World the largest female-owned business in New York City.

J&R’s public face—speaking at conferences and serving on boards, such as the Downtown Alliance’s board of

the curve, embraces new technological and consumer de-mands and continues to stay loyal to Lower Manhattan.

Why did you choose Park Row?Park Row was a few blocks away from where my hus-band worked as an engineer and was a block away from the college where I was studying chemistry. We opened J&R as a part-time endeavor to make some extra mon-ey while in school, and we had a passion for what we were selling: gadgets, consumer electronics and music.Tell me about day one.

with electronics. It was about 300 square feet. As we sold items, customers asked for other products that we

didn’t have. I wrote it all in a notebook. The next morn-

requests. Customers taught me the business.What were the best business decisions you made?We never took partners, though we were very tempted. We never went public and we never expanded for the sake of expanding. We wanted to run the business by gut. And, instead of renting our stores, we felt the urge to buy the buildings when they became available—and that was one of our better business decisions.How did J&R develop worldwide appeal?We always appealed to the tourist because of our ter-

staff that speaks every language to accommodate tour-ists that come to J&R. We have great relationships with other tourism entities in the city.How has the neighborhood changed since you started J&R?Lower Manhattan was inundated with banks and in-

through-Friday area with 9-to-5 hours. Over the years, other businesses and residents moved into the area and,

converted to residential.What obstacles have you faced?As the new kids on the block 40 years ago, we had to get factory authorized for all the products and lines

biggest obstacle was 9/11, due to our proximity to the Twin Towers.What was the impact of 9/11?We were closed for seven weeks, yet we managed to continue to pay our employees. We were thankful that none of our employees were hurt on that tragic day.You were the first business to reopen afterward. The area looked like a war zone the day before we re-opened. The streets were deserted. We felt we owed it to our employees, and our customers said they would not buy another piece of electronics until we reopened. The day after we reopened, the streets were bustling. We didn’t want to abandon Lower Manhattan. We showed the terrorists that they did not win.What’s your advice for someone who wants to fol-low in your footsteps?

to do. People can always tell if you are being honest with them.What’s your guilty pleasure when you shop?My shopping guilty pleasure is buying gifts. I take more pleasure in buying things for other people than I do for myself, and I’m a very impatient buyer.

—JEFF SIMMONS

Simmons serves as senior vice president for communications of the Alliance for Downtown New York,

the business improvement district for Lower Manhattan.

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ENTOURAGE INSIGHT ! LEADERS IN TIME

Friedman with blues legend B.B. King.

Friedman with son Jason Friedman at J&R Junior.

RACHELLE FRIEDMAN THE WOMAN BEHIND J&R

Trinity Preschool is an Episcopal school in Lower Manhattan that cultivates the mind, body, and spirit of children. It offers full-day, year-round options for infants through preschool. This year it celebrates 30 years of service in the community.

More information at: 212.602.0829. an Episcopal parish

in the city of New York

Our child will always be standing on the educational, ethical, and spiritual foundation formed at Trinity Preschool.

–Parent of Trinity Graduate

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Battery Park City (BPC) is attracting a lot of buzz in the Downtown com-munity with help from the folks at Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. Goldman

its headquarters in 2010 at the corner of Vesey and West streets. Then, in February 2011, Goldman announced plans to overhaul its immediate vicinity to better serve its employees as well as the local residents.

A major renovation was set in motion early last year to convert Goldman’s ad-jacent 14-story Embassy Suites Hotel into a luxury Conrad Hotel. In addition to replacing the building’s brick façade with glass and steel, new restaurants and retail

locations have cropped up, including a bakery shepherded by its world-renowned chef, Francois Payard. The area’s gourmet grocer recently opened a second, satellite location, offering alternatives to the area’s former Applebee’s and Chevy’s chains. Wine connoisseurs can delve into a sea of popular and esoteric varietals. Plus, a

will open this spring. Some old establishments will remain in the area; among them, a mega cinema.

Dino Fusco, a managing director at Goldman Sachs, told Community Board 1 that he believes these changes may make BPC one of Manhattan’s all-purpose hotspots:


ENTOURAGE INSIGHT ! BLUEPRINT

Downtown’s NORTH END Gets a FaceliftGET TO KNOW THE NEW NEIGHBORS A

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Vintry Fine Wines

Battery Place Market

SPRING 2012 DOWNTOWNMAGAZINENYC.COM 27


“It makes for a more dynamic, modern experience.” Linda Belfer, chairwoman of the community board’s

BPC committee, feels both families and Wall Street workers will be given a respite from their bustling deadline-driven environment. “If we, as a residential

Belfer says.

BATTERY PLACE MARKETThey had DOWNTOWN hooked the second we tried Executive Chef Robert Sckalor’s homemade turkey chili, and now Battery Place Market is aiming to be the go-to grocery store for on-the-go healthy and organic items and guilty pleasures.

CEO Anthony Roche says, “We’re excited to be around all these restaurateurs, such as Harry and Pe-ter, Danny Meyer, the people at Pick-a-Bagel, Greens & Beans and Francois Payard, who is considered to be one of the best businessmen in the country. We’re excited to be a part of this family here.”

The new market has divided its menu into the basic food groups, with carbs, veggies and meats all sprinkled with a generous dose of health consciousness.

“We’re trying to provide fresh quality and the most

crunched workers to come in and grab lunch in four to

minutes,” explains Roche.Start your day off with something familiar, like a

bagel with cream cheese, or go all out with scrambled eggs, chorizo and Manchego cheese on a Portuguese

raises the standard for your traditional café au lait, and the Intelligentsia Organic Tea offerings span the conti-nents. Choose from a wordly assortment that includes Asia’s Jasmine Peach and Africa’s Moroccan Mint.

your taste buds no longer has to leave you with a guilty conscience, but rather with the desire to come back for more. Specials and new items are introduced each week, and the dishes are more affordable than those at your average fast-food joint. Plus, delivery is free!

In conceiving Battery Place Market, Roche made sure that its services would cater to the area’s diversity, from outsourcing some dishes to making new products themselves. He explains, “We really had to meet our customers on a one-to-one basis…to get to know them and ask questions: Can we get anything for you? What is something you need on a daily basis? Are we too ex-pensive?” Roche says that this “tailoring from A to Z”

CONRAD HOTELAll of these new establishments stretch between the Goldman Sachs building and the new Conrad Hotel—the Goldman-owned building that has gotten a ritzy makeover and been turned into a keystone of the Gold-man Sachs Dining & Entertainment Complex.

The hotel boasts 463 suites, each with two rooms fea-

machine and an innovative iPhone app that connects you to the hotel concierge. With 22,000 square feet of

-ference center, visitors will have plenty of opportunities to mingle and meet new people. Given the hotel’s loca-tion adjacent to the parks of Battery Park City, guests will have vistas of some of the most iconic attractions in the world.

“We have close to 2,000 pieces of art in the build-ing,” Conrad’s Director of Sales and Marketing Patrick Roy explains. The Public Art Fund has selected the works of artists, including Sol LeWitt, Mary Heilmann, Elizabeth Payton, Pat Steir and Sara Sosnowy, to be on display throughout the hotel.

