Mothers Day: Photographer & DJ Brooke Williams on Raising a Future Jedi Master

The story behind my blog, This Is Authentic
When I was a kid, I would chronicle events that were upsetting/significant to me on paper and then write THIS IS AUTHENTIC in all caps on the bottom before signing them and tossing them into a box. When I grew up and worked as a magazine editor, I found I was constantly forced to tailor the subjects I wrote about to suit someone elses taste be it the people higher up the masthead food chain or the dreaded advertisers. I finally started a blog so that I could have a place to write about (and photograph) the things and people I was into without worrying about anyone elses approval. At the beginning, it felt a bit like putting a message into a bottle and tossing it into the ocean, just like those missives from my childhood. Only eventually, this time around, more people started to pay attention. And the sense of community is a really wonderful thing.

My Mothers Day traditions now
I always get to sleep late (best gift ever!) and then have breakfast in bed. We usually have a fairly lazy day, which often includes finishing up whatever gifts we are making for my mom and sister, and then Ada and [my husband] Josh team up with my father and nephew to make dinner for the three mothers in the family.

And when I was growing up
We didnt have any strict traditions just to spend the whole day together as a family. My dad traveled a lot when we were kids, so it was always a treat to get to have unstructured time together. We would let my mom sleep in (she has always been a late riser even now shell sleep late whenever she can!) and then serve her breakfast in bed. My father is an incredible cook, so we could all count on some delicious meals that day. Its funny how little things have changed!

Best Mothers Day gift Ive given
For me, Mothers Day has always been a very personal holiday more about spending time together and letting all of the mothers in my life know how much I appreciate them. So Ive always tended towards something handmade or super personal. I think the current top runner in the best-Mothers-Day-gift-given category is probably the handmade lip gloss that I made with my daughter for both my mom and my aunt (I blogged about it here).

And received
A Jill Platner necklace made of tiny silver alphabet blocks that spell out my daughters name (ADA AMALIA)

Best lesson my mother taught me
To trust my instincts.

And the best lesson learned from being a mom
One evening, when Ada was three, she turned to me, after listening to me complain about a frustrating experience dealing with annoying red tape, and said, very seriously, You have to be nicer to yourself, mommy. Dont be so angry. Its all going to be OK. Wise words from a three year old. I think that was the moment I began to take my daughter seriously as a person and to recognize that her opinion is valid and worthy of serious consideration. Not that she gets to do whatever she wants kids need limits to be able to feel safe and function with grace. But the only way to truly teach them how to respect others is by treating them with respect as well. Having a kid constantly reminds me just how important it is to be present with everyone, no matter how small.

The lesson I hope to pass on to my kids
If I can teach Ada how to roll with the punches and to face the world with confidence, curiosity, grace and kindness, then Ill have done a good job. Oh, and maybe get her to become some kind of martial arts Jedi as well as a computer programming whiz so that she can be a next-generation superheroine. Not that I have high expectations or anything

A typical weekend with the family involves
Spending some time outside, which has been very snow-centric for what seems like ages but which will hopefully soon turn into time in the garden and walks on the beach. Laying on the couch reading a book aloud we just finished Chuck Dugan is AWOL by Eric Chase Anderson (Wes Andersons brother). Building some kind of civilization out of blocks or Legos or Magna-Tiles. Watching at least one movie Funny Girl has been a recent favorite, but I feel a resurgence of the Harry Potter movies coming on. Shopping, cooking and eating we are all farmers market junkies and Josh is a true wizard in the kitchen, so both Ada and I learn a ton when we cook together as a family

My favorite mommy-and-me time involves
Every morning I wake Ada with a mug of herbal tea and a few minutes of reading aloud we both love a good story. We also have a lot of fun making things together like little stuffed animals for party favors or a felt carrying case for Joshs computer. We work together, soup to nuts, from drawing a design to sourcing materials to the actual sewing (or cutting or gluing or whatever!). Ada has such imaginative ideas we always end up with something great!

My tips to taking great photos with the kids
Take lots of them! I always find that if you create a comfortable situation and then just shoot loads of images, you are bound to come up with a few great ones. Its all about capturing a genuine moment, which means that sometimes the best shots are the unplanned ones.

The Williams household soundtrack
We tend to stay away from childrens music in the Williams/Liberson household, though a little Free To Be You and Me slips through the cracks every now and then. I just play all sorts of music that I like and then whatever Ada responds to goes into heavier rotation It makes for a pretty eclectic mix. Everything from Prince, Sam Cooke and Carole King to slightly more esoteric stuff like Javelin, Jun Miyake and Lesley Gore. The only underlying principle is that the music makes us happy. Ive actually started a monthly playlist on This Is Authentic here, so you can check out some of our family favorites!

Thank you for reading article Mothers Day: Photographer & DJ Brooke Williams on Raising a Future Jedi Master

NYU 'Launchpad' Graduates First Class of Budding Entrepreneurs

MANHATTAN From managing diabetes to keeping track of your child's school attendance there may soon be a new app for that.

Ten teams of New York University students have spent the summer honing their startup ideas, and this week they'll present their plans to investors on the lookout for the next big thing.

The NYU Summer Launchpad program gave current NYU and NYU-Poly students a rigorous 10-week crash course on how to create a company and get it off the ground, participants and organizers said Monday.

"The goal has been to try to figure out what the essential elements of a sustainable company would be," said entrepreneur Jasmin Hume, a doctoral candidate in chemistry at NYU-Poly. "We had a great idea and are getting the business knowledge as we go."

Hume, 29, and classmate Ching Yao Yang developed an app called BenchPals that aims to help researchers keep laboratory records via secure software.

Realizing they spent at least a fifth of their time in their Downtown Brooklyn laboratory keeping lab notebooks by hand, the pair realized technology could make their work easier, said Hume, an East Harlem resident.

"We use our iPhones to organize so many aspects of our lives," she said. "[Keeping paper notes] just felt very archaic."

Other projects developed through the Launchpad program include a consumer website called CrashDwell that lets students find and offer short-term apartment rentals; a company called Ex Vivo Dynamics that creates medical devices designed to reduce organ damage during blood transfusions; and an app called Kinvolved that lets parents monitor their children's school attendance in real time.

Having an original idea is just the beginning of achieving startup success, NYU Entrepreneurial Institute Executive Director Frank Rimalovski said.

"If it were just about ideas, Google wouldn't be the biggest search engine, because they didn't invent the search engine," he said. "It's about how you're able to create value around an idea."

The Launchpad program, which NYU is already planning to offer again next year, enlisted dozens of entrepreneurs and investors to mentor the students, Rimalovski said.

The budding entrepreneurs will present their ideas to investors and the startup community at an invitation-only event Thursday.

Hume said she hoped the showcase would give her team a chance to win the investment they'll need to keep developing their idea.

"It's unrealistic to expect someone to just give you a check," she said. "But if we were able to pique the interest of investors...that would be great."

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SoHo Community Board Pushes City to Review Vendor Rules

SOHO Community Board 2 has backed SoHo residents fed up with the vendor trucks, carts and tables that line their streets, passing a resolution asking Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the city to address their concerns about trash, traffic and pollution.

At a full board meeting Thursday night, CB2 unanimously asked the mayor and the city to convene the Street Vendor Review Panel for the first time since 2001, they say, to review the number of vendors operating on Broadway between East Houston and Canal streets, which they call the Broadway Corridor.

"[The] proliferation of vendors of the Broadway Corridor constitutes a serious and immediate threat to the health, safety and well-being of the public and local residents," the resolution says.

In a statement Friday, Sean Basinski, director of the Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center, urged CB2 to cooperate with vendors.

Street vendors are a vital part of New York, and lower Broadway is a busy commercial strip that is enhanced by the presence of vendors," he said. "Rather than trying to ban vending there, we encourage the community board to work with vendors to find solutions that benefit vendors, shoppers and residents alike.

SoHo residents have long complained that the tangle of rules is misunderstood by vendors and inconsistently enforced by police, firefighters, the Department of Health and the Department of Environmental Protection.

The mayor's office did not immediately respond to an inquiry about the panel, which is made up of members designated by Bloomberg and the Small Business Services, Transportation and City Planning departments.

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Mothers Day: Tory Burch Beauty E-Card Bouquets

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Beloved Dog of Late 'Collector of Bedford Street' Finds New Home

MANHATTAN The prized pet of the late "collector of Bedford Street" has a new home.

