3.16.10: Old stomping grounds | New York Social Diary

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Old stomping grounds

The publication party of Linda Fairstein’s Hell Gate, held at Gracie Mansion.

On the morning of this past Friday March 5th, they celebrated the publication of Hell Gate, author and former asst. D.A. Linda Fairstein’s 12th book in her Alexandra Cooper detective series.

Linda’s novels are always based on her old stomping ground for twenty years when she was head of the Sex Crimes Unit in the DA’s office in Manhattan. Part of the process that she loves about her work is doing research about all the different neighborhoods of this city.

The Upper East Side where Gracie Mansion is located was countryside in the 19th century, five or six miles from the hustle and bustle of old New York. The wealthier citizens built houses north of the center and along the East River. It was a carriage ride of well over an hour or two over the rocky and hilly terrain but a haven especially in the summertime, away from the heat of the city.

The property dates back to the 18th century when it was owned by a family who sided with England during the Revolution and eventually moved back to their Mother Country. It was acquired in 1798 by Archibald Gracie, Scottish born, a shipping magnate and American businessman, who built a two-storey house on the crest of a knoll overlooking the point of the river known as Hellgate, across from the northern tip of Roosevelt Island (then known as Blackwell’s Island). The land on which the property was located on a point on the river was then called Horn’s Hook. It included a large tract of riverside land (much of which is now Carl Schurz Park).

Susan Danilow, President of the Gracie Mansion Conservancy and host of the party, introduces Linda.

Linda addresses the guests.

The Gracies’ mansion was a center of social activity in the first quarter of the 19th century, where distinguished guests included John Quincy Adams (before he was President) and Louis Phillippe of France (before he became king) as well as the first John Jacob Astor. Coincidentally, Gracie’s great-grandson, Archibald Gracie IV was on the RMS Titanic along with Astor’s great-grandson, John Jacob Astor IV. Gracie survived, and as the world knows, Astor did not.


	Click to order Hell Gate.

The area surrounding the property was developed as an upper middle income and luxury housingby JJ Astor IV’s eldest son and heir, Vincent Astor in the late 20s, early 1930s, and the stretch of the road that goes from 79th to 92nd was renamed East End Avenue.

In the early 1940s, the old Gracie mansion was acquired by the City and was made its first official mayor’s residence. Fiorello LaGuardia was its first official resident. Nine mayors later, Michael Bloomberg is the first since LaGuardia NOT to live in the mansion (but rather in his own townhouse on East 79th Street).

Linda discovered all of this historically rich background (and even more about other early residences in the city) during her research, and out of it was born a locale for the crime and the characters of Hellgate.

Breakfast guests – including a lot of Linda’s personal friends – were treated to her discoveries in her talk after breakfast was served. Afterwards Susan Danilow, Director of the Gracie Mansion Conservancy gave everyone a tour of the mansion.

Lesley Stahl.

Diana Taylor.

Dan Lufkin.

Marie Brenner and Donna Hanover.

Cy Vance (right).

Alexandra Carl.

Cynthia McFadden and Linda Fairstein.

Barbara Lyne and Ken Aretsky.

Cynthia Lufkin.

Lynn Sherr.

Linda autographing a copy for Cynthia Lufkin.

With her Carlos Falchi bag made especially for Linda by Mickey Ateyeh.

Last Tuesday night at Cipriani 42nd Street, Summer Search, a high-impact program that gives low-income students the opportunities and support they need to transform their lives, honored Chancellor of New York City’s Public Schools Joel I. Klein at their Leadership Gala.

The Leadership of Chancellor Klein is exemplified by his comprehensive education reform program, Children First, which is transforming the nation’s largest public school system into a system of truly high-performing schools.


	Priscilla Whittle and Michael Schultz.

His initiatives have made a real difference for the New York City student: achievement is up (the number of students graduating is up more than 10 points and almost 15 points in English language arts since 2002). Students and families have more and better choices, schools are safer and principals are more empowered.