“The whole aspiration for the conversion was to re--

side to the inside, and the inside to the outside,” Roy says. Along with a breathtaking staircase and modern artwork, the Conrad will greet the North End neighbor-hood with long-awaited modernity.

Ensuring that the hotel is an all-around “luxury, -

-ration and all this work, and not have the service levels to match,” Roy says.

Experience Conrad’s Mediterranean food styling at Atrio, the perfect place for business meetings or catching up with old friends. Its all-day menu highlights

artisan cheeses accompanied by wine by the glass.The Conrad’s second dining venue keeps it more

70 people. Its stunning views and contemporary decor make it the perfect place for urbanites to get together and unwind over cocktails and wines.

Although BPC’s revamp may intimidate some po-tential patrons, Roy states, “I don’t think people mind what they’re spending as long as they get value.” He

expensive, but you can go in and get a nice bottle for

part of Embassy Suites, has been given a dramatic

The Conrad Hotel’s general manager, Robert Rechtermann

ADVANCING SCIENCE, ENHANCING LIFE

When it comes to your health, an ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure. In addition to our expertise and training in treating a wide variety of illnesses, Weill Cornell Medical Associates internal medicine physicians are strong advocates of preventive care. We will help guide you to a lifestyle that can reduce your risk of many diseases and conditions. Our obstetrics and gynecology physicians provide comprehensive healthcare services for every stage in a woman’s life—from adolescence through child-bearing to menopause and the post-meno-

pausal years. Weill Cornell is now at 40 Worth Street

Weill Cornell Physicians are faculty members of Weill Cornell Medical College, one of the top-ranked clinical and medical research centers in the country. They are also attending physicians at NewYork-Presbyterian Hos-pital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and New York Downtown Hospital. Weill Cornell physicians have consistently been leaders in patient care, in primary care as well as in many specialty areas as diverse as in-vitro fertilization, neurology, oncology, and HIV/AIDS care. Committed to delivering outstanding patient care with compassion and concern for each patient, Weill Cornell Physicians are providers of primary and specialty care to people from all

Learn more about Weill Cornell Physicians at www.weillcornell.org

40 Worth Street Suite # 402 New York, NY 10013 (646) 962-3400 www.weillcornell.org/wcma

Though Lower Manhattan has had a long and storied history, the neighborhood has seen extensive changes over the past decade in

particular. One of the biggest of these developments

exactly how international the community has become. In my building alone, families from Germany, Eng-

Park City home. There are a number of characteristics of Lower

Manhattan that make it attractive to foreign buyers.

-

designer Philippe Starck, have led to Europeans rent-

map are looking at Lower Manhattan as a prime re-location destination. Nick Jabbour, vice president of Nest Seekers International, said that he once needed a translator to help with a Japanese client. “We ended up using sign language until I enlisted a translator to come along with us,” he explains.

Jabbour has been in luxury real estate for almost a decade and has completed a number of deals with for-eign buyers looking to relocate to Lower Manhattan. While he represents listings all around the city, Jabbour

of brand, or status, that is attractive to any buyer.“The value of real estate in New York is protected.

There is no other protected real estate market in the world like that of Manhattan.”

in 1998, and so much has happened since then,” says

“The neighborhood was desolate back then. Now you see so many amenities. It’s a good thing for the neigh-borhood and for people who are investing.”

Even more so, in Lower Manhattan, Léman Man-hattan Preparatory School (formerly Claremont Prep) is one of New York’s best private schools with an

-chasing in the area because of the private school.

TROUBLESHOOTING-

eign buyers that can arise in the relocation process. Some foreigners may not yet have the proper United

or else request extra month’s security and up to a year’s -

cations arise when someone is looking to buy instead of rent; visa and tax implications, which differ from country to country, must also be considered and inves-

should understand these expectations and the risk of losing the apartment if they are not willing to see eye to eye with the landlord.

-cial stature is,” Jabbour says. “They might be worth millions and millions of euros in their country but here they won’t get accepted.”

-eign nationals, explains that the best course of action is to get a holistic view before diving into the process.

not deal with foreign nationals at all. This is a whole

different type of analysis.” Lower Manhattan has a vibe and energy unparal-

leled by any other neighborhood. Stunning lifestyle buildings, restaurants, mass transit system, shopping…

-bour feels it will become even more family oriented.

the value is there and the buildings are beautiful. You

you don’t have to be on the Upper East Side in a co-op

infrastructure of Manhattan and soon the scaffolding

down and we are going to have the most beautiful neighborhood. It’s a great eclectic mix.”

—MARIA HADJIDEMETRIOU

Hadjidemetriou is a freelance real estate writer.



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Relocating to NEW YORK FOREIGN NATIONALS CALLLOWER MANHATTAN HOME

Aggressive investors are investors who place a higher percentage of their assets in equities rather than in safer debt securities.

Is 2012 a good year for aggressive investments? For sure there are many opinions among the experts. After a couple of years of solid gains in the stock market, the Dow, NASDAQ and S&P are at levels not seen since 2008. Their values have almost doubled from the bot-tom levels in the spring of 2009. The question is, does the market have the steam to continue this trend? The answer is probably no.

For a portfolio manager to decide on an optimal as-set allocation in an attempt to achieve a higher return in

strategy in order to outperform the overall market can be very challenging. It becomes an even more challeng-ing task for a regular investor, who usually takes on ad-ditional risk.

Before assuming this strategy, an investor should eval-uate his or her risk tolerance—it must be high—and be sure that he or she has reserve capital before needing the invested funds in a couple of years. This year may be a dream year for day traders or short-term investors

The U.S. is gearing up for a presidential election, Eu-

rope is on the edge of a recession and Greece is in debt. There is slowing growth in China, unrest in the Middle East, not to mention high energy costs. Aggressive in-vesting in the stock market in this environment can be

Some stocks, like Apple (APPL), are at their highest

and Baidu (BIDU). Still, many have not recovered much of what they lost during the last years: Citi (C), Bank of

There are also the penny stocks, some of which have potential for great returns on investment in the near fu-ture, but high risks are associated with such investments.

movements of the market, and the direction of the market will decide the direction for many stocks’ values.

should be knowing your stocks, their potential and their risk in the volatility of the market. No one can predict with 100 percent accuracy the direction of a stock or the market. Nonetheless, that should not stop an investor from approaching an aggressive investment in 2012.

—MIKAEL GIANFRANCO R

Gianfranco R is a global equity trader.

ENTOURAGE INSIGHT ! NICKLE AND DIME

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The Monopoly of Aggressive INVESTING

BASIC INVESTING: KNOW THE PLAYING FIELDApproaching the market today com-pared to a decade ago may leave you scratching your head and wondering how companies did so well for some investors. Unfortunately, there is no mathematical formula to guarantee winning stocks. And sometimes, emo-tions like greed overpower logic.