The 14-year-old beagle and Australian shepherd mix left without an owner after the Jan. 20 death of West Village fixture Larry Selman has been adopted, according to a post Saturday on the Facebook page in the dog's name.

"It looks like I have a new forever home!" the Facebook page for Penny Selman says. "I've been told I'm going to have two little doggie buddies AND a backyard."

Dozens of people on the Facebook page responded to the adoption notice.

"So happy! Lots of love to you and your new family!" one commenter wrote.

Penny's new owner did not respond to an inquiry, and it was not immediately clear if the dog will be leaving the neighborhood.

Selman, who was the subject of the Oscar-nominated documentary "The Collector of Bedford Street," made by friend and neighbor Alice Elliott, collected hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity despite his own modest means and a disability.

He died of heart failure last week at the age of 70, friends said.

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Maserati Worth $130K Stolen from TriBeCa Parking Garage

A thief stole a 2012 Maserati Gran Turismo worth $130,000 from a TriBeCa parking garage, police said.

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Flickr/joao_paulo_cars

TRIBECA A thief posing as an auto repair worker cruised out of a Desbrosses Street parking garage with a stolen $130,000 Maserati last week, police said.

The suspect told workers at the Quik Park Tribeca II garage, 34 Desbrosses St., that he had permission to drive the 2012 Maserati Gran Turismo to the auto body shop where he worked, garage workers told police.

The man identified himself only as James but said he worked for Formula 1 Auto Body on 23rd Street in Long Island City, police said. Workers released the car to him about 4 p.m. Friday and the man drove away.

But when the 52-year-old fashion photographer who owns the black two-door sports car came to pick it up after leaving it there on July 21, he said he had not authorized anyone to take it.

Formula 1 Auto Body told police the thief had been fired several days earlier, on July 30.

Both the parking garage and auto body shop declined to comment on the investigation.

Police did not immediately provide a description of the suspect.

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Young Teens Try to Rob Woman on E Train in Lower Manhattan

A woman was nearly robbed by two teens aboard an E train near Canal Street on July 30, 2013, she told police.

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DNAinfo/Andrea Swalec

SOHO Two teens threatened a woman riding the subway through Lower Manhattan last week and tried to steal her handbag, police said.

The 13-year-old boy and 15-year-old girl allegedly approached the woman, 64, on a southbound E train near the Canal Street stop around 5 a.m. July 30.

They tried to wrest away the woman's purse and told her they were armed.

"I have a knife! I will kill them all!" one of the teens said, according to police.

The teens were arrested soon after the attack and charged as juveniles with attempted robbery. If they are found guilty, they can be placed in a juvenile facility for as long as 18 months, a term that can be extended until they reach 18, according to a law department spokeswoman.

Both teens were being held this week under Administration for Children's Services custody, according to the Law Department.

Investigators found a knife believed to belong to them in the street nearby, cops said.

The 13-year-old boy's lawyer declined to comment on the case. The attorney for the 15-year-old did not immediately respond to an inquiry.

Other notable crimes in this week's NYPD blotter in the 1st Precinct include:

A woman who parked her luxury car in Hudson Square early Sunday morning returned to her vehicle to find it had been broken into and her purse had been stolen, police said.

The 22-year-old left her 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLK Class sedan in front of 100 Charlton St. near Hudson Street about 1:15 a.m. Sunday to dance at a club with friends, police said.

When she returned to the car about 2:30 a.m., the rear panel of the driver's side window was shattered and her $250 Coach purse and $150 iPod Touch were gone.

A 24-year-old man who left his bag in an unsecured locker at the New York Sports Club at 151 Reade St. in TriBeCa on Friday between 4 and 6 p.m. returned after his workout to find his goods gone, police said.

He told police he lost a paycheck for $3,250, headphones worth $270 and sunglasses valued at $120.

A woman dancing at the trouble-prone Varick Street club Greenhouse accidentally handed her phone and wallet to a stranger earlier this week, police said.

The 31-year-old was dancing at the 150 Varick St. club on Monday about 3 a.m. when someone spilled a drink onto her. She then handed her $400 iPhone and $70 Juicy Couture wallet to the person next to her, who she thought was her friend, she told police.

She realized her mistake right away, but by that time the thief was gone, police said.

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Mothers Day Entrepreneurs: Baby2Babys Kelly Sawyer Patricof & Norah Weinstein

The inspiration behind our involvement in Baby2Baby
NW: There is no shortage of inspiration at Baby2Baby. When moms have to choose between food and diapers for their kids, there is inspiration to change that every day.
KS: When I lived in New York I volunteered at the Northside Center for Child Development, a Head Start center in East Harlem that my mother-in-law was the president of. During my time there I met so many children who didnt have the basic essentials. There was a boy named Brandon whom I helped with his math and one day he started crying and said he couldnt do his work. I asked him what was wrong and he told me his feet hurt. I realized he was wearing shoes three sizes too small, was in pain and couldnt do his schoolwork. After that I knew I wanted to do something to help kids get their basic needs met.

How we met
KS: My father-in-law Alan loves to set my husband and I up on blind couple dates. We had just moved to Los Angeles from New York and so had Norah and her husband. So we had dinner and the rest is history.

Most exciting thing about owning your own business
KS: The most exciting part in my mind is that we have big visions for Baby2Baby and we dont have to answer to anyone; we can just make them happen.

And the most challenging
NW: There is so much energy in an office of 95% women. But it is not without its challenges. :)
KS: The challenge is always that there is never enough time in the day or resources to help every low-income child, but were working on it!

The greatest lesson weve learned at Baby2Baby
KS: That if you have a vision and put your mind to it, you can make it happen. We started with 800 square feet and one employee and now have a 10,000-square-foot warehouse, 12 employees, tons of interns, a huge volunteer program and are serving 100,000 low-income children.

And greatest lesson learned from my mom
NW: My mom told me to get a law degree. She said you can be whatever you want to be, but have a law degree to fall back on.

Favorite Mothers Day traditions
KS: My kids make me breakfast in bed (or pretend to) and theres nothing I love more than a Sunday morning spent in bed.

Best Mothers Day gift Ive given
NW: I wrote a letter to my mom in the newly published A Letter to My Mom, created by Lisa Erspamer, thanking her for the impact she has had on my life. My mom carries it around with her she is so proud.

And received
NW: Phone covers with our kids photos from Tiny Prints!

Proudest parenting moment
NW: When my daughter dressed up as the Co-President of Baby2Baby for her first grade Community Helpers Day.
KS: My daughter started her own Kickstarter campaign to help save the rainforest when she was seven. I love that she took something she felt passionate about and did something about it!

One thing I wish someone told me about being pregnant
NW: That morning sickness is ALL DAY LONG.
KS: That you have to lose the weight eventually so you shouldnt have milkshakes at every meal its not that easy!

And about motherhood
NW: That it is even better than you can possibly imagine!
KS: That you can still be yourself and have kids, that it doesnt have to change you and that its so much fun!

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New MacDougal Street Mexican Joint Seeks to Offer Chipotle Alternative

GREENWICH VILLAGE Step away from the guacamole.

A new hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant in Greenwich Village will reluctantly permit customers to smother the spot's carefully engineered northern Mexican creations with guacamole or cheese but they'll suggest they don't.

"You're welcome to do that, but I recommend trying it my way," said Dominic Giuliano, executive chef and partner at Choza Taqueria, the 10-seat food counter at 124 MacDougal St. that opens Wednesday.

Giuliano is asking Choza customers to think outside the choose-your-ingredients Chipotle model and trust his judgement in creating menu items like braised pork tacos with citrus and spices, tomatillo salsa and pickled carrots.

Like Chipotle, the food counter that opened its first location on Madison Avenue near East 27th Street two years ago lets customers choose between tacos ($7.35 for three), burritos ($8.04) and bowls ($8.04).

But the similarities end there, said owners Giuliano, 40, and Matthew Wagman, 47.

The menu Giuliano made with inspiration from a lifetime of trips to Mexico includes grilled boneless beef short ribs with pico de gallo and guajillo salsa, and braised chicken with grilled onions and arbol chile salsa.

Each item on Choza's menu features a different salsa that compliments the protein, Wagman said.

"If you give yourself over to the experience, you're going to get a dish that has already been crafted from beginning to end," he said.

