Gypsy Feet: 2012

Thursday, November 8, 2012

If you thought New Yorkers were rude...

you couldn't be more wrong.

The time has come to write about the hurricane. Part of me is tired of talking about it. Part of me feels guilty because the disruption it has caused me is so minimal compared to what has happened to others. But the part that wins is the part that is so in awe of the good that has been brought out in nearly everyone I've encountered. I only need to share a few images of the damage caused by Sandy to create the cloud before I share with you the silver lining.

This is where I taught last year. Fortunately, by the time students returned to classes a week later, the water had receded and the boilers had been repaired. Coney Island, just a few blocks south, has not had such an easy time of the clean-up.

This scene is duplicated throughout many areas of NY, as are stories of heroes. I want to highlight two of Brooklyn's heroes, who in spite of their own challenges, put others' needs first. When I arrived at 2904 Neptune Avenue, the home and office of my friend and hero, Pam Harris, she greeted me with tears of surprise and gratitude. Coney Island had been forgotten - people were cold and hungry, and it seemed as if no one knew or cared. Manhattanites without power topped the news stories, but they could walk uptown during the MTA shutdown to find restaurants, hotels, banks, and other necessities. Coney Islanders, many of whom are impoverished, young, or elderly, did not have that option. Without the trains, they were actually prisoners on an island that had no running water or electricity, but lots of flooding and debris. [In the interest of full disclosure, I too bear the guilt of not getting out to help the people of CI sooner. I took these two pictures on Saturday, 5 days after the storm, the first time I was able to take a train most of the way to Coney Island. (My friend, CF, picked me up and drove me the remainder of the way.)] For more images and stories of those first days after Sandy, check out this article. Photographer, Timothy Briner, has been documenting stories of individuals affected throughout Brooklyn, but particularly in Coney Island, who by the way, would NOT be kept down. As you can see in one of Timothy's pictures, they went out in vans and shuttle buses provided by Pam and Coney Island Generation Gap to vote.

Back to the story of my dear friend Pam Harris, the founder of Coney Island Generation Gap. Pam created her organization to help the youth of Coney Island find productivity and purpose, to curb the violence that had been growing in her home 'hood. She gave up her retirement to volunteer during the school year in local high schools and created the Coney Island Greeters Program to employ students during the summer; she gave up the first floor of her home to provide her kids a place to meet, talk, work, and learn. Miss Pam, as the kids know her, is the mother they need, the mentor they respect, and the inspiration I admire. She's had untold losses that would have crippled many, but Pam transforms all of her experiences into opportunities to better her community. Miss Pam is another of Hurricane Sandy's victims. The picture below is the first floor of Pam's home, the former home of CIGG, which has now lost all of its equipment in addition to its physical space.

That's the water line, right there underneath the white line of the ceiling. Pam told me she watched the water rush in from the bay to her north and the ocean to her south, filling her house from both sides. In the picture below you can see the ladder is still out front where she hoisted her next-door-neighbor up and into the second floor of her home as the water filled his single-story house. And yet, as her ruined belongings piled up in her front yard, Pam was busy orchestrating volunteers to donate and distribute hot meals to her neighbors.

(This is one of Timothy Briner's pictures.) FEMA and the Red Cross weren't there yet, and one Occupy Sandy volunteer told me that the NYPD and National Guardsmen she spoke with were told they weren't allowed to provide hot meals. They were there to deter looting, which by the way, after two full days and nights in Coney Island, I saw none of, but that was the big news story coming out of CI; in fact, it was the only news story initially. So Pam took it upon herself to help. But one person, one organization, can't do it all, and that is where my second hero came to the rescue.

Allison Robicelli, co-owner of Robicelli's (which happens to make some of my FAVORITE cupcakes) had begun her own relief effort. She too had suffered loss during the hurricane, but put her own concerns aside when she realized that many of her Brooklyn neighbors weren't getting the help they needed. A wonderful article was published this week detailing Allison's hard work. Please read it.

Are you done? Okay, of course you're not surprised to know that I follow Robicelli's on Twitter. I took a chance and reached out to her to ask for help for Pam and CIGG. Allison responded within minutes. She found out what they needed and had two car loads of donations sent over that morning. People got much needed socks (who knew that would be the most important donation?), blankets, food, and toiletries. Children received toys. And the people of Coney Island found a friend who has continued to use her connections to help them. As the donation points in Red Hook and other parts of Brooklyn filled up, through Allison and her connection to Occupy Sandy, goods and volunteers came to Coney Island. Pam and her home served and continue to serve as a central location. Neither of them tire in their efforts. Allison is working with Bay Ridge Cares, which is actively feeding people in need, along with organizing events and other activities. Check out and like their Facebook page to see more.