Years back, during the beginning of the ethanol craze, Pacific Etha-nol (PEIX) soared from mere dollars to hundreds of dollars with terrible fundamentals, poor earnings and no proven track record; however, they had a dream the public loved. On the flip side, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) a golden oldie with great earn-ings, solid fundamentals and a more proven track record, barely moved. The moral of the story: PEIX trades at close to 1 while ADM trades in the 30s. Investors’ greed pushed the stock sky-high but when push came to shove, quality ADM preserved inves-tors capital while the other fell and never bounced back.

You don’t need to be a math whiz to reap the rewards of the stock market. First-hand experience and product ex-posure helps. Stick to the basics. If it looks and sounds too good, chances are it is. Try to invest in tangible items that you use yourself so you know in what you are investing. Take Apple (APPL) for instance. There are five stores in Manhattan alone. At any giv-en hour of the day they are overflow-ing with happy customers; consumers are hooked on their technology and great service. It’s no secret why APPL has $75 billion in cash and zero debt.

If you’re still not convinced, re-search more. Read up on companies you might invest in to make sure they are profiting and debt is low or zero. Positive consumer feedback is also a great indicator of a solid investment.

A good rule of thumb, which I heard from The Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffet, is “It’s far better to buy a won-derful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price.”

—MICHAEL DESANO

JOIN TODAY.A healthy, active lifestyle is only the start of a lifetime of achievements for you and your family. Asphalt Green Battery Park City is your new Downtown neighbor and the ultimate support

system — armed with quality programs, expert staff and a 52,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility.

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DOWNTOWN_10x12__FEB 2012_AD.indd 1 2/9/12 12:20 PM

1 Internet Connection More employees require more bandwidth;

that’s not just speed but the actual amount of data that can be sent and received at any one time from

to each individual station provides a faster and

2Hardware: Both Computers and Mobile Devices

gazelle.com

3 Software Not only do software updates contain new fea

4 Social Media

advice from the technically savvy can point you in

5Find Your IT Technician

what is how

know about the latest developments or the next

a major decision and the evolutionary nature of

—MICHAEL KAUFMAN, AIA

Keeping Up with the JOBSES AND THE GATESES

M

SOUND ADVICEThere is no other component of IT infra-structure that is more vital to conducting business, than internet connectivity. Un-der the lens of qualitative and quantita-tive considerations, reliability and speed can make or break a business. Value is a proposition that does not always equate to expense. However, poor quality of ser-vice (QOS) can lead to costs of another sort: the loss of business. So, when think-ing about connectivity, it’s not necessarily a consideration of what you can afford; it’s what you can’t afford.

That being said, if your business requirements are such that you cannot afford an outage whatsoever, then redun-dant connections are a must. Try making them as dissimilarly diverse as possible. If you have a fiber connection such as FIOS, choose a cable provider like Time War-ner for the other. Office buildings typi-cally have diversified cabling pathways to mitigate disruption in the unlikely event of an accident or sabotage. If this is not the case, consider a 3G/4G backup from a mobile communications provider. If you’re a road warrior and are dependent on mo-bile internet connectivity, make one a connection from a Global System for Mo-bile Communications (GSM) provider like AT&T or T-Mobile, and the other a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) con-nection from Sprint or Verizon. This will cover the majority of commercial mobile data connectivity standards on the planet. Speaking globally, make sure to coordi-nate your travel plans with your mobile service provider. Doing so will ensure the most preferred global roaming data and talk rates when traveling abroad.

Until science fiction becomes science fact, and teleportation becomes a reality, internet connectivity will remain unchal-lenged as the most significant means of getting business done since the advent of the personal computer itself.

—SAMUEL LITT

40 WINTER 2011 DOWNTOWNMAGAZINENYC.COM

HOW TO ENSURE TECHNOLOGY AT YOUR SMALL BUSINESS STAYS CURRENT

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ROSABIANCA& ASSOCIATESAttorneys and Counselors At Law

ATTENTIVECONSISTENT

COMPREHENSIVECLIENT-CENTERED

BOUTIQUE

In a brief period of time, Downtown Magazine has become a staple in our community

that we all turn to for advice, current events and cultural affairs.

Our sentiments have evolved from: a sense of curiosity, to… satisfaction in calling it our

very own, to… now, one of pride as we can no longer do without.

Keep up the great work, and always do it Downtown!

City Scoop / Getaway Guide

CULTURE CODE

Founded in 2001, in one of the world’s most prominent fi lmmaking centers, by Jane Rosenthal, Craig Hatkoff and Robert De Niro, the Tribeca Film Festival (TFF) is held each year to celebrate up-and-coming artists and provide them with a viable platform to show-case their talents to a widespread audience. Festival goers have an array of independent fi lms to choose from, starring A-listers as well as unsung newbies.

The 11th annual festival opens with The Five-Year Engagement, a highly anticipated new comedy from Forgetting Sarah Mar-shall’s all-star team: Jason Segel, Nicholas Stoller and Judd Apatow. Segel and Emily Blunt coheadline the fi lm as Tom and Violet.

As much as TFF loves dark stadium seat-ing and popcorn, the festival reaches beyond the theater. The Tribeca Family Festival Street Fair, the Tribeca Drive-In Outdoor Screen-ings, the 2nd Annual Tribeca Film Festival/NYFest Soccer Day and the Artists Awards Program are only a small handful of the excit-ing events taking place April 18–29.

For programming details, visit downtown-magazinenyc.com or tribecafi lm.com and for selected fi lms, see page 39.

—CHARISSA CHE

TriBeCaALL EYES ON

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CULTURE CODE ! INDUSTRY NOTES

UNFOLDING ART AND ENTERTAINMENT NEWS UNFOLDING ART AND ENTERTAINMENT NEWS UNFOLDING ART AND ENTERTAINMENT NEWS UNFOLDING ART AND ENTERTAINMENT NEWSCultureREPORT

FIRST EDITIONS

Evita is returning to Broadway for the fi rst time in more than 30 years. April 5 marks the offi cial opening at the Marquis Theatre. Produced by Hal Huftig and Scott Sanders, Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical will star Ricky Martin as Che and Elena Roger, in her stateside debut. The musical is based on Eva Peron, a woman from the slums of Argentina, and her journey to the presi-dential palace as First Lady. broadway.com

—SAMANTHA ABRAM

THEATER

The Seasons of New YorkPhotographer Charles J. Ziga captures the change of temperature, diverse moods and continual evolution of scenic New York City in his new book from Universe Publishing. rizzoliusa.com

100 Years Studio Babelsberg: The Art of Filmmaking

Babelsberg Studio, the oldest large-scale stu-dio in the world, has teamed up with teNeues to celebrate the studio’s 2012 centennial. In col-laboration with Filmmuseum Postdam, “Kondrad Wolf” and the Film and Television University, the tome illustrates the studio’s history, golden years of Weimar cinema and positions Babelsberg as a reemerging international fi lm house. teneues.com

Documentary footage of Holocaust camps will be shown at a new exhibition at the Museum of Jew-ish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. Entitled “Filming the Camps: John Ford, Samuel Fuller, George Stevens: From Hollywood to Nuremberg,” the collection, on view through October 14, centers on three classic Hollywood directors’ contributions to the Armed Forces and Secret Service in fi lming the realities of war and the liberation of concentration camps. The project was designed by the Mém Shoah and made possible through the support of the SNCF. mjhnyc.org

—DORÉE HAROOTUNIAN

MUSEUM EXHIBIT


Ford and his crew at Midway, 1942

New York City has so many iconic landmarks, buildings and scenes that it may seem like an impossible task to fi t everything into a single book. But that’s what photographer Chris Bliss did when he began as-sembling Iconic New York (teNeus).