Summer Search is a non-profit youth leadership program that provides high school students a unique combination of intensive, long-term mentoring, full scholarships to summer experiential education programs, access to college and financial aid counseling, and a lasting support network including access to professional development skill-building for alumni.

In New York City, Summer Search is currently focusing on two of the most underserved sections of the city – the South Bronx and North Brooklyn.

To learn more go to www.summersearch.org

Rich Bressler, Charlotte Van Doren, John Parilla, and Carol Anne Riddell.

Gerry Layborne, Kit Layborne, and Summer Wilkie.

Honoree, Joel Klein.

Victor Sheriff, Gala student speaker.

Jay Jacobs, Summer Search C.E.O.

Christine Capacillo, former SS student.

Lisa Gersh.

Karina Kirsh, Executive Director SS New York.

The scene at Cipriani 42nd Street.

The French American Cultural Exchange held its annual gala last week, and the event began with the opening night of the Lyon Opera Ballet at the Joyce Theater. The French dance company is only in town for one week, and it performed three numbers: "Beach Birds" (choreographed by Merce Cunningham), "Duo," and "Grosse Fugue." The dances were impressive but spartan; Cunningham's piece featured minimal musical accompaniment.

FACE held the dinner gala at the Frank Gehry designed IAC Building on 18th Street in Chelsea. The dinner, attended by such luminaries as Ambassador of France to the United States, His Excellency Pierre Vimont, Consul General of France in New York Phillip Lalliot, and Cultural Counselor Kareen Rispal, didn't get started until 10:15 p.m. Maybe it was the French influence that ensured a late meal.

The crowd at intermission.

FACE is a nonprofit organization that cultivates cultural and educational exchanges between France and the United States through media like film, theatre, visual arts, dance, contemporary music, jazz, and literature. FACE Executive Director Elisabeth Hayes told a good story at this reporter's table about a consulting firm that called her a few weeks ago to book a table for tonight's gala. When she hadn't received the names of the firm's attendees last week, she called to confirm. "I'm so sorry," an assistant at the firm told her. "I was supposed to reserve the company a table at the gala for FACES, Finding A Cure for Epilepsy and Seizures, being held March 9th at Chelsea Piers."

What a strange coincidence that FACE and FACES would be holding their annual galas on the same night, in New York, within a couple of blocks of each other. Only in this city.

— SD for NYSD

Danielle Sapse and Anne Marie Sapse.

Marie Noelle Pierce and Clemence von Mueffling.

Suzi Winson and Nicholas Coblence.

The French Ambassador to the United States, His Excellency Pierre Vimont, Jean Vallier, and Pascal deLisle.

Lyon Opera Ballet Director Yorgos Loukos and his dancers.

Kate de Brienne and FACE Executive Director Elisabeth Hayes.

FACE Chairman Jacques E. Bouhet.

Consul General of France in New York Philippe Lalliot, Cultural Conselor of the Embassy of France in the United States Kareen Rispal, and Ambassador of France to the United States His Excellency Pierre Vimont.

The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center hosted its Annual Health Education Seminar and Luncheon at the Rockefeller Research Laboratories Auditorium the Wednesday before last.

The Seminar was titled “Hot Topics: Leading-Edge Information that can Change your Life.” It featured three of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center’s chief doctors, Dr. Peter T. Scardino MD, Dr. Larry Norton MD, and Dr. Moshe Shike MD.

Their “three hot topics” were respectively, prostate cancer can be prevented, so why don’t doctors prescribe the drugs?, Alcohol, birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy: How can breast cancer research save your life, and What are the facts and myths about nutrition and life habits for cancer prevention.

The doctors were introduced by the Seminar’s co-chairs Jamee Gregory, Karen LeFrak with Suzie Kovner and Kate Shroeder.

Guests at The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center’s Health Education Seminar.

Panelists: Dr. Peter T. Scardino, Dr. Larry Norton, and Dr. Moshe Shike of MSKCC.

Nicole Limbocker and friend.

Lisa McCarthy with guests, Daisy Olarte de Kanavos, and Alexandra Lind Rose.