The vegetarian options are zucchini, squash and mushrooms paired with avocado salsa and queso fresco, and potatoes and poblano chiles sauteed with lemon and chiles and topped with guajillo salsa.

Wagman said diehard fans of Tex-Mex toppings can add guacamole for $1.15 and cheese or sour cream for 50 cents if they must.

Choza Taqueria, at 124 MacDougal St. between Bleecker and West Third streets, opens daily at 11 a.m. and closes at 11 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.

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Tory Entertains: Mothers Day Menu

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Chumley's Faces New Opposition in Bid to Reopen

WEST VILLAGE The historic watering hole where John Steinbeck and E.E. Cummings raised their glasses is hoping to reopen this year, but new opponents say the restored bar will be too noisy for Bedford Street.

Neighbors of the storied Chumley's  which opened at 86 Bedford St. as a speakeasy in the 1920s are asking Community Board 2 to reconsider its conditional approval of the bar's new liquor license and require earlier closing hours, according to a petition signed by 28 people and submitted to the board late last week.

Chumley's, petition signers argued, will plague a sleepy strip of the pricey West Village with "drunk and loud tourists/patrons talking and smoking on Bedford and Barrow streets" until the wee hours. They also worried about noise in the bar's courtyard and honking caused by patrons trying to hail cabs.

Richard Keiser, a technology executive who lives in the West Village, urged CB2 at a Jan. 24 meeting to protect peace and quiet for his family and his neighbors.

"We're trying to find a way toget this place to correspond with the rules in the neighborhood," he said, noting that the four bars on Bedford Street between Morton and Grove streets all close by midnight.

Under conditions agreed upon with CB2 last June, the bar will close at 1 a.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday, keep its windows and doors closed at all times, and employ a doorman inside the bar.

Chumley's was forced to close in April 2007 after part of its building collapsed. In the past six years, the owners have wrangled with city agencies for necessary permits.

Jim Miller, Chumley's operator, assured critics he would run the "quiet" bar in a "responsible manner" and said he wanted to keep the hours the community board previously approved.

"The neighborhood has the right to quiet enjoyment," he said Wednesday. "People have bought homes here and they want to be happy here. I'm not here to bring them any quality-of-life problems."

In addition to asking for earlier closing times, petition signers argued that CB2 inadequately informed West Village residents about the liquor license application.

But Bob Gormley, CB2 district manager, said the board followed its standard procedure of notifying locals about applications by including Chumley's on the board's public monthly agenda and posting fliers on lampposts near the location.

The board has no plan to reconsider its vote or hold another meeting on Chumley's, CB2 representatives said.

Asked if Chumley's is aiming to reopen this year, Miller seemed optimistic.

"I hope so," he said, declining to elaborate on the timing of the long-delayed renovations.

"We're horses at the gate waiting for [Chumley's] to be open," he said, adding that the bar where the original 1920s booths will be reinstalled is currently awaiting approval of its latest round of Department of Buildings permits. "We're going to restore it to exactly the look it had."

According to CB2 documents, Chumley's submitted 300 signatures in support of its liquor license application.

The bar's liquor license is currently pending before the State Liquor Authority.

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Baguette-Wrapped Hot Dogs Coming to MacDougal Street

MANHATTAN Hot dogs stuffed into toasted baguettes are back on the menu on MacDougal Street.

After closing in June on East 17th Street near Union Square, fast-food restaurant Dogmatic is set to open in Greenwich Village with a familiar menu of hot dogs, burgers, fresh fruit sodas and more.

The Dogmatic Dogs, which are served on baguettes toasted from the inside out using skewers, will be available in beef, pork, lamb, turkey, chicken and asparagus varieties ($5.50 each). The sauces will include truffle gruyere, horseradish mustard and mint yogurt.

Some new menu items at the 120 MacDougal St. spot are also in the works, including sweet potato fries, an acai berry soda and gluten-free offerings, said Dogmatic owner Brad Blum, a former Burger King CEO.

Blum said his goal is to deliver quick, healthy food without the fast-food hangover.

"We hear time and time again that when people go to other fast food places they don't feel good after they eat," he said Tuesday. "Here you invariably feel good."

The tiny eight-seat restaurant that began in 2006 as a food cart in Bleecker Street Park will stay open until the wee hours to serve the late-night crowd, with a closing time of 11 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and "at least 2 a.m." Thursday through Saturday, Blum said.

"We think that's one thing our guests will be excited about," he said.

Located in the previous home of Macaroni Macaroni, Dogmatic is set to open by mid-September.

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Condé Nast Travelers Yolanda Edwards On: Travels with Her Daughter Clara

Condé Nast Travelers Creative Director Yolanda Edwards is inspired by her own travels with her husband, the photographer Matthew Hranek, and their daughter Clara. They never go anywhere without each other. I think we are our best versions of ourselves when we travel, says Edwards. Well, at least I am! I dont worry so much about life at home, and I let go of most of my controlling tendencies (OK, my husband would disagree with this). We meet people and have open conversations that are powerful, or simple, but always moving. I want Clara to be exposed to this side of life whenever possible! Exploring the world with your favorite travel companion if ever there was a better gift from mother to daughter, and vice versa, we cant think of it. Above, just a few of their most memorable trips, described in Edwards own words below.

1. Guana Island, British Virgin Islands, Winter 2014-15

We discovered magical Guana in the British Virgin Islands this winter. Its so small and intimate you get to know everyone within the first hour (but if you want to steal away and have privacy, its easy enough to do). Super old-school vibe cocktail hour every night at 6:30, communal dining at breakfast and lunch, and the best collection of guest books Ive ever seen. You have amazing views out over Tortola, the nearest island, the wild nature (it has the largest concentration of flora and fauna in the Caribbean), beaches and the sea. Its a place you go to unwind fast, do nothing but sit on the beach, swim, read, hike and reconnect.

2. Dordogne, France, Summer 2014

Last summer we rented a house in the Dordogne with friends a house that belongs to the Commarque family (theyve been in the area for over 800 years!) and played at being locals for a week. Since there are markets every day in the local towns, we would do a morning shop, and then spend the day poking around in small villages, and then lounging at the pool before starting to cook up a feast for dinner. (Well, actually, that would be my husband who was doing all the work.) You can rent this house via chateaudelabourlie.com.

3. Argentina & Patagonia, March 2015

Our most recent trip we went to Argentina, where we spent time in Buenos Aires, at an estancia that gives polo lessons, and then flew to Patagonia. Watching Clara ride a horse with confidence, and seeing her beam with pride when she caught (and, yes, released) an elusive trout nothing better. I have to say to all the moms out there desperate for a spring break idea that wont be sold out and impossible consider Argentina. The flight is overnight and long enough that you can actually sleep and its just an hour time difference from the East Coast, so theres no jet lag.

4. Médoc, France, August 2014

We fell in love with the Médoc region when we were visiting our friend the cookbook author and blogger Mimi Thorisson, her brilliant photographer husband Oddur Thorisson, and their family this summer. Its so gorgeous there from the empty, beautiful beaches to the vineyards, that we bought a house there! Since Clara is an only child, she loves to jump right in to a huge family and we love getting to eat like kings every night at the Thorissons.

5. Santa Barbara, California, November 2014

Our dear friends live in the Carpinteria area, and we visit them as much as we can. They have twins Claras age so its a no-brainer. We take long walks on the beach every night, and I cant stop taking sunset pictures. We also go crazy for the farmers market there, and the fantastic Mexican food. Our favorite is Rose Café for huevos rancheros. But theres no more magical place than dinner at the San Ysidro Ranch. Sitting outside underneath the jasmine blossoms it just doesnt get better than that.

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'New Yorker' Writer Calvin Trillin Touts P.S. 3's West Village Spirit

MANHATTAN Decades after his two daughters attended the arty public elementary school in the West Village, New Yorker contributor Calvin Trillin still supports the institution.

The arts-integrated teaching philosophy at P.S. 3 is emblematic of the neighborhood's bohemian roots, the author of 29 books said in an interview Friday. 

[P.S. 3] seems to have the spirit of the Village," he said, pointing out that some teachers allow students to call them by their first names.

[The school] seems more like the Village than the tighter life you might live uptown."

Trillin, 77, recalled the conversations among parents and administrators that led to the founding of the self-described non-hierarchical school in 1971.

