Notes From the Neighborhood

Compiled by Megan Bungeroth

Vudu Lounge Closed
According to the 19th Precinct, the infamous Vudu Lounge on First Avenue between 77th and 78th streets is closing its doors for good and handed over its liquor license to the State Liquor Authority this week. The nightclub, which was popular with young partiers and reviled by neighborhood residents, has been plagued with problems over the past few years. The NYPD closed them down temporarily last May, but the club came back and was holding mandatory quarterly meetings with residents to address their concerns over the noise and late-night loitering.

“I was relieved to hear Vudu Lounge has finally closed its doors,” said State Sen. Liz Krueger, who has worked with other local officials to quell the problems coming from the establishment. “With numerous State Liquor Authority investigations and multiple counts of violent behavior and underage drinking to its name, Vudu Lounge simply didn’t belong in our neighborhood.”

Calls to manager Michael Stein for comment were not returned, but a source said that the owners were hoping to find a more amenable location downtown.

Bar Gets a Sports Fan Facelift
When the Giants face off against the Patriots this Sunday for a Super Bowl rematch, Mayor Michael Bloomberg can rest easy knowing he’s scrubbed as many references to the New England team as possible from the city. Just as they did four years ago, the mayor’s office is targeting establishments whose names might falsely belie an allegiance to the enemy (we’re guessing anything with the words patriots, Boston or Gisele Bundchen) and asking them to make a temporary moniker switch in support of the home team. On the Upper East Side, Brady’s Bar, on Second Avenue near 82nd Street, will again take up a new mantle for the weekend: Manning’s. The quarterback switch is fully supported by owner Dan Brady, a diehard Big Blue fan. He said that the mayor should be in attendance for the renaming ceremony on Friday afternoon; check their website bradysbar.com for updates and the exact time.

Bill to Protect Jobs of Pregnant Women
State Sen. Liz Krueger is sponsoring a bill that would require employers to make “reasonable accommodations” for pregnant women on the job. Currently, employers are barred from discriminating against pregnant women and must make accommodations for disabled workers. Because pregnancy is not considered a disability, however, employers are not required to make any concessions for pregnant woman and can legally fire them for, say, taking too many bathroom breaks or requesting to sit. Krueger’s bill, which is being introduced in the assembly by upstate Democratic Assembly Member Aileen Gunther, would close that legal gap.

The bill’s language states that employers must take action to “allow pregnant women to perform in a reasonable manner the activities involved in the job or occupation sought or held and include, but are not limited to, provision of an accessible worksite, acquisition or modification of equipment, support services for persons with impaired hearing or vision, job restructuring and modified work schedules; provided, however, that such actions do not impose an undue hardship on the business, program or enterprise of the entity from which action is requested.”
Dina Bakst, founder and president of A Better Balance: The Work and Family Legal Center, wrote on Tuesday’s New York Times op-ed page that the law is a “public health necessity” and called it a necessary measure to ensure the safety of pregnant women who may not ask for accommodations if they fear being fired.

New Show Parodies Upper East Side
The Upper East Side is a popular home base for fictional characters, and now ABC has commissioned a new show set in the ritzy section—this time with a supernatural twist. The show, 666 Park Avenue, is based on a book series by Gabriella Pierce and revolves around a Midwestern couple who comes to live at and manage the eponymous address and soon discovers that the tenants have all made deals with the devil in order to attain their fantastic lives and have their darkest desires fulfilled.

Produced by the team that delivered Gossip Girl and The Vampire Diaries, the show seems to be taking advantage of the most popular aspects of both of those successes. Something tells us that it won’t be portraying Upper East Siders in the best light, but then again, neither does Gossip Girl, and that’s been a hit.

Musical Open House for Kids
The 92nd Street Y is holding a free open house for its School of Music on Sunday, Feb. 5 from 1–4 p.m. Children ages 3 to 9 can take mini classes in the different styles offered and parents can meet instructors and discuss the methodologies of each class. Offerings include Delcroze, a program for toddlers that helps them develop rhythmic skills through musical interpretation of children’s stories, courses in using GarageBand to record original music and introductory violin instruction for little ones. At 1395 Lexington Ave. Visit 92Y.org for more information.

Local Doorman and Driver Made Richer
The New York Post reported earlier this week that millionaire music exec and high stakes poker player Alan Meltzer, who died at 67 this past Halloween, left a huge chunk of change in his will to his Park Avenue doorman and personal chauffeur. Meltzer was divorced and had no children, and both of his former employees, who received about $1 million and $500,000 respectively, told the Post that their boss was always kind and generous to them.