You guys, the hurricane may be over, but the relief effort is just beginning. As many of us are going back to work (some of the schools on the south shore of Long Island are finally resuming tomorrow after losing 8 days, mine is still closed due to downed power lines - I haven't taught my students since October 24!) there are fewer people who can volunteer. Please don't forget to help in any way you can. Even tonight, with as much help as there has been, Allison tweeted about 22 senior citizens in Sea Gate on Coney Island who received food and assistance for the first time this weekend and one in Queens, where elderly residents were trapped in a highrise without power, food, or the ability to get help until tonight. It's been 10 days! Thankfully, they are getting help now. Those of you here in the city, check on your neighbors! Volunteer!

Those of you in far away places, you can help too. Allison is collecting donations through Amex gift cards or Costco gift cards which can be sent directly to: Bay Ridge Cares, c/o Allison Robicelli, 364 96th Street, Bklyn, NY 11209 Alternately, you can make cash donations through Paypal to: allison@robicellis.com Please send this information to your friends and family. These are local efforts - New Yorkers helping each other and New Yorkers who need your help. Thanksgiving is just around the corner. I'm so thankful for Pam and CIGG, Allison and Robicelli's. Please help Sandy's victims find thanks this holiday too.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Rule Breakers!

I confess. I'm a rule-follower. I know--this is one of many things that makes me a big square. (That phrase is another one.) So there it is. I follow rules. Well, I usually follow rules. Sometimes, though, sometimes I just can't help myself. This is one of those times. I was all set to catch up on my blog posts in chronological order: first Tennessee, then Alabama and Mississippi, then New Orleans and the other cities on the road trip. That would bring me to last summer when I could blissfully delve back into my memories of France...Paris, Bordeaux, St. Emilion, Toulouse...and all of this long before I fast forward to a meal in Barcelona, Jamaican sunsets, or 2012 and its international insanity. But I can't do it. I can't write about summertime in the southern US tonight. Hold on to your hats, folks; I'm breaking the rules. A confluence of events has left me nostalgic and scouring the web for plane tickets. Tonight it feels like winter, something which another day may be cause for discontent, is instead a reminder of wonderful moments, breathtaking places, and delicious treats. (1. Yes, it always comes back to delicious treats. 2. I am firmly on the side of summer in the summer vs. winter debate, but like I said, tonight I'm breaking the rules.) I guess it started yesterday when it was finally cold enough to spur me to buy a fall jacket and break out a scarf and gloves. Then, our heat came on today for the first time this season. It's cold and dry outside, with that crisp bite that is so welcome after the humidity we've endured for months. My cat, who's been hanging out in the window, smells like the holiday season--fireplaces, leaves, and warm fur.

She's can't wait for it to get cold enough to wear her mittens!

While I snuggled on the couch with a blanket and my morning coffee, British Airways inspired tapping in my gypsy feet with an offer to partake in some lovely European Christmas markets courtesy of a flight/hotel sale. Having been home now for three years, my travel restricted to February, April, and summer, I'd all but forgotten how much I love those markets.

Man, oh man, do I want to go to Europe. Salzburg, Munich, Zurich, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Stockholm...and those are just some of the places I haven't been yet...when I think about the ones I've visited and loved...I'd seriously trade in my summer vacation one year to be able to traverse Europe in December! Unrelated (more rule-breaking): I've been devoting a lot of time on my blogs, this one included, as well as Facebook to the baking I've been doing. I must give credit where credit is due though, because left on my own, it's likely I'd try to subsist on refined sugar and flour claiming that the antioxidants in my chocolate are nutritious enough. Fortunately, I share my home with someone *a tad* more practical, who also happens to be a great and willing cook. This unplanned week off from work afforded us both enough time to dabble a bit in the kitchen and I have been the lucky recipient of healthy and delicious breakfasts, lunches, and dinners including macaroni and meatballs (a Sunday must in our Ginzo 'hood) and the asparagus risotto pictured here:

But I digress...my need to break the rules tonight also stems from yesterday. Last night we saw Argo, which had a brief scene set in Istanbul complete with iconic images of the Blue Mosque. Today, I logged on to Facebook and happened to see a post in my newsfeed that an acquaintance is moving to Turkey. Add to that my first foray into brewing Turkish coffee to complement today's baking experiment and the cauldron is complete.

Brewing that coffee yielded not only a delicious drink, but also a fragrance and flavor that instantly transported me back to those snowy, magical days in Istanbul and Cappadocia last February where Turkish coffee and apple tea permeated the air alongside echoes of "Chai Salep! Chai Salep!"

Turkey is one of my favorite places in the world. I've been three times. I'd go back tomorrow. I could probably spend many nights writing about it, telling stories, waxing poetic about its beauty, its history, its people. Perhaps someday I will. At the very least I'll dedicate a second blog post to it because Cappadocia deserves a post all its own. For now, I'll let some of the hundreds of pictures we took of Istanbul do most of the talking for me. Hagia Sofia