"I loved to go to parents' meetings [there] because they were always anarchy," he said. "It was a jolly place where no one thought they had to defer to the administration."

P.S. 3 is also known as the John Melser Charrette School, combining in its name a reference to the school's first leader an experimental educator from New Zealand and a French term used to describe collaborative problem-solving.

To this day, the school brings local artists into classrooms. Trillin, who lives across from the school, said this offers students unique opportunities regardless of public funding for the arts.

"If you expand your universe of teachers into the parent body, especially in a neighborhood where a lot of parents do creative things, it's all to the advantage of the school," he said.

In celebration of the 42nd anniversary of the 490 Hudson St. school, Trillin will moderate a discussion there at 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 2 on what lessons P.S. 3 can draw from its creative roots.

The event comes in the wake of a decision Jan. 23 by the Department of Education and Community Education Council for District 2 to eliminate Village parents' choice between P.S. 3 and P.S. 41. Starting in fall 2014, families will be zoned for one of the two schools.

Trillin, who said he is currently between writing projects, wondered if the zoning change would "regularize" P.S. 3, forcing it to become more traditional.

"There are people who like a more structured school," he said.

Panelists at the alumni event will include Durst Organization executive Jordan Barowitz, founding parent Viola Morris, and engineer and Princeton University lecturer Nat Oppenheimer.

Oppenheimer, who was part of one of the first classes at P.S. 3, said the school cultivated in him a lifelong love of learning.

"It provided an environment that above all else teaches kids to love the experience of being in school," he said.

Even as a child, he sensed the unconventional character of the school.

"The artists' kids went to [P.S.] 3 and the bankers' kids went to [P.S.] 41," said Oppenheimer, a 46-year-old SoHo resident.

The alumni event will include a showing of the trailer for the short documentary "Padim," which filmmaker Nicole Ansari-Cox created about the impact of arts-based education at the school.

Trillin said what mattered most to him as a P.S. 3 parent was his daughters' love for the school.

"To this day, if you ask them where they went to school, they don't name their high school or their college. They say P.S. 3," he said. 

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Village Halloween Parade Needs $50K to Recover from Hurricane Sandy

MANHATTAN The city's largest and most legendary Halloween party may not be as spooky this year if organizers can't pull in more cash.

Organizers of the 40th annual Village Halloween parade say they must raise at least $50,000 to make up for the financial hit they took when Hurricane Sandy forced the parade to be canceled at the last minute last year or else scale back the number of puppets and bands at this year's festivities.

"You can't do an event of this scale in New York City without any money," the parade's artistic director Jeanne Fleming said Wednesday. "We all do this for the love of New York now we need New York to show the love."

Last year, the Office of Emergency Management and NYPD canceled the parade on the afternoon of October 30, just a day after Hurricane Sandy wreaked its havoc and left much of Manhattan below 14th Street in the dark.

Without event cancellation insurance, Village Halloween Parade Inc. found itself on the hook for thousands of dollars in costs like artists' commissions and fees for items like port-a-potties and lighting.

At the same time, many corporate sponsors that had given money to the nonprofit asked for their donations back once the parade was canceled.

"It's been devastating," said Fleming, a 67-year-old Dutchess County resident who has run the parade since 1985.

Organizers plan to launch a Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign in September seeking at least $50,000 for the annual event that draws 2 million spectators, Fleming said.

Parade organizers receive grant funds from the NYC & Company Foundation and the Rudin Foundation, among others, but most of the money comes from corporate sponsors and local television stations that pay to air the parade, Fleming said.

She declined to disclose the nonprofit's projected budget for this year, but tax records show the organization declared expenses of more than $271,000 in 2011, the most recent year for which data is available. This figure includes expenses for three other events the group hosted in the state. Fleming received an annual salary of $30,000 for working 30 hours per week, the records show.

If the full show can go on this Halloween, parade-goers will see a "Rewind" theme and an "Alice in Wonderland"-inspired dance performance involving more than 100 people.

"The idea is to go back where we were when the parade was canceled," Fleming said, describing dancing clocks and shadow puppet rabbits. "We feel like we have to bring the parade back to life."

The parade will also include a float honoring post-Hurricane Sandy disaster relief volunteers.

Faced with a similar budget shortfall because of Hurricane Sandy, the Coney Island Mermaid Parade raised more than $117,000 this year through a Kickstarter campaign, with donations from more than 2,300 people. No donation topped $400.

In making a case for why donations are needed, Fleming described how the Village Halloween Parade has paid tribute over the years to people in need, including victims of the 9/11 attacks, Hurricane Katrina and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

"We have a history of helping others after disasters," she said. "Now we're in a situation where disaster has happened to us and we need help."

Thank you for reading article Village Halloween Parade Needs $50K to Recover from Hurricane Sandy

To See: A Celebration of Chinese Inspiration at The Met

Where in the world does a silk taffeta dress from Lanvin sit side by side with centuries-old Chinese earthenware? 1000 5th Ave, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which, on Thursday, opens the long-awaited exhibition China: Through the Looking Glass to the public. (Met Gala attendees got a first look last night.) True to its name, the show taps into the fantasy underpinnings of Lewis Carrolls Alice in Wonderland and offers a look into not China, really but the ways in which its been interpreted and reinterpreted in the West. This is about a China that exists as a collective fantasy, writes Andrew Bolton, Curator at the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in the accompanying catalogue. To that end, there are plenty of gorgeous visual stimuli courtesy of designers like Tom Ford, Karl Lagerfeld and John Galliano all of whom have been inspired by the country set against Chinese art and film through the ages. Another comparative case in point: the museums Sackler Gallery, home to towering Chinese Buddhist sculptures dating back to 500 A.D., will now also serve as the backdrop to a perspex and LED installation recreating the bamboo forest scenes of 2000s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon film by Ang Lee. Fellow director Wong Kar Wai, by the way, is the exhibits Artistic Director.

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Fake Cops Rob West 4th Street Smoke Shop, Police Say

GREENWICH VILLAGE A cigarette shop just steps from the bustling West Fourth Street subway station was robbed Tuesday night by a pair of police impersonators, the NYPD said.

Two men entered Third Ave. News Inc. the smoke shop at 164 W. Fourth St. just west of Sixth Avenue on Tuesday after 10:30 p.m. and displayed a shield, cops said.

One of the two men, who were both in their 30s, forced the shopkeeper outside, while the other man looted the store's cash register, according to police.

Third Ave. News did not immediately respond to inquiries about the crime, which was caught on surveillance camera.

Police described one suspect as a 6-foot-2 man with short black hair, last seen wearing a blue T-shirt and black sneakers. He had a white towel thrown over his shoulders, police said.

Police described the other suspect as a 5-foot-6 man with long black hair, wearing a black hat, orange T-shirt, black shorts and black sneakers.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).  The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then entering  TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.

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Village Building Set to Be First in Manhattan Razed Due to Sandy Damage

WEST VILLAGE A West Street building that was inundated with floodwaters during Hurricane Sandy will likely be torn down, making it the first Sandy-struck building in Manhattan to be demolished.

Permits have been filed for 401 West St. to be razed when current work to remove asbestos there concludes, according to the Department of Buildings.

After Sandy compounded previous structural issues with the building, causing a cellar wall to collapse, DOB ordered on Nov. 23 that 401 West St. be vacated, a department spokeswoman said.

Business tenant B2PRO, a camera and lighting equipment rental firm located on the first floor of the three-story building, says it suffered $10 million in damage during the storm.

But company executive Brent Langton said Friday that B2PRO's pricey gear got water-logged because the huge condo construction project located behind the building, at 150 Charles St., failed to secure four large wooden construction barriers that set sail in the floodwaters, slammed into 401 West St. and pushed open its glass doors.

"The water would not have entered the building if the construction barriers had stayed outside," Langton said.

B2PRO equipment manager Jared Roessler was inside the building as the Hudson River surged over its banks on Oct. 29. Sandbags workers placed outside the business's double-layer glass doors held back the floodwaters until the construction barriers struck them.

"When those barriers hit, they punched right through," Roessler said Friday.

Once the glass doors opened, 3 feet of water surged inside, drowning the camera and lighting gear, Roessler said.

Langton who is running the business three doors south of its original building with gear sent from the company's Los Angeles location said he is considering a lawsuit against the Witkoff Group, which is creating the 150 Charles St. complex.