Notes From the Neighborhood

Compiled by Megan Bungeroth and Sean Creamer

2nd Ave. Air Quality Study Says “No Problem”
MTA Capital Construction released the results of an air quality study last week that monitored the effects of construction activity between East 69th and East 87th streets along Second Avenue. The study and resulting report, by the consulting firm Parsons Brinckerhoff, found that while some pollutants were found at slightly elevated levels, the increases were due more to vehicle traffic and dirty boilers in the neighborhood than the subway construction. Read more

Notes from the Neighborhood

Compiled by Megan Finnegan Bungeroth

HOME PLANNING FOR AGING
State Sen. Liz Krueger is sponsoring a discussion for boomers and seniors entitled “It Starts at Home: Planning Your Environment as You Age,” on Thursday, Jan. 19, 8–10 a.m. at the Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, 331 E. 70th St. The talk will cover how to make decisions about living arrangements as you age. Panelists include Ted Finkelstein, from the NYC Commission on Human Rights Project for Equal Access; Audrey Berman Tannen, of the EIS Housing Resource Center; and Sheila Roher, from Age Friendly NY. A light breakfast will be served. Call 212-490-9535 for more information. Read more

Notes From the Neighborhood

Compiled by Sean Creamer

IT’S A GIRL!
Congratulations to Upper East Side Assembly Member Dan Quart and his wife Miriam, who just gave birth to a healthy baby girl, Gabriella Rose, this week. They also have a son, Samuel.
Read more

Tapped In: Notes From the Neighborhood

Compiled by Megan Finnegan Bungeroth

SIDAMON-ERISTOFF DIES AT 81

Constantine Sidamon-Eristoff, who served as the head of the MTA for 15 years as well as regional administrator of New York’s EPA region under President George Bush, died at his Upper East Side home Dec. 26.  Read more

Notes From The Neighborhood

Compiled by Megan Finnegan Bungeroth

STAY UPTOWN ON NEW YEAR’S EVE
You don’t have to drag yourself downtown or, heaven forbid, to Times Square on New Year’s Eve to have a blast. Here are just a few ways to ring in 2012 in the comfort of the Upper East Side.
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Notes From The Neighborhood

Compiled by Megan Finnegan Bungeroth

LAST-MINUTE SHOPPING TIPS

Final sales and super-crowded stores can be overwhelming. For some tips on how to weed through the craziness, we asked the personal stylists of My Wardrobe LLC, an East Side company, for their fashion and shopping expertise.

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Taking the Arts to New Heights

While performing “Human Fountain,” members of STREB Extreme Action leap from a three-story structure inside the Park Avenue Armory. The show, entitled Kiss the Air! is part aerial dance, part daredevil act and features six large-scale works that incorporate ziplines, ladders, trampolines, hoops, bungee cords and a pool of water.

Tapped In: Notes From The Neighborhood

Compiled by Megan Finnegan Bungeroth

COPS SEEK UPPER EAST SIDE IPHONE NABBERS
Two young men have been teaming up to terrify locals at gunpoint into handing over their smart phones—but these criminals are picky. So far, they’re only targeting iPhones. In three separate instances over the past few weeks, the pair has hit Madison Avenue near East 70th Street and East 74th Street and East 70th Street near Lexington Avenue.
The first suspect, Hispanic, approximately 20 years old, 5-foot-10, 170 pounds, approaches unsuspecting Apple lovers armed with a handgun and demands their iPhone, while the other suspect, Hispanic, about 17 years old, 5-foot-7, acts as a lookout.

Anyone with information about the crimes can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (8477), submit tips online at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or text tips to CRIMES (274637), then enter TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential. Just make sure to borrow your friend’s BlackBerry to make the call if you’re strolling through the Upper East Side.

LOCAL ELECTEDS BLAST CITY FOR SLOW PCB RESPONSE
While many elected officials and concerned teachers and parents have been working for years to shine the light on the toxic effect of PCB exposure in schools, the most recent studies have shown even more alarming effects on women’s reproductive health. PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) have been detected in lighting ballasts and fixtures in over 800 city school buildings, and while the city acknowledges their danger, it has only agreed to a removal timeline over the course of 10 years.

“As an elected official, but more fundamentally as a woman, I find it outrageous that the city has chosen to drag its feet in removing these toxic lights from our schools,” said Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal at a press conference last week to publicize the most recent findings of the deleterious effects of PCBs on women’s reproductive health.

She was joined by Dr. David Carpenter, a PCB expert and professor at the University at Albany, Reps. Jerry Nadler and José Serrano, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, New York Communities for Change, Planned Parenthood of New York City, NARAL Pro-Choice New York and the National Organization for Women NYC.