Bliss spent much of his career as a pianist but eventually grew his in-terest in photography.

After moving to California, he frequently visited New York and took black-and-white images for his personal enjoyment. Soon, galleries and publishers began to recognize his work and he felt “compelled to capture as much of the city as I could each time I visited.”

In creating his collection of pho-tographs, Bliss tried to show build-ings and landmarks associated with New York City but from a new and unique perspective or angle, always while looking for the “strongest combination of shape, shadow, light and mood.”

And after many years and count-less visits, Bliss feels confi dent in saying, “No place really compares to New York for excitement. When in New York, I always feel like I’m in the center of the world.”

For the full interview, visit down-townmagazinenyc.com.

—MATT ESSERTART GALLERY

Artist Claudia De-Monte’s new sculpture and installation exhibit “Abundance” will run at the June Kelly Gallery in SoHo April 12–May 15. DeMonte’s works focus on the meanings of abundance versus basic needs and con-sist of small bronze fi gures and self-portrait sculptures covered with shoes and jewelry. DeMonte (an Astoria native) is collaborating with HeARTworks, a not-for-profi t art orga-nization that helps the homeless in Jackson, Mississippi. junekellygallery.com


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ART GALLERYArtist Claudia De-Artist Claudia De-Monte’s new sculpture and installation exhibit

will run at the June Kelly Gallery in SoHo April 12–May 15. DeMonte’s works 15. DeMonte’s works focus on the meanings of

Columns, New York State Courthouse

STATE OF BLISS

Artist Claudia De-Artist Claudia De-Monte’s new sculpture and installation exhibit “Abundance”at the June Kelly Gallery in SoHo April 12–May 15. DeMonte’s works 15. DeMonte’s works focus on the meanings of abundance versus basic needs and con-sist of small bronze fi gures and self-portrait sculptures covered with shoes and jewelry. DeMonte (an Astoria native) is collaborating with HeARTworks, a not-for-profi t art orga-nization that helps the homeless in Jackson, Mississippi.

Irestaurant: Union Square Cafe. But it all didn’t be-gin there. Meyer was born and raised in St. Louis,

Missouri. He worked for his father as a tour guide in Rome during college, and then returned to Rome to

-taurant experience in 1984 as an assistant manager at Pesca, an Italian seafood restaurant in the Flatiron Dis-trict. He then returned to Europe to study cooking as a stagiaire (an unpaid culinary intern) in both Italy and Bordeaux. Once again, he came home to New York City. It was there that a restaurateur was born.

The steady growth of Meyer and his restaurants astounds many. To name a few makes your mouth wa-ter: Gramercy Tavern; Eleven Madison Park; and The Modern, all of which have earned so many prestigious accolades. And he couldn’t have done it without his impeccable team at Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG). USHG’s catering division operates several concessions, such as Shake Shack, Blue Smoke, El Ve-rano Taqueria and Box Frite.

In 1994, Meyer made time to coauthor The Union Square Cafe Cookbook: 160 Favorite Recipes from New York’s Acclaimed Restaurant (Ecco) with his partner, Chef Michael Romano. The book earned the IACP Ju-

author, and was followed up with the highly acclaimed Second Helpings from Union Square Cafe: 140 New Recipes from New York’s Acclaimed Restaurant (William Morrow Cookbooks). If that’s not enough, Meyer continues to grow, with North End Grill and a second location of Blue Smoke, both in Battery Park City. This expansion lead to Meyer and USHG winning 24 James Beard

Foundation awards. He takes nothing for granted and is the most down-to-earth man you want to know.

From where does your inspiration come?Every single restaurant is different and there are always three factors that sort of coalesce to help bring about the outcome, and you never really know how it’s going to end. It’s like writing a book. For me it is the space, a chef who is desirable to work with, and some ideas kicking around on exactly where you want to go and what you want to achieve with this restaurant. There’s always one of those three elements that comes to the

-ample, the restaurant we are about to open is North End Grill in Battery Park City. In that case, the space

really winning idea and the right chef. How much has living and learning in Rome influ-enced your career?I don’t think I can overstate how much I loved and

way I approach all of my restaurants and my life. Union

1985—a year after I lived in Rome. While it is certainly not an Italian restaurant, there is so much Italian soul within the restaurant. It wasn’t until 2009 that I had

an homage to Rome: Maialino at the Gramercy Park Hotel. The two restaurants are more related then some people really know. What would you say to the young women and men out there who want to be like you? Don’t be me, be yourself. Create your own restaurant

platform. When you are in this business you have a

way, which is something we all have in common: to express a part of your personality, your generosity of spirit and your sense of taste and caring for people, using food as the vehicle of communication. Tell me a little about City Harvest.It’s a remarkable organization that has done more to alleviate hunger in the city than any other organiza-tion I know, by rescuing and redistributing food that is left over from restaurants, catering events, schools, etc. They are honoring our entire team here at USHG in April at the Practical Magic Ball. We are most honored by that acknowledgment.What is the next major step in your career? No products, just books and restaurants for the mo-ment. I think we—USHG—are on a very exciting path right now. We know ourselves pretty well and we like

What makes you smile?When someone is eating at one of my restaurants and leans to the next person and says how amazing the food is—that really makes me smile. It is that human pause that gets me. I could spend so much time just looking at people enjoying our food.

—SUZANNE CORSO Corso is the author of Brooklyn Story.

DANNY MEYERNEW YORK CITY’S FAVORITE FRIEND AND RESTAURATEUR

DM’S FAVORITESFood: If stranded on a deserted island he would wish for Italian food. So sausage-and-mushroom pizza and pasta.Wine: A nice Barolo.Coffee: A cup of Peet’s at home.