The developer did not respond to a request for comment.

An attorney for Sam Azani, the owner of 401 West St. listed in city Department of Finance records, did not answer questions about the demolition plans or what's next for the site.

Rob Marrone, a building owner cited on a notice spotted on the building Friday, also declined to answer questions.

No new sale of the building has been recorded with the Department of Finance. 

The building was also occupied by the hair care product company Oribe, which also did not respond to an inquiry.

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Spotlight On: Met Gala 2015

From left: Mélanie Laurent, Dianna Agron, Tory Burch and Maggie Q, all in custom gowns by Tory

With this years Met Gala theme squarely in all things Chinese, designers looked to the Far East for their red-carpet inspirations. Some topped their looks off with riffs on ancient Chinese headdresses; others opted for glammed-up takes on the cheongsam. For Tory, the custom gowns she created for her guests played on the motif inspired by the museums upcoming China: Through the Looking Glass exhibit in more subtle ways. Like the embroidered red and white chiffon cranes on Dianna Agrons draped silk chiffon dress. Or the sequined Chinese garden print on Mélanie Laurents silk and wool mikado column number. Or the crystal-embellished tunic-and-pant ensemble worn by Maggie Q, a minimal and modern update on Chinese traditional attire. As for Torys own jacquard gown, it features a festive print of colorful and in-full-bloom cherry blossoms.

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'Mayor of Bleecker Street' Dies After Fall at Village Bar, Family Says

GREENWICH VILLAGE A man who worked as a doorman at the iconic Bleecker Street music venue The Bitter End for more than two decades died last week after an apparent accident at the bar.

Kenneth Kelly, 56, died in the early morning of August 6 after he tumbled down a flight of stairs at the 147 Bleecker St. club, his widow said.

Kelly, a Staten Island father of two who began working at the rock club in 1987, was closing the bar around 4:30 a.m. Tuesday when he tripped down a steep staircase from a second-floor office and struck his head, Barbara Kelly said workers told her.

Emergency officials responded to a 4:38 a.m. call and transported Kelly to Bellevue Hospital Center, according to the FDNY. He was pronounced dead there, a spokeswoman for the city medical examiner's office said.

Paul Rizzo co-owner of the bar famed for hosting Bob Dylan, Curtis Mayfield and Lady Gaga said Bitter End staff and regulars were in shock about the death of their longtime friend.

"We loved the man," Rizzo said Monday, referring to the incident that occurred while he was away from the club as an "accident."

Friends and family nicknamed Kelly the "Mayor of Bleecker Street," said Barbara Kelly, with whom Kelly has an 18-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter. Kelly loved Greenwich Village, she said. 

"It was like Candyland to him," she said. "He was always telling me about all the great things that were going on. He loved the diversity. He loved meeting people."

When Kelly's wife visited him at his workplace where he began clocking in full-time after more than 30 years as a print shop supervisor for Deloitte LLP she never expected to be able to speak with him for long. 

"He was like a celebrity," she said. "You couldn't talk with him [at The Bitter End] for five minutes without someone coming up to talk to him."

More than 200 people attended Kelly's wake on Thursday and Friday, from musicians he knew from The Bitter End to the owners of a bagel shop he frequented, Barbara Kelly said.

"Everyone had stories about what a good guy he was," she said. "He looked after people."

Kelly's official cause of death has not been determined, according to the city medical examiner's office, and the NYPD did not immediately respond to an inquiry about the incident.

The Bitter End is in the early stages of planning a memorial concert for Kelly, Rizzo said.

He was "one of the warmest people I've ever met," said friend of six years Richie Cannata, a musician who plays at the club every Monday night. Cannata left The Bitter End less than an hour before Kelly's fall, he said Monday afternoon as he prepared to perform that night.

Cannata said he was planning to perform the Sting song "Fragile" Monday night at The Bitter End in memory of Kelly.

"It's about how delicate life is," he said. "In a heartbeat, everything can change."

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NYU Won't Let Incoming Freshmen Pick Their Own Roommates Anymore

MANHATTAN Incoming NYU freshmen hoping to avoid the roommate from hell by sticking with tried-and-true high school friends will be out of luck this fall.

Starting with the 2013-2014 school year, the Greenwich Village-based university will no longer allow first-year students to select their own roommates. Instead, NYU will pair people up to create "geographic diversity," aiming for no two people from the same place to live together.

Rather than taking potential compatibility into account, the school's new housing policy will match up classmates in the seven first-year residence halls based on their home countries and states, encouraging newcomers to branch out instead of sticking with friends from back home, student affairs administrator Tom Ellett said Monday.

"We're looking at only geographic diversity," he said, adding that nearly 17 percent of NYU students this year are international students.

NYU quietly decided on the change which the student blog NYU Local first reported Friday this summer as part of its Global Network University initiative, which encourages students to study at the university's 10 international campuses, including in London, Paris, Shanghai and Accra, Ghana.

"[The housing policy] is a natural extension of what we're trying to do here," Ellett said.

Exceptions to the housing policy will be made for students who request lower-cost housing or who opt to live in theme-based housing, which includes options focused on volunteerism, media and "the meaning of food."

Meanwhile, the New School and Columbia University still allow freshmen to make roommate requests, according to their websites. 

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Met Gala Spotlight On: Actress Maggie Q

Women in film
Are captivating.

The acting bug bit when
I dont know that I was bit by any bug so to speak, but I do know that around my third project I was in a particularly challenging role and the way it pushed me made me realize something I hadnt realized before. It triggered my heart. It wasnt that I wanted to do this job I had to. It was part of who I am.

Most memorable stunt Ive ever done
That has to be Live Free or Die Hard. I was on the hood of an SUV that crashes through a wall and down an elevator shaft. All me, no double. Not sure who I think I am sometimes! Ha!

And most memorable audition
When I auditioned for J.J. Abrams for MI3, I had a 105 degree fever. I went from sweating to violently shaking from being cold, every few minutes. I tried to hold a tea in my hand and it was spilling all over me, I was shaking so hard. I still did it, got the role and couldnt remember I did till two days later when I woke up!

My pre-performance ritual
It depends on the role. Sometimes its very involved. And sometimes it isnt. On purpose. Im instinctual, so I try to listen.

In between takes, you can usually find me
Doing push-ups or squats.

If not an actress, my fantasy career
I would love to be Wonder Woman and bring vigilante justice to women, children and animals who need defending. With my invisible jet, they wouldnt even see me coming!!!!

Favorite kick-ass role
My last series, Nikita, allowed me four years of different choreography in the fight world. It was my favorite journey. It was my vehicle and so I was very involved from beginning to end, especially with the physicality. We worked SO hard. Im proud of it, because I grew.

And favorite line from any of my roles
I cant think of one???

One thing people would be surprised to learn about me
I feed people. I love to cook. If you are around me, I will make you food. Its what I do. lol!

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Rap Icons Loom Large in Photographer's SoHo and Williamsburg Billboards

SOHO Huge photographs of Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg and Nigerian schoolchildren are towering over SoHo and Williamsburg's streets.

Chi Modu, a photographer best known for his portraits of rappers, recently installed billboards on Thompson Street and on Sixth Avenue in Manhattan and on Broadway in Brooklyn.

Modu, who has shot covers for Rolling Stone and The Source, said he created the project, which he calls "Uncategorized," to encourage empathy despite differences.

"People's worlds can be quite insular," he said. "The more people know about each other, the better we treat each other."

The 9 foot-by-12-foot billboard of Shakur with his hands at his temples can be found on Thompson Street near Grand Street in SoHo. A 16-foot-by-25-foot billboard of wide-eyed Nigerian schoolboys is hanging nearby on Sixth Avenue at Spring Street. And a third billboard of Snoop Dogg, measuring 16 feet by 22 feet, is on view in Williamsburg on Broadway at Hewes Street.

The billboards are a collaboration between Modu and the billboard company Prince Media, Modu said, describing them as their "gift to the people of New York City" and refusing to cite the cost of displaying the art.

Modu photographed Shakur just nine months before his death in September 1996 and remembered the rapper as intense and quiet. Shakur arrived early for their shoot and "patiently waited in a corner," Modu recalled.

When Modu's equipment malfunctioned and he needed to ask the 24-year-old rapper to return to the studio the next day, Shakur was nonchalant.