PCB exposure has been linked to endometriosis, infertility, longer conception times and miscarriage, as well as menstrual disorders and early puberty and menopause.

Rosenthal cited the case of a teacher at an Upper West Side school known to contain high levels of PCBs who quit her job after learning she was pregnant, for fear of the exposure she would receive.
Rosenthal recently introduced a bill to the Assembly that would require the Department of Education to remove all toxic lights from schools within three years.

JEWISH MUSEUM LIGHTS UP FOR SEE THE LIGHT(S)
The Jewish Museum’s annual See the Light(s) Hanukkah celebration features family festivals, exhibitions from the museum’s collection of menorahs, eclectic music and other events to honor the holiday season. This Sunday, Dec. 18, Hanukkah Family Day runs from 12–4 p.m. Kids can make Hanukkah lamps and sculptures from found objects, design holiday scenes with illustrator Nancy Cote and dance to the tunes of Ben Rudnick and Friends. The museum’s Lox at Café Weissman will offer a special menu, featuring potato latkes with sour cream and applesauce; sufganiyot (donuts) filled with apricot, hazelnut or mixed fruit jam; Napoleon-style layered latkes with house sour cream, dill sauce and lox; and homemade cheesecake.

Other upcoming events include family concerts by The Macaroons Dec. 25 and Frank London’s Klezmer Brass Band Allstars in concert Dec. 27. Special exhibitions on view include The Snowy Day and the Art of Ezra Jack Keats and The Radical Camera: New York’s Photo League, 1936-1951.

Hanukkah begins at sundown Tuesday, Dec. 20, and continues until sundown on Wednesday, Dec. 28.
Maloney Intros New Small Biz Bill

Rep. Carolyn Maloney, who represents the Upper East Side, announced last weekend her introduction of new legislation designed to help small businesses. The bill would give federal grants to Community Development Financial Institutions to make micro-loans up to $25,000 available to help entrepreneurs start or expand small businesses. Maloney was joined by several small business owners who have started their companies in New York City thanks to similar loans.

“This bill will expand a vital source of seed money for entrepreneurs who don’t have access to bank loans,” Maloney said in a statement. “The billion-dollar corporation that began in a dorm room or a garage is no urban myth, as the employees of Facebook and Hewlett-Packard can tell you, but the Great Recession has made it harder than ever for entrepreneurs to access credit.”

Maloney said she hopes the availability of small loans through certified CDFIs will make start-up capital more readily available and help local economies grow.

Tapped In: Notes From the Neighborhood

Compiled by Allen Houston and Aspen Matis

SNAPSHOT OF EAST MIDTOWN
The East Midtown Partnership will host its 10th Annual Meeting at 5:30 p.m., Dec. 8, at the Central Synagogue, 652 Lexington Ave. The meeting will be followed by a reception and photo exhibition announcing and showcasing photos from the winners of the East Midtown Partnership 2012 Photo Contest.

During the meeting, a check will be presented to the grand prize winner of the photo contest, and East Midtown Partnership will also make an announcement of financial support to the Fund for Park Avenue for their community beautification efforts.

The community is welcome and encouraged to attend this free event. Learn about the accomplishments of the East Midtown Partnership over the past year and discuss plans for 2012, view spectacular images of East Midtown Manhattan and meet and mingle with the neighbors and businesses within the district.

JOIN YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY BOARD
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer is hosting a meeting on how to join Manhattan’s Community Boards from 6:30–8 p.m., Dec. 14, 163 W. 125th St. To RSVP and find out more, contact 212-669-4465 or conference@manhattanbp.org.

TOY DRIVE FOR NEEDY KIDS
NorthEast Community Bank’s Upper East Side Branch, located at East 77th Street and First Avenue, is hosting a Holiday Toy Drive which will run through Dec. 16, when collected items donated will be given to needy children throughout St. Monica’s Parish.
The branch has a Christmas tree where donations can be placed. Donations should be new, unopened and unwrapped and include stuffed animals, board games and other assorted toys for younger children.

ALL-FEMALE CHOIR DELIVERS DIVINE CAROLS
Angelica, an all-female chamber choir that has performed on the Upper East Side for a decade, will lift your spirits this holiday season with their concert A Carol for to Sing. Directed by Marie Caruso, the concert features a program of medieval, traditional and contemporary carols; guest harpist Lisa Tannebaum will accompany the divine choir. The concert takes place at 3 p.m., Dec. 18, at The Church of St. Vincent Ferrer, 869 Lexington Ave. at East 66th Street. Suggested donation for the concert is $20, $10 for seniors and students. For more info, visit www.angelicavoices.org.

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