CULTURE CODE ! I’M TALKIN’

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Blue Smoke

Spring travel SpSPRING 2012 DOWNTOWNMAGAZINENYC.COM 43

If you’re serious about getting away from it all, take your stressed-out self to the blissfully remote Galá-pagos Islands where outlandish animals far outnum-

ber chatty humans.“Look, Sarita!” says Ivan, my intrepid guide. He

grins as he places his hand on top of his head, mim-

along a tiny island called Chinese Hat, he spots one. “Swim down and peek into the shark hole, and you’ll see it,” he says matter-of-factly. Seriously? Perhaps this gorgeous turquoise water has clogged my ears. It sounds like his idea is for me to purposely insert my face into shark territory.

to a hole in the rocks about 10 feet below the surface. Ivan reassures me, in his endearing Ecuadorian accent, that they do this all the time. So I hold my breath, grab the craggy edges of the small cave and I’m eyeball-

shark. Eeks! Fortunately, these slender-bodied crea-tures spend most of their time tucked away in grottoes

and are rarely aggressive toward humans. As if that was not thrilling enough, I’m happy to

report all of my days in the Galápagos Islands were like this —new and unusual sights around every corner. And without such an experienced guide as Ivan, I’m sure I would have missed out on much of it. Luck-ily, my sister and I traveled aboard Ecoventura’s M/Y Eric, an eco-friendly, 20-passenger ship that covers seven of the 13 famous archipelago’s volcanic islands. This meant we had two expert naturalists with us 24/7. (You’ll need a licensed guide; the National Park Service requires it.)

For a once-in-a-lifetime trip like this, Ecoventura is an excellent choice. For starters, not only are they

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and Sustainable Travel International. Impressive credentials; and the accommodations

a dining room, well-stocked bar and conference area

windows. I particularly loved the giant lounge chairs on the sun deck. Breakfast and lunch were buffet style;

was also grateful for the ever-present array of snacks.Most of our time, however, was spent off the boat:

the carefully planned itinerary had us covering a lot of ground. Passengers choose from water- or land-based activities, including kayaking past sea turtles, chasing

hundreds of marine iguanas. During one of my fa-vorite days, we swam with sea lions near a cove off Isabella Island. I was face-to-furry-face with the su-percharged sea lions as they burst into a gentle swirl

It was truly incredible to be part of their world for the day. Better yet, all the animals we encountered were

At the end of my stay, I was ga-ga for the Galápagos Islands; chances are, you will be, too.

For information visit ecoventura.com.

—SARAH SEKULASekula is a freelance travel writer.

Where the Wild Things Are GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS

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GLOBE-TROTTING

In Sight / Short Story / Fast Facts

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DOWNTOWN ON: SOHO

In the early 1960s, SoHo contained a sea of empty, low-rent commercial lofts equipped with industrial elevators, loading docks and large, unobstructed spaces fi lled with natu-ral light. In other words, SoHo was an artist’s paradise. Although it was illegal at the time to live in buildings that were neither zoned nor equipped for residential use, young art-ists couldn’t resist the ample workspaces. One by one, their presence began to gentrify a once industrial wasteland, turning it into a vibrant community that also attracted writers, musicians and activists. By 1975 the area con-tained over 80 galleries, and by 1980 it was the center of the New York art market.

—STACY SEILER

Seiler is an artist and professor of art at Parsons The

New School for Design; stacyseiler.com.

Not So LONG AGO

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told me, along with about two hours’ worth of other stories, that his apartment building is basically falling apart.

“We are having a real New York experience…actually every New Yorker I’ve talked to has never heard of this.” Looking for more space for his growing family, Dunne re-cently moved into a beautiful old apartment in TriBeCa, only to quickly learn that nothing in the entire building was built correctly.

“For the plumbing, they used the wrong material, so all the plumbing has to be ripped out,” he starts to explain. “Then they put every window in the place wrong….The whole building is not built to last; it’s like a set. Nothing

works. It’s a catastrophe. So it’s a rough beginning to the new neighborhood, but I love the neighborhood.”

Not only does Dunne love his new neighborhood, he clearly loves the city.Dunne is a real New Yorker. Now 56, he moved to New York City as an 18-year-

old aspiring actor and immediately began an intense love affair with the city that has never let up. As an actor, writer, producer, director, activist, son and father, he has both embraced New York as his own and worked to show it off to everyone.

Born to Dominick Dunne, a writer and investigative journalist who spent much of his later career documenting the lives of celebrities for Vanity Fair, and Ellen

called Justice for Homicide Victims, following her daughter’s murder in 1982, Grif-

time in Colorado.From a young age, Dunne initially planned to avoid show business altogether.

was used to meeting famous people when I was growing up,” Dunne says. “James Bond would come over and swim in our pool.”

The celebrity lifestyle Dunne observed at his father’s

he had aspirations to be a journalist, to have “nothing to do with show business.” However, on the encouragement of a high school acting teacher, Dunne shifted his focus toward acting and producing and found he was excelling at both. But around the time Dunne was se-riously thinking about going into acting, his father had hit a low in life: broke, friendless and battling addiction.

“I saw what Hol-lywood can do if you bite its hand. I just didn’t think people treated each other like that in New York. I wanted to start off on my own.” This, along with an ever-present desire to leave Los Angeles from a young age, moved Dunne to head for New York City, where he was imme-diately enthralled.

and the rudeness and the energy and the pace of walking...and just walking.”

Dunne says this continuous infatuation with New York has helped his careers in numerous ways, espe-

cially in terms of developing his ability to tell stories. Because “you see confrontations and human stories de-

veloping all the time,” he feels that New York is an excel-lent source of inspiration. And after living and observing life

in New York for so many years, Dunne’s gift for storytelling has reached great heights, as was clear throughout our conversation.

the guest or maid’s room or something like that. And she was an old AP reporter, a real old city desk bird who smoked like a chimney. I lived in the back area and I never had my own cigarettes, so I used to crawl into her bedroom on my stomach and steal them all. And she’d catch me every time and go, ‘What the fuck are you do-ing in my room?’ I pretty much stayed there until she kicked me out.” Until moving Downtown in 1980, Dunne lived in various parts of the Upper West Side, trying to make it as an actor and producer, waiting for his career to take off.


COVER STORY !

“It was love at first sight the moment I saw my first Manhattan

street: the noise and the rudeness and the energy and the pace of the

walking...and just walking....The city constantly fascinates me.”

O

1. Dunne and his daughter Hannah2. Daughter and father, Dominick Dunne3. Directing Fierce People 4. On the set of Accidental Husband with his father5. Directing The Good Wife 6. On the set of a commercial with Hannah7. With actors Uma Thurman and Colin Firth on the set of Accidental Husband

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n the late 1970s, Dunne’s career in show business began to blossom when he and fel-low producers Amy Robinson (with whom he has since coproduced a number of other

Chilly Scenes of Winter.

-An American Werewolf in London and After

Hours, After Hours,

SoHo and spending the rest of his night desperately

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its most raw state, which was an accurate account of

of screaming ‘What do you want from me?’ some lady

up!’”Since that role, Dunne has appeared in more than

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has always been fond of acting and producing, he has

short Duke of Groove,

and directing were a good match, partially because its

fast mind constantly going was perfectly suited for di-

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completely natural, and from my years as a producer

-ings about the contradicting natures of acting and di-recting and the different breadths of focus needed for each, he admits he might be interested in trying it if

Warren Beatty, who cowrote, produced, directed and starred in the 1981 epic Reds.