"When I told people that, they just couldn't believe it," said Modu, a 47-year-old Jersey City, N.J. resident who was born in Nigeria.

Snoop Dogg, who was 21 when Modu first photographed him in 1993, impressed the photographer with his kindness and loyalty, Modu said. When he shot the photo of the rapper that now hangs in Williamsburg, he saw the budding artist's small Los Angeles apartment, with one bedroom used as a recording studio.

Modu chose to display the photo of the schoolboys, which he took in a small village in eastern Nigeria in 1994, because people have told him it's timeless.

"There's something about the honesty of it that people like," he said.

The schoolchildren and Snoop Dogg billboards will be on display through the end of September, Modu said. The Tupac photograph will be shown through the fall.

Modu's next billboard will be installed soon in Bushwick, he said, declining to reveal its subject.

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Styrofoam Ban Being Eyed by City Sanitation Department

WEST VILLAGE Takeout food and to-go coffee will no longer be served in Styrofoam containers if the city Sanitation Department has anything to say about it.

The department is planning to suggest the city ban all food-service providers from using containers made from the material, an official said Monday night.

"I'm proposing legislation to ban Styrofoam in New York City," deputy commissioner for recycling and sustainability Ron Gonen said.

Details of the suggested legislation are being hammered out now, Gonen said, but it will focus on businesses that buy huge amounts of the hazardous material, not on individual consumers.

"The onus would not be on the consumer," he said. "This would not be something that the consumer would have to deal with."

Gonen, who was appointed to the newly created recycling czar position in May, said restrictions on the to-go materials restaurants use would be good for the city's budget as well as for the environment.

"From a pure dollars-and-cents standpoint, it costs us money to dispose of Styrofoam in a landfill," he said. "It's also unhealthy for the environment. It doesn't break down properly."

Gonen declined to comment on whether he has discussed the plan with the office of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has been criticized for so-called "nanny state" restrictions on the size of sugar-sweetened drinks restaurants can sell and where people can smoke.

A spokesman for Bloomberg did not respond to an inquiry about the possible ban.

A Styrofoam ban has been previously reviewed by the City Council.

A group of 16 councilmembers co-sponsored legislation in October 2009 that asked the state Legislature to give food-service businesses tax incentives for using environmentally friendly alternatives to Styrofoam. The resolution never made it out of committee.

Previous Styrofoam ban supporter Councilman Lewis A. Fidler said he would support a renewed push for restrictions.

I would love to move this bill forward, as it would be a help to both our environment and to our businesses through tax incentives," he said in a statement Tuesday.

"I am always hopeful that Councilman [James F.] Gennaro, who chairs our environmental protection committee, and [City Council Speaker Christine Quinn's] office will find a way to get this done.

Seattle and parts of California have already prohibited takeout restaurants from using Styrofoam clamshell boxes.

According to the federal Environmental Protection Agency, Styrofoam, which is a trademark for extended polystyrene, releases into the air pollutants known to cause health problems.

Gonen said New York businesses using materials that damage the environment will have to answer to the city.

"We're either going to ban your product or packaging, or make you pay to have it sent to a landfill," he said. 

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New Food Vendors Sought for Hudson River Park

MANHATTAN New food and drink options are coming to Hudson River Park starting this spring.

The 5-mile-long park, which runs along Manhattan's west side, is seeking bids for seven new food carts and trucks opening May 1 at park locations in Battery Park City, TriBeCa, Hudson Square, the West Village and Hell's Kitchen, according to a request for proposals issued Friday.

The additions to the park will more than double the number of mobile food vendors there. 

Aiming to offer more food and drink options in the park at a range of price points, the Hudson River Park Trust is seeking vendors that sell at least two items for $2 or less.

"We want to make sure that we have enough variety in the park so that people don't need to leave in the middle of their activity to grab something to eat or drink," a Trust spokeswoman said Wednesday. "This is about making the Hudson River Park experience even better for our visitors."

The park, which is facing a projected $80 million deficit over the next 10 years, will collect monthly fees from the carts and trucks based on sales, according to the RFP open through March 15.

Hudson River Park, which is visited an estimated 17 million times per year, currently has six mobile food vendors that sell ice cream, hot dogs, drinks and empanadas, plus restaurants and cafes at Pier 45, Chelsea Piers, Pier 66 and Pier 84. 

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Woman Sexually Assaulted in Greenwich Village, Police Say

A 33-year-old man was arrested and charged with sexual abuse on Jones Street Aug. 11, 2013.

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Flickr

WEST VILLAGE A career criminal sexually abused a woman in Greenwich Village on Sunday, according to police and news reports.

Cory Reid, 33, was arrested at a residential building on Jones Street near Bleecker Street on Sunday morning after a woman reported that he assaulted her about 8:45 a.m., according to the criminal complaint.

The 23-year-old woman met with Reid for drinks on Saturday night and then he allegedly forced himself on her in the morning, the New York Post reported.

Reid was charged with two felony counts of sexual abuse and committing a criminal sex act by force, court records show. He was arraigned on Monday.

Reid's court-appointed attorney did not immediately respond to an inquiry.

Reid has more than 80 prior arrests, including for grand larceny and drug possession, the Post reported.

The New York native was being held at Manhattan Detention Complex on $7,500 bail on Wednesday, Department of Correction records show.

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Mothers Day: Let Them Eat Cake

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Bloomberg Changes Tune on Recycling and Backs Styrofoam Ban

MANHATTAN Restricting New Yorkers' use of Styrofoam takeout containers would be good for the environment as well as the city's balance sheet, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Thursday morning.

Bloomberg, who previously slashed recycling in the city to save money, is now backing the possible ban on Styrofoam being eyed by the city Sanitation Department which DNAinfo.com New York was first to report Wednesday saying the new rules would save taxpayers cash.

"Landfills cost us a lot of money," he said. "If we could recycle a lot of stuff, it would be much better for the environment and better for our bottom line. And were looking at a lot of things. One of the things you might want to do and a lot of other places have is ban things like Styrofoam that dont degrade quickly in landfills."

Manhattan Recycle

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Billy Figueroa

Bloomberg's new argument in favor of recycling is a stark change from 2002, when he suspended glass and plastic recycling to cut costs.

That decision caused the recycling rate to plummet to just 11 percent in 2003 after years of steady gains and it hasnt recovered since.

It costs the city approximately $300 million to haul 3.2 million tons of solid waste to landfills each year. The city's recycling rate has sunk during Bloomberg's term, as DNAinfo reported in April.

His comments at a press conference touting the benefits of technology on health outcomes follow statements by Ron Gonen, deputy commissioner for recycling and sustainability, on Monday at a West Village community meeting.

Gonen said a policy that is now in its early stages would focus on businesses that buy huge amounts of Styrofoam, not on individual consumers.

"The onus would not be on the consumer," Gonen said.

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Mothers Day: Ivanka Trump on Childrens Books & Family Heirlooms

My Mothers Day traditions now
Breakfast in bed, served by my husband, Jared, and my two kids.

And when I was growing up
We used to go to Maneros in Greenwich, CT and sit at the same table every time. Unfortunately, theyve closed since then, but I remember that they had a hilarious policy if you went into labor during your meal, you could eat free for the rest of your life.

Best Mothers Day gift Ive given
Time with my family.

And received
Jared makes me a year in review video every year with photos of us and our family.

Best beauty lesson my mother taught me
My mother taught me to always wash off my makeup Im religious about taking it off at night. When I was around 15, she woke me up in the middle of the night and made me get up and wash off my mascara. She also passed on her appreciation for a good drugstore cosmetics section. Shed always buy generic brands even our hand soap in the bathroom was CVS brand.

Favorite childhood memory with mom
Watching her get ready in her bathroom at Trump Tower. She was so Eighties glam with the hair, the jewels and the lipstick. That was the time when women still did their own hair and makeup for big events.

Family heirloom from mom I plan on passing on to my children
She gave me an unbelievable necklace for my 21st birthday that my father had given her. Ill pass it on to Arabella when she turns 21.

Favorite childrens books
My favorite books growing up were The Fox and the Hound and Le Petit Prince. Now, Arabella and Joseph love Good Night Construction Site and The Giving Tree. Reading with them is one of my favorite parts of the day.

A typical weekend with the family
Spending as much time together as we can and trying to be as unscheduled as possible.