Caroline Dean and Libby Fitzgerald.

Hilary Califano and Coco Kopelman.

Kate Schroeder, Eugenie Niven Goodman, and Marcie Pantzer.

Melanie Holland and Kim Flaster.

Wendy Arriz with guests.

Bambi Putnam and friend.

Event Co-Chairs Suzie Kovner, Jamee Gregory, Karen LeFrak, Kate Schroeder, and Heather Leeds, President of The Society of MSKCC.

Co-Chair Jamee Gregory, Dr. Larry Norton, Co-Chair Karen LeFrak, Dr. Moshe Shike, Dr. Peter T. Scardino, and Heather Leeds.

Maria Villalba with friend.

Heather Leeds and Annette Rickel.

Leslie Heaney and guests.

Lavinia Snyder and Kelly Forsberg.

Martha Glass (right) with a friend.

Phil McCarthy, Sarah Jane Leigh, and Marcy Berg Weinsier.

The Grateful Dead: Now Playing at the New-York Historical Society, an exhibition tracing the career and achievements of a band that became one of the most significant cultural forces in 20th century America, opened last week at the New-York Historical Society. It is the first large-scale exhibition of materials from the Grateful Dead Archive housed at the University of California Santa Cruz.

At the special reception for the new exhibition, there was Live Music by WigJam and a Special Appearance by artist Dennis Larkins.

The exhibition explores the musical creativity and influence of the Dead from 1965 to 1995, as well as the sociological phenomenon of the Deadheads and the enduring impact of the band’s pioneering approach to the music business. The exhibit contains documents, instruments, audio and video recordings, album art, photographs, platinum records, posters, programs, newsletters, tickets, and t-shirt and other merchandise. Highlights include the band’s first recording contract, tour itineraries, backstage guest lists, decorated fan mail, rare LP test pressings, drawings for the fabled Wall of Sound amplifier array, etc.

The exhibition runs through July 4th.

Billy Procida and Letitia Bennett with friends.

David Halle and Louise Mirrer.

Letitia Bennett and Billy Procida.

Letitia Bennett, Susan Danilow, and Louise Mirrer.

Robert Lapidus with Diana and Joseph DiMenna.

Grateful Dead Cover Band Wig Jam.

Last Monday night at Gotham Hall Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC) and Ted Allen of Food Network’s Chopped hosted “Savor,” GMHC’s annual culinary fundraiser at Gotham Hall.

Besides the cocktail hour and the four-course dinner there was a fast-paced culinary relay featuring the star-chef judges from Food Network’s Chopped.

Participating chefs included Amanda Freitag of The Harrison, Alex Guarnaschelli of Butter, Marc Murphy of Landmarc, Aaron Sanchez of Paladar, Chris Santos of Stanton Social, and Geoffrey Zakarian of The Lambs Club.

More than 480 attended, raising more than $500,000 for GMHC. The evening’s honorees, feted for the long-time GMHC support were Dr. Yvette C. Burton, Senior Global Business Development Executive for IBM, and philanthropist and theatrical producer Ted Snowdon.

Richard Ferrari, Matthew Morningstar, Marjorie Hill Phd, Odell Mays, Frank Dix, and Peter Lichtenthal

Geoffrey Zakarian, Marc Murphy, Alex Guarnaschelli, Ted Allen, Amanda Freitag, and Aaron Sanchez

Among the guests: Anita Jaffe, Jean Doumanian, Jerry and Mary Frankel, Leslie F. Pomerantz, Charlotte Moore, Urvashi Vaid and Kate Clinton, Emily Tisch-Sussman, Robert Tuschman, Bruce Seidel, Dana Tyler, Felicia Taylor, Tim Gill, Evan Wolfson, Bronson Van Wyck, Andrew Fry, Emma Snowdon Jones, Georgette Farkas, Kipton Cronkite, Catherine Moellering, Scott Frankel and Jim Joseph, Reid Williams, John Knott, Christian Leone, Andrew Sedlock and Christopher Spitzmiller.