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Addicted to Love -Practical Magic, with Nicole

Fierce People, starring Diane Lane, Donald Sutherland and Anton

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his mind, Dunne says that recently he has come to pre-

production, but once in production, if we had done our

Game 6, The Good Wife

after being brought in by his dear friend and Good Wife

Movie 43,

Dunne has also added a number of acting credits to

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episodes of Trust Me, How to Make It in America, White Collar, Leverage

Damages and House of LiesAbout Showtime’s House of Lies, Dunne enthuses,

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! COVER STORY

Rose Byrne and Dunne in Damages

Scotto by Scotto All the News on Journalism, Food and Family

SPRING 2012 DOWNTOWNMAGAZINENYC.COM 61

You’ve seen her face plastered over the bet-ter part of New York City’s subway system, inviting you to tune into Fox 5’s Good Day

New York. Rosanna Scotto has had one hell of a ca-reer, spanning more than 20 years. While growing up in an Italian-American household in Brooklyn, Scotto learned the true meaning of community through her parents, siblings and her surroundings.

The oldest of four children, as a child Scotto took the more dominant role among her siblings. “I was the oldest and called the ringleader,” she says. “I always had the ideas and my brothers would carry them out. So they would get in trouble and I’d be sitting back going, ‘What? What happened?’”

Through family connections, Scotto found mentors in former WABC-TV anchor Rose Ann Scamardella and eventual WNYW Fox 5 co-anchor Ernie Anastos. “I got a chance to talk to her [Scamardella],” she says, “and she encouraged me to be a part of the business. She was anchoring with Ernie, so I sat down with him and asked him what was the best way to break into the business. He said, ‘Start out of town and work your way back,’ and that’s what I did [by heading to Atlanta]. Twenty-something years later, I was anchoring with Ernie Anastos.”

Before becoming a morning anchor, Scotto was ex-tremely well known as a primetime news anchor, a role she sees as quite dissimilar from her current position. “The big difference is that the nightly news is pretty scripted,” she explains. “The morning is unscripted and there’s room for getting yourself in trouble. You have to know your news as well. It entails a lot of in-terviewing and you really have to be well read and very ingrained in the community. We try to keep it real local. We don’t want to be like the network shows. We want to be the best local show in town. But when there’s a time to rant, we take that opportunity.”

While working her way up the journalism ladder, she has seen the news industry transformed in major ways, including the technology used to bring break-ing news to life. “The world of news has changed so much,” she says. “There used to be so many more people working in the business. You would go out with three-man crews. Now you’re lucky if you have a one-man crew. There’s a big push to have the reporters carry their own cameras. In the studio, there would be men behind the cameras and now it’s all robotics. Of course, with the Internet and social media, we have to be tweeting and Facebooking and everything else to get people to watch our newscast.”

Even more, the immediacy of news reporting has made connecting with viewers via social media a high priority. Scotto is intrigued by how much of an impact social media has on the journalism world. “I know that some people read my tweets as a newspaper so they know the headlines for the day,” she says. “Whether it helps my newscast, I’m not sure. We got Mayor Corey

Booker on [the show] through Twitter, and I’ll tweet to him, ‘Here’s the number to call in. I need you now!’

“In this business right now, you have to be very

my advice on how to break into the business and what jobs are available. We don’t know how it’s going to be in a year from now.”

Scotto is far from her days knocking on doors, try-ing to report breaking news, but she still has the men-tality of a hard news journalist. “I still go out there and try to get stories,” she says. “I may not be bringing a camera crew, but what I’ll try to do is recruit people to come into the studio. I’m working on a few big stories now, and it takes time, but we’re always working on the big stories behind the scenes.”

Although she has seen and experienced many major moments throughout her career, one in particular will always stick out. “There are so many memorable mo-ments, but obviously, as a New Yorker,” she explains, “we’re still carrying the wounds and scars from 9/11. I don’t think anybody will ever forget that. Covering that and going down to Ground Zero, I don’t think

you ever get over those days.” Looking up, however, Scotto admits Lower Manhattan is better than ever. “[It] is so vibrant, it’s great,” she admits. “I love to walk around the area. It’s so much fun. Great energy, nice restaurants, great public schools, and there’s a good feeling of community and family down there.”

Speaking of family, the Scotto family is one of New York City’s most prominent. Their restaurant in

Midtown, FRESCO by Scotto, and its two spin-off locations called FRESCO on the go (one of which is a Downtown staple that opened on Pearl Street in July of 2008) have become favorites throughout the city. Birthed from the hard work of the Scotto’s mother, Marion, the restaurant has become known for its de-lectably fresh and authentic Tuscan-style cuisine. The establishment has come a long way since its begin-nings. “She [Marion] really took a huge risk,” Scotto says, “and here we are, 18 years later, still going strong.”

The family felt it was a crucial decision to expand the franchise and tap into Lower Manhattan. “We wanted to be part of the Downtown scene, especially after 9/11,” she says. “We thought it was important to

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Rosanna’s sister, Elaina; her mom, Marion; and her brother, Anthony.

WeddingDos

PERFECT DOWNTOWN NUPTIALS

WEDDINGS

BIG FAT GREEK GETAWAYFor a truly memorable honeymoon, anniversary trip or secret special oc-casion, you can’t beat Greece for the food, wine and scenery. Here are three suggested ways to see the Greek Islands…whether you do it by sea or by land. Take a cruise Silversea, Windstar and Seabourn all offer deluxe small-ship experi-ences in the Mediterranean and Adriatic. Cruise by night and spend your days exploring the islands, planted on a white sand beach or having a glass of ouzo. Rent a villa Become a Greek—at least for a week or so—when you rent a luxurious villa on Santorini or Mykonos. Shop for olives, pita and feta in a community market and then sit on your private patio watching the sunset. There are many rental options available, from apartments to fully staffed homes. Start looking at homeaway.com; rentvillas.com and greece-villas.com.Sail on a yacht Live like the celebrities do…if only briefly. A yacht with a crew is the best way to see the Greek islands…miles of clear blue water and only your whim to fulfill. A sailor friend recom-mends sunyachting.gr.

—SHARI HARTFORD

Jennifer Gandia, owner of independent, family-run Downtown institution Greenwich Jewelers, knows what’s going on in Lower Manhattan when it comes to unique engagement, wedding and commitment rings.

“It’s the most personal adornment we wear, so you can be sure it’s chosen with great attention and that it will

wearing it,” she says.Gandia describes the

shop’s Downtown clients as being as diverse as the people in the neighborhoods that comprise Lower Manhattan. However, they all have a common sensibility that is chic, hip and individual, which is how they approach

their jewelry. “In the past 12 months we

have seen quite an increase in unconventional rings, which may incorporate colored gemstones, raw diamonds or unique metal combinations. More and more people are breaking with tradition and buying rings that truly express their personal style.”

—CHRISTINE TRAN

RINGLEADER TIPS AND TRENDS

THE DIAMOND PROFESSIONAL

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The Tiffany setting, introduced in 1886, is among the most popular settings for engagement rings. Featuring an innovative, six-prong design that lifts the diamond away from the band, this unique mount permits a more complete return of light, making the diamond appear larger and more radiant.