And my favorite mommy-and-me time
I love sitting with my family around the dinner table and snuggling up for storytime before the kids go to bed. Arabella and I love baking together as well.

Words of advice from the Ivanka Trump guide to parenting
While its sometimes not achievable, do your best to be in the moment. Someone once told me we often rush through the walk, because were trying to get somewhere and were so focused on the destination. Its the same in parenting. You want to look forward to the big moments, but you sometimes can overlook the small moments, which are just as important. They say the days are long and the years are short, and it couldnt be more true.

And the secret to keeping the work-family balance
To forget about balance. Its not realistic to strive for a perfect balance between work and life. Instead, I try to be fully present wherever I am. If Im in a meeting, I want to be 100% there, and if Im giving my kids a bath, I strive to be 100% there. Its less about balancing my time, and more about using it to the fullest and enjoying each moment as it comes.

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NYU President John Sexton to Step Down in 2016

NYU president John Sexton will step down in 2016, the university's board of trustees announced Aug. 14, 2013.

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Henry S. Dziekan III/Getty Images

MANHATTAN New York University's board of trustees announced in an email Wednesday that John Sexton will resign as president in 2016, after 14 years.

Sexton, 70, agreed in 2009 to serve as president at least through 2016 and has now "made clear that he will not serve beyond that," the email from a committee of the board of trustees said.

"The [committee] notes that the board is extremely satisfied with the direction and leadership of the university," it said.

The search for a new president will begin in the next three years and will involve faculty and students, said the NYU board, which also announced the creation of a new committee to better involve faculty and students in decision-making processes.

During his time as president, he has faced criticism for NYU's city-approved 20-year plan to create additional academic space. Multiple schools within the university have issued no-confidence votes on him.

Sexton was named NYU president in 2001 after seven years as a member of the law faculty and 14 years as the NYU School of Law dean.

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Cafe and Takeout Spot May Replace Longtime Carmine St. Shoe Repair Shop

A seasonal restaurant specializing in pre-packaged carryout food is in the works for 30 Carmine St., which housed a MetroPCS location and a shoe repair shop.

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DNAinfo/Andrea Swalec

WEST VILLAGE From cell phones and shoeshine to gourmet snacks to go.

A new restaurant specializing in pre-packaged seasonal carryout meals is in the works for the Carmine Street storefronts that housed Magic Shoe Repair and MetroPCS, the eatery's operators said at a Community Board 2 meeting this week.

Ham & Jam, which is finalizing a deal to combine the two retail spots at 30 Carmine St., will serve as a to-go food shop by day and a restaurant by night, co-owner Annie Wayte said.

"It's about getting a complete meal, with fruits, vegetables, protein and baked goods," said Wayte, who was executive chef at the combination restaurants-and-boutiques 202 in Chelsea Market and Nicole's on East 60th Street, which have both closed.

The prices at Ham & Jam will be "accessible," said Wayte, who wrote the 2006 cookbook "Keep It Seasonal."

She and business partner Shyam Maskai applied for a beer and wine license for the spot with 25 to 30 seats and have gotten "some support from the community," CB2 State Liquor Authority committee co-chair Richard Stewart said at a meeting Tuesday evening.

CB2 will issue an advisory vote on the SLA license at its executive session at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 19, which will be held in the board's offices at 3 Washington Square Village.

Magic Shoe Repair closed this summer after 20 years in business, according to Jeremiah's Vanishing New York.

Ravi Idnani of exclusive broker New York Commercial Real Estate Services declined to comment on a deal for the 750-square-foot space but said its asking price was $200 per square foot. Wayte said the deal was still being finalized this week.

Ham & Jam does not yet have an opening date.

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Discovery of 'Gay Gene' Imagined in NYU Student Film

MANHATTAN What would happen if scientists discovered a "gay gene"?

That's the premise of a short film by one NYU undergraduate with big idea.

Tisch School of the Arts student Cyrus Toulabi, 21, launched a Kickstarter campaign Monday for a 20-minute-long film called "The Gene," which envisions the discovery of a genetic source for homosexuality and the political fight over finding a "cure."

"If it were absolutely clear that being gay were not a choice, what would that mean for the world?" said Toulabi, a Highland Park, Ill., native who lives in the East Village, in an interview.

"The Gene," which Toulabi and a 20-person crew of NYU students and alumni plan to shoot this spring, begins a year after a fictional doctor discovers the "gay gene" and learns that her company is developing a drug that would eliminate homosexuality. Grappling with betrayal, she needs to decide whether to stand by her employer or try to stop the drug from being released.

Though the film will get its start at NYU, Toulabi wants it to reach far beyond the school's Greenwich Village campus. He's aiming to have it shown at festivals internationally.

"We're planning on going everywhere with this," he said.

Toulabi and company are seeking $6,500 in funding via Kickstarter, which will be used to rent a camera and lighting equipment, feed the volunteer crew and cover the cost of office space they'll need to rent to use as a set. Already, they've raised more than $1,000.

According to Kickstarter, 17 films that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this year got their start with campaigns on the fundraising site.

The project took shape for Toulabi, who said he's had a lifelong interest in science, when he read last year that DNA contains more information than scientists previously thought.

"I started thinking, what if this [gay] gene really existed and it put the nature-versus-nurture issue to rest?" he said. "Who would have discovered this and how would they have reacted?" 

"The Gene" focuses on sexual orientation, but its ideas apply to lots of human situations, Toulabi said.

"The larger issue is, can we help who we are?"

Thank you for reading article Discovery of 'Gay Gene' Imagined in NYU Student Film

65-Year-Old Man Attacked in Washington Square Park, Cops Say

A 65-year-old man told cops a stranger assaulted him near Washington Square North and Washington Square East on Aug. 11, 2013.

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DNAinfo/Andrea Swalec

WEST VILLAGE A senior citizen was strolling through Washington Square Park Saturday morning when a stranger suddenly assaulted him, he told police.

The 65-year-old male was approached by a man near Washington Square North and Washington Square East on Saturday about 8:30 a.m., police said. Without saying a word, the younger man kicked the senior in the ribs and punched him in the face, leaving him with pain in his chest and scrapes to his face.

Robert Burton, 34, was found during a police canvas and arrested for the attack. He faces misdemeanor charges for assault and attempted assault, plus a violation charge for harassment. The Iowa native was being held at Manhattan Detention Complex on $500 bail as of Wednesday and is due in court on Friday.

Information on who is representing Burton was not immediately available.

Other notable crimes in this week's NYPD blotter in the 6th Precinct include:

A second senior was attacked outside his Christopher Street home later on Saturday.

A 69-year-old man told police a stranger slapped him in the face about 5:45 p.m. Saturday, making him fall to the ground and strike his right temple.

Bernard Roxbury, 45, was arrested for the crime soon afterward and charged with felony assault, as his victim was older than age 65. Roxbury was released and is due in court Nov. 25, court records show.

His lawyer did not immediately respond to an inquiry.

A teen swiped a stick of deodorant from the CVS on Sixth Avenue at Carmine Street, police said.

Quashawna Taylor, 18, was seen in the 307 Sixth Ave. store tucking a $5 stick of Dove deodorant into her purse, an employee told police.

When the CVS worker stopped the teen, Taylor threatened him, police said.

"I'm gonna mace you!" she said, according to police.

Taylor was found with the stolen merchandise, arrested and charged with one felony count of robbery, police said. Taylor was being held on $10,000 bail on Wednesday and was due in court Thursday.

Taylor's lawyer did not immediately respond to an inquiry.

A would-be phone thief tackled a woman on her way out of the West Fourth Street subway station on Monday.

A 42-year-old woman was walking up the staircase on the northwest corner of Sixth Avenue and Waverly Place, near the Waverly Restaurant, about noon on Monday when a man grabbed her from behind, forced her to the ground and tried to rip her cell phone from her hand, she told police. 

When she screamed for help, the man ran westbound on Waverly Place, where he was caught by a good Samaritan, cops said.

Police arrested Jimmy Bostick, 23. He was hit with one felony count of attempted robbery and was being held at Manhattan Detention Complex on $15,000 bail. He's due in court Friday.

Bostick's lawyer did not immediately respond to an inquiry.

The victim of the attempted theft injured her elbow during the attack and was taken to Beth Israel Medical Center, police said.