Today, the ubiquity of technology has, not surprisingly, found its way into the jewelry industry. Tiffany makes it easier for shoppers to browse engagement rings, determine ring size and view actual carat size in their

Engagement Ring Finder.—CHRISTINE TRAN

The metal of an engagement ring

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ality of the wearer and complement

the chosen diamond. Michael Kent

of Kent New York in Manhattan’s

Diamond District lays it all out on

the [jewelry] counter.

Platinum The heaviest and most

rare precious metal on earth, plati-

num offers incredible strength and

bright luster, making it the ideal

choice for showcasing diamonds.

18 karat Yellow Gold 75% pure

24 karat gold. This gold has rich

warmth in contrast to the icy bril-

liance of diamonds.

18 karat White Gold 75% pure

24 karat gold. This beautiful white

metal complements the clear bril-

liance of diamonds.

14 karat Yellow Gold 58.3% pure

24 karat gold. A popular and durable

precious metal for jewelry.

14 karat White Gold 58.3% pure

24 karat gold. A lustrous white color

that complements the clear bril-

liance of diamonds.

—CHRISTINE TRAN

GLOBAL LOVE

“Your wedding is your first joint statement of style.”

-ally sets the tone for what to expect. Invitations are second in importance only to the dress when planning a wedding.

Most couples tend to lean toward classic, timeless designs, such as gray or black ink with a hint of color in a monogram, motif or beveled edge. The Save the Date card tends to be more creative, usually with more color and an interesting font,

-ing different fonts with a splash of color, the bride and groom unveil their whimsical personalities while still embracing the tradition of hand-engraved stationery.”

—MOLLY KAMBIC

Fine Stationery and Bespoke Specialist of

Mrs. John L. Strong Fine Stationery

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Nancy Gonzalez, a petite, soft-spoken woman from Colombia, set out to make her handbag designing dreams come true, and in 1998 she made her United States collection debut. Over the past several de-cades, the brand, which is notable for original use of precious skins and unique colors, has become a house-hold name in fashion-savvy circles around the globe. “I incorporate el-ements in each piece that make us smile; a color, a texture, a detail, a surprise,” she says.

You can find her extensive line of woven clutches, weekenders, satch-els, hobo bags and box clutches, in 150-plus designs and nearly 200 colorways, at more than 100 stores worldwide, including Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Even more important, Gonzalez continues to keep close to her na-tive community by employing local

women and providing daycare for their children. She instills dignity, positivity and structure in a reward-ing work environment.

Meanwhile, Gonzalez’s son, San-tiago Barberi Gonzalez, who is presi-dent of his mom’s brand, took a cue from her and introduced his first men’s collection during the 2010 holiday season.

The Santiago Gonzalez collection, sold at Bergdorf Goodman and Nei-man Marcus, features men’s luxury leather accessories, including wal-lets, small leather goods, totes and backpacks made of precious skins, à la Nancy. Asked what his vision for the line is moving forward, Santiago says, “The line is a system of travel and day bags for the active man. The evolution of it will focus on adding new styles that build upon the col-lection for the male clients who al-ready own pieces.”

FamilyBAGGAGE

Home Decor / Tailor-Made / Beauty and Wellness

STYLE VAULT

SMITTEN WITH SPRING Put away your winter ward-robe and break out the pas-tels…but don’t fret, you can

hold onto a few black accessories. This season’s runway collections debuted delicate palettes with interesting textures, lots of lace, unique trimmings and relaxed sil-houettes. Unlock the Style Vault and immerse yourself in fair-color fashions to add to your closets. Plus, consider furnishings, both Old and New World, to inspire spring cleaning and a home revamp.

AMANDA ORLINSKYFASHION EDITOR

DECK HERE IF NEEDED

PHOTOGRAPHED BY LAIA BENAVIDES STYLED BY ESTHER MATILLA

Art Director: Mia Macfarlane Fashion Editor: Amanda Orlinsky

Producers: Lana De Doncker and Sarah RossiPhotograpy Assistant: Sandra Martin Garcia

Stylist Assistants: Ariel Wells, Margarita Mukhsinova, Jane Gardner, Tayla Holman Models: Davis and Arthur Keller (Red Model Management)

Makeup: Johanna ThirzHair: Fabio Doti

Special thanks to Karen Millen and Third Rail Coffee

Love in SoHo

Her: Top, Kimberly OvitzPants, Issey MiyakeBag, Giuseppe ZanottiHim:Jacket, Tommy HilfigerPants, Dior Homme

Graphic Caption in this space

Beauty BUYS MAKE YOUR SKIN GLOW AT ANY AGE

Clear Skin Acne Control Gel Cleanser, Yes to tomatoes ($10); yestocarrots.com. Clear Skin Repairing Acne Lotion, Yes to tomatoes ($15); yestocarrots.com. Clear Improvement mask, Origins ($22); origins.com. Super Spot Remover, Origins ($14); origins.com. Protecting Vitamin Lipsaver, Molton Brown ($18); moltonbrown.com. Daily Protection SPF 30 Moisturizing Face Lotion, Eucerin ($9.50); eucerinus.com.

Makeup Removing Water, NARS ($28); narscosmetics.com. Purity Made Simple one-step facial cleanser, Philosophy ($32); philosophy.com. Hope in a Jar oil-free SPF moisturizer, Philosophy ($39); philosophy.com. Repair Wear Laser Focus, Clinique ($67); clinique.com. Hydra Life rehydrating mask, Dior ($38); dior.com. Soothing Skin, Lip and Cuticle Care, Murad ($16); murad.com.

Stay Simple, Flirty and FunChristo: Embrace your hair texture; stop fighting it. Remember, sometimes sim-plicity is sexier.

Fabio: Work your endless imagination and loosen up your inner irresistible self, with some balayage highlights. It will lighten your spirits as well as your locks.

Licari: No matter how conservative your work environment, there will always be nights when you want to look a little wild. Now is your time for fun!

Make Mini AdjustmentsChristo: It’s important to condition your hair on a regular basis with a deep therapy masque. The key to any success-ful style is healthy hair.

Fabio: This is a good time to settle into a style that is loose and lovely with lots of layers that creates a natural look. Consult with a professional stylist about what cut will best comple-ment the shape of your face.

Licari: Most women will start to notice some gray hairs in this period. Perox-ide-free semipermanent hair color is translucent, making it the perfect natu-ral-looking solution to make gray hairs look like highlights.

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Wearing SPF on your face is vital always; Eu-cerin’s lightweight for-mula with zinc offers a little extra protection to sensitive spots like the nose.

Even though Molton Brown markets this lip saver to men, women everywhere can reap its benefits.

Origins’ mask removes all the daily grime and makes your face feel like it can breathe again.

Carry this Murad stick every-where; it’s a treat for your lips, or any other dry skin areas.

NARS makeup remover soothes and nourishes skin while being soap-, oil- and alcohol- (and mess- ) free.

Angelina Jolie

Elizabeth Olsen

In the Kitchen / Love of Fare / Dining Menu / From the Bar C

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. CITY BITES

In January 2012, Lower Man-hattan was thrilled when a real Frenchman, Sebastian Agez, took over as executive chef at Plein Sud in TriBeCa’s Smyth Hotel, bringing with him the marriage of casual style and quality food for which French brasseries are known.

Born in Dunkerque, France, but living in Paris from the age of 10,

Agez was hard at work in restaurants by age 15. Infl uenced by great French chefs like Auguste Escoffi er and Joel Robu-chon, Agez honed his culinary skills in the City of Light be-fore coming to the United States nine years ago. After gigs at several restaurants and embassies in Washington, DC, where

he learned cuisines of Cyprus, Afghanistan and Belgium, Agez moved to New York in 2009. It was “the beginning of a story or a jump onto a train,” he says.

With a menu that leaned toward American fare, Agez is on a mission to return the brasserie to classic, seasonal and French, both in food and feel. He is offering dishes like cara-melized sea scallops with pearl pasta “caviar,” saffron sauce and herb salad (a DOWNTOWN favorite), plus his own French fries, which are not “plein” at all. What’s more, Agez is serving lighter lunch options to cater to the Downtowner’s tight lunch schedule. Eventually he hopes to engage the kitchen as a late-night dining spot as well as offer catering services.

Plein Sud is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and weekend brunch. pleinsudnyc.com

—AMY MATLOCK

It’s Anything but Plain at PLEIN SUD

This issue, I’m excited about the latest food industry report, where we touch upon my favorite topic: food trends. I’ve noticed a healthful tea movement making its way into our lives more and more. And with tea, naturally, comes honey. Nothing says spring more than bees gathering pollen and turning it into simple, delicious, sweet honey. To fi nd out more of the latest buzz, fl ip to the next page. Also feel free to email us any eatery news that you may have.

—MURRAY YANKERSENIOR FOOD EDITOR

SHAKING UP LATIN COCKTAILS

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STRAWBERRY AND BASIL PALOMAMixed by Charlotte Voisey of W Hotel Downtown, Living Room Bar and Terrace123 Washington St. 646-826-8646wnewyorkdowntown.com/livingroom-bar-terraceMakes 1

2 strawberries, plus one more for garnish 1! ounces Milagro Silver tequila! ounce Aperol! ounce agave nectar! ounce fresh lime juice2 ounces fresh pink grapefruit juiceBasil leaf for garnish

Muddle strawberries, add other ingredients and shake well. Strain over fresh ice in a tall glass. Garnish with a strawberry cut almost in half and a basil leaf.

In the whirlwind that is always New York Fashion Week, we made sure to make an appearance at the opening of Vertigo, the newest exhibit of Ouattara Watts, hosted by Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld. Appropri-ately attended with a guest list including Carine Roitfeld, Diane von Furstenberg and Salman Rushdie, we sipped wine and

admired the impressive mixed-media art-work of Ouattara’s biggest installation in nine years.

An honorary evening hosted by the American Cancer Society celebrated the lifetime achievement of the delightful, thoughtful, wonderful and irreplaceable Dame Julie Andrews and her accompanist for the evening, Monsieur Donald Trump. Pianist Lola Astanova, or “Mick Jagger on Louboutin heels,” rocked the evening, her tunes reverberating throughout the walls of Carnegie Hall.

Splashlight Studios hosted and cel-ebrated James Belzer’s last “HiStory” fi lm-

EXTRA!EXTRA! ! SOCIAL SCENE

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS ELENA CORSANO AND PIERRE-ANTOINE OURYPARTAKE IN MUSIC, ART, FASHION AND PHILANTHROPY

ElenaVONPIERRE

Salman Rushdie and Diane von Furstenberg

Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld Gallery

Tyler Shields and Francesca Eastwood

Imitate Modern GalleryLondon

Louboutin heels,” rocked the evening, her tunes reverberating throughout the walls of Carnegie Hall.

Splashlight Studios hosted and cel-ebrated James Belzer’s last “HiStory” fi lm-Lola Astanova

Carnegie Hall

admired the impressive mixed-media art-work of Ouattara’s biggest installation in nine years.

Rosanna Scotto and Grace A. Capobianco

FRESCO By Scotto Midtown

Donald Trump, Lola Astanova and Dame Julie Andrews

Carnegie Hall

by Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld. Appropri-ately attended with a guest list including Carine Roitfeld, Diane von Furstenberg and Salman Rushdie, we sipped wine and

Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld and Carine Roitfeld


Ouattara Watts




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Sponsored by Citipups

JAXCavapoo, 1 year oldWhere is the most picturesque place to relax during the springtime in Lower Manhattan?The porch of Marc Forgione while my parents eat. I also like sunning by the fountains in City Hall park.

A CHAT WITH TRIBECA RESIDENT AND PAW-FECT PET ILLUSTRATOR KRISTIN DONEYBarclay Hudson: For how long have you been drawing?Kristin Doney: I have been drawing ever since I can remember. My father is an art-ist, so our home was filled with art sup-plies. I would draw alongside his easel as he worked, imitating his oil paintings in crayon. BH: What type of materials do you like to work with?KD: I work in pencil, India ink and watercolor on Arches 140-lb., hot press wa-tercolor paper. For some projects I combine traditional drawing with digital color.BH: Tell me a little bit about the children’s book you did with Mayor Giuliani. KD: He was my first client when I moved to New York City. We collaborated on a chil-dren’s book that he wrote. It was a great ex-perience to have, just starting out in the city.BH: Where is the best spot to sketch?KD: A nostalgic spot to sketch is in Chi-natown, at the corner of Pell and Doyers streets, looking west. It is my dad’s favorite place to paint in the city, too. I also like to sit on the roof of my building and sketch the skyline.BH: Why dogs? KD: I enjoy drawing the personality of the “city dog.” Dogs here in TriBeCa have quite the life! A friendly tail wag always makes me smile. It is funny how dogs can charm a to-tal stranger into giving them a belly rub.

LOLAEnglish Jack Russell terrier, 7 months oldWhat is the one toy you can’t live without?That’s easy: my squeaky squirrel!

MONSTERShiba Inu, 6 months oldWhere is the ultimate place to play outside in Downtown?My most favorite place to play anytime is the dog park behind Gateway Plaza in Battery Park City. I also love prancing up and down the promenade in BPC, where I can chase birds and squirrels.

TURTLEEnglish bulldog, 10 months oldIn a game of tug-o-war, who usually wins?I’m a tough opponent. I never give in…but I don’t always win.

SOAPBOXCHEW THE FAT WITH BARCLAY HUDSON

Building Excellence

Building relationships, building friendships and naturally, building remarkable residences.

At Duce Construction Corporation we pride ourselves on our ability to establish firm client relationships before we establish a project relationship. We invite you to visit our website at DuceCC.com to view our featured published projects.

To see more photos of this project, visit DuceCC.com/press/esquire_one

Architectural + Interior Design by CLODAGH© DuceCC.com DuceGreen.com

Email us today at [email protected]

downtown magazine spring 2012 preview

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