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Shoppers Flock to SoHo for Warm Winter Gear with Snowstorm Bearing Down

SOHO Video editor Andre Hutchins headed to SoHo Friday morning because he had cold feet literally.

The Los Angeles transplant, who moved to Westchester last month, shopped at the 530 Broadway location of Eastern Mountain Sports Friday for a cold-weather substitute for his thin canvas Vans shoes.

"These are just not going to work," he said about his rain-soaked shoes.

As weather forecasters predicted up to a foot of snow in New York this weekend, shoppers hit retail-heavy SoHo for warm boots and other storm supplies.

Visiting British advertising executive Robin Shenfield, 56, also hunted through the sporting goods store for boots more sturdy than the leather pair he brought from London.

He said he wasn't accustomed to snow.

"The whole of the U.K. grinds to a halt when there's more than an inch," Shenfield said.

At the 556 Broadway location of shoe store David Z, boots by Sorel, Uggs and Timberland were top sellers Friday, according to manager Rudy Ramphal.

"Even when it's 30 below, you don't get cold in these," he said about the Sorel models, which were all selling for 40 percent off.

Shoppers at the massive clothing shop Uniqlo, at 546 Broadway, were shopping for the brand's Heattech line of long-johns and leggings, manager Amelie Sherry said.

"Since it's gotten cold, those are one of our most popular sellers right now," she said.

At the 560 Broadway location of Dean & DeLuca, personal chef Raimund Serba was shopping for another kind of storm provisions ingredients for a black truffle quiche he'll make Saturday for the family for whom he cooks.

As Serba picked up gruyere and heavy cream, he said he didn't think the storm would be crippling.

"I'm from Chicago and we used to walk to school in 2 feet of snow," he said. "It was no big deal."

Thank you for reading article Shoppers Flock to SoHo for Warm Winter Gear with Snowstorm Bearing Down

Mothers Day: Editor Nasiba Adilova on Pregnancy Jeans & De-Stressing Secrets

Nasiba Adilova, whos Director of Business Development at lifestyle site Buro 24/7, proves that just because youre pregnant doesnt mean your street-style star has to dim one bit. The Dallas-based Russian kept on with her supremely chic and colorfully bold statement looks in the months before the birth of her son to the fashion photographers delight. Here, we chat with Adilova on that style and what its like being a first-time mother.

My Mothers Day traditions now
Its my first Mothers Day as a mother and I look forward to setting up new traditions for the years to come.

And when I was growing up
I always bought fresh flowers for my mom and grandma. For my mom, ever since I was a little girl, I would prepare lunch on my own for her.

Best Mothers Day gift Ive given
I hope its my unconditional love.

Best style advice from mom
I wanted to dress the way I did before I was pregnant, even when I was pregnant. So I bought things I liked in larger sizes. The best piece of clothing available for pregnancy (that I still want to wear now) is pregnancy jeans. They fit exactly the same as regular jeans but are so comfortable.

And favorite thing to borrow from her closet
I love to borrow bags from my mother-in-law!

As a mom, my de-stressing secret
Look in my babys eyes, hold him in my arms and remember how blessed I am every single day.

Thank you for reading article Mothers Day: Editor Nasiba Adilova on Pregnancy Jeans & De-Stressing Secrets

Jane Austen-Era Dancing Whirls Into Greenwich Village

English Country Dancing

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YouTube/childgrove

MANHATTAN Learn how to dance for when you meet your Mr. Darcy.

A group that teaches and performs stately English group dances dating from as early as the 1600s will launch its fall season in the West Village soon.

As the comedy about Jane Austen obsession, "Austenland," hits theaters Friday, members of Country Dance New York are preparing for the Sept. 3 kickoff of their weekly English country dance nights at the Church of the Village.

English country dances are routines ranging from somber to lively that each have their own song, instructor and caller, Elizabeth Freedman explained.

"It's the kind of dancing that Jane Austen did when she was alive," said Freedman, an Upper East Side lawyer who started performing in 1987.

Most dances which have memorable names like The Queen's Jig, Shrewsbury Lasses and Juice of Barley begin with a long line of couples facing each other. The dance caller tells the couples what motions to make to the live music and the couples then switch, so everyone in the room gets the chance to dance together.

Country Dance New York participants wear street clothes for their sessions in the church basement every Tuesday from September through June, but they hold a ball every April where people are invited to wear historic replica costumes.

English country dancing suits people with a strong interest in history, said Freedman, who wore a custom-made English Regency-era gown for this year's gala.

"It takes us back to a different time period," she said.

Austen has had a lasting cultural impact because of her timeless humor and insight, Freedman said.

"The way she wrote about people's concerns and social issues still resonates today," she said.

Beginners and experienced dancers are invited to attend the dances at the Church of the Village, 201 W. 13th St., from 7:30 to 10 p.m. every Tuesday starting Sept. 3. Beginners can learn basic terms and movements from 7 to 7:30 p.m.

Admission costs $15 per person, with a $3 discount for full-time students. There's no need to arrive with a partner. Participants are asked to bring a pair of clean, soft-soled dancing shoes.

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Popular Greenwich Village Schools Predict Long Waitlists

GREENWICH VILLAGE Competition for kindergarten seats in one of the most sought-after public elementary schools in the city is shaping up to be fierce again for the 2013-2014 school year.

P.S. 41 in Greenwich Village which had 55 children on its waitlist for the 2012-2013 term, more than at any other school in Manhattan is expecting strong interest once again in its well-rounded curriculum and long list of PTA-funded offerings like chess instruction.

"We're predicting [the waitlist] will be the same as last year, if not longer," Principal Kelly Shannon said, noting she expects the Department of Education will admit five packed kindergarten classes of about 27 students each, for a total capacity of approximately 135 kids.

The number of open seats at P.S. 41 has already been cut by 55 to make room for children who will automatically be admitted because their older siblings go to the school.

"That's the largest [number of incoming siblings] we've ever had," parent coordinator Michele Farinet said.

West Village dad Matt Widman, who has a fifth-grader at P.S. 41 and two other daughters who have graduated, said applying to the elementary school was worth the uncertainty.

"No school is perfect, but this is about as good as you can get," he said, praising the school's art and extracurricular programs. "The kids here love going to school."

P.S. 3, the second elementary school zoned for families in Greenwich Village, the West Village, the Meatpacking District and SoHo for fall 2013, had a waitlist last year of more than 10 students, according to the District 2 Community Education Council, a volunteer panel of parents that advises the DOE.

Information on how many seats the school, which features an integrated arts curriculum, may have in the fall and how long the waitlist is expected to be was not immediately available.

Adding to the waitlist anxiety, on Jan. 23 school officials redrew the school zone lines that will apply starting with the 2014-2015 school year, eliminating residents' unique option to name either P.S. 3 or P.S. 41 as their first-choice school.

The changes to the school zones, approved by the District 2 Community Education Council, will send children in the south of the current shared P.S. 3/P.S. 41 zone to P.S. 3. Kids in the north will be sent to P.S. 41, while those in the far north will be redistricted to Chelsea schools.

Supporters of the zone-split plan say it will divide school seats more equally, reducing overcrowding, and will help the two schools to more accurately plan their budgets.

But other parents say they would prefer to retain the ability to choose where to send their children, and they question whether the DOE is taking factors like new construction into account.

Despite waitlists and changes to school zone lines in subsequent school years, P.S. 41's principal assured families they would be placed into a top-notch kindergarten program.

"The end result isyou're eventually going to get into a wonderful zoned school," Shannon said.

Here are more details on Greenwich Village's two public elementary schools:

P.S. 41, Greenwich Village School, 116 W. 11th St.

This Village school features a new green roof to teach students about sustainability, has its own student rock band and teaches kindergartners how to play chess. During the 2012-2013 school year, the DOE packed 803 children into a building recommended to fit 650 students, said Principal Kelly Shannon, who has been at the school for 18 years.

P.S. 3, Charrette School, 490 Hudson St.

Located in the West Village at Grove Street, P.S. 3 values active learning and education through the arts. The school has art and dance teachers, a room full of instruments and a PTA-funded musician who works three days a week. Principal Lisa Siegman, who has led the school for 11 years, told DNAinfo.com New York that maintaining P.S. 3's 150-year-old building is one of the school's biggest challenges. 

Thank you for reading article Popular Greenwich Village Schools Predict Long Waitlists