Northattan

Look closely at the background in TV shows and films shot in New York City and sooner or later you may learn to spot a familiar setting: the Union Theological Seminary in Morningside Heights, at 121^st Street and Broadway.

In “Gossip Girl,” the seminary’s hallways and inner garden have played a stand-in for Columbia University, where Serena Van Der Woodsen and best friend Blair Waldorf study.

That same Inner Quadrangle Garden, this time playing a private school, was where detectives in a “Law and Order” episode interviewed a piano teacher after a rape case. More recently, ABC’s new series “Pan Am” has filmed across the street from the seminary.

“It has a lot to offer in one place,” said film location scout Nick Carr of the seminary and its medieval architecture. “It has areas from church meeting halls, board rooms, cafeteria, and stage space. It also serves for, like, a British school, like Oxford, or Cambridge. We even scouted this for the medieval look for ‘The Smurfs,’” said Carr, a 2004 graduate of Columbia who studied film and has worked on movies such as “Spider-Man 3” and “War of the Worlds.”

The film industry contributes roughly $5 billion to New York City’s economy every year, according to Marybeth Ihle, press manager of the Office of Media and Entertainment in Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s office. Hundreds of directors use the city and its landmarks as backdrops for dramas, comedies, TV series and documentaries every year – making New York second only to Los Angeles as a film backdrop.

“There are approximately 100,000 New Yorkers who earn their living behind the scenes in film and television production,” said Ihle.

Most film producers who want to shoot in the city check in first with the Mayor’s Office of Film, Television and Broadcast. Starting with a $300 application fee, the office can help filmmakers get permits and services to shoot on city streets, sidewalks, and city-owned properties.

“We make it pretty easy for productions to enjoy the city,” said Habibah Love, who works in the film office permits department. “Only for parking privileges, or a light generator or light stands do you need a permit. Even a lot of students film without permits. We cater to everyone,” she said.

In the case of “Gossip Girl,” early episodes were shot at a Russian Orthodox Church in east Manhattan, a setting meant to represent Serena’s high school. When Serena moved from high school to Columbia University, the show initially tried to film on Columbia’s campus. But that idea was squashed when the school decided that having film crews around for weeks at a time was too disruptive.

So “Gossip Girl” began using other nearby sites as “Columbia” backdrops, including the Union Theological Seminary’s quad, library and social halls.

Old downtown buildings and other film locations provide plenty of quintessentially New York settings for film location scouts. But the Union Theological Seminary is often high on the scouts’ list precisely because it does not look like urban New York City.

“When you go into the grounds, you have this really non-New Yorky looking campus, like you’re in a private school upstate,” said Sam Rohn, another film location scout, who has worked on “Law and Order” and other TV shows that have used the seminary as a backdrop.

The seminary is an independent graduate school of theology founded in 1836. The original building was established in downtown Manhattan. During the late 1890s, the seminary needed to expand its roots by moving to a different location. They decided to rebuild and redesign it entirely, and move to upper Manhattan. In 1908, the cornerstone for the campus was laid down on Broadway and 120^th St. Nearly 300 students currently study there for master’s or doctorate degrees in divinity, social work, arts, sacred theology and philosophy. The seminary is closely affiliated with Columbia.

The seminary’s exterior and interior architecture still preserve some of the school’s original early 20^th century structures. Film scouts look for the particular appearance of a gothic revival style found in doorways, long narrow hallways, gigantic windows, or cloisters (the rectangular open space with walkway borders, forming a quadrangle garden). Scouts have promoted use of its dorm rooms and the courtyards, which resemble those of an upper-crust private school.

Film scout Carr said the seminary has something else going for it, too. “They are film friendly and always willing to work with the directors,” he said. “We don’t like to be anywhere we’re not welcomed.”

The process of choosing a film location can take months, and according to Carr, the general cost to use a location for filming runs $5,000 to $10,000 per day in New York, though some places -– like well-known restaurants -– charge more.

Wade Bennett, director of communications and marketing at the seminary, said directors who want to film at the school negotiate contracts with Michael Orzechowski, the director of housing and campus services. Bennett referred all further questions to Orzechowski, who said he would not be available to talk about the seminary and its use by filmmakers until January.

Carr is currently working with creator David Chase, of the HBO series “The Sopranos,” and his new film “Twylight Zones,” about a group of friends in a rock band growing up in New Jersey in the 1960s. A dorm room at the seminary was used in a scene in the movie.

Carr also used the seminary backdrop for the new detective drama “Unforgettable,” about a former police detective diagnosed with hyperthymesia, a condition that allows her to remember almost everything that has ever happened to her; she uses this rarity to help solve crimes.

Another plus for the seminary is that the building, wrapped around a courtyard, is relatively isolated from neighbors who might complain about noise or other disruption.

And unlike venues that get overfilmed -– and thus are so familiar directors don’t want to shoot there any more — Union Theological Seminary’s visual diversity means it should remain popular, said film scouts Carr and Rohn.

“Sometimes directors will say ‘I want to shoot at a location no one has ever seen.’” Carr said. Though Union Theological is popular, it hides its identity well, making it seem fresh with every appearance in another film or TV series.

This article was updated Dec. 19 to correct several errors. The seminary building was built in 1908, not 1836, making it the 20th century. The last name of the director of housing and campus services was corrected to Orzechowski, and the director of communications and marketing at the seminary is Wade Bennett, not James Kempster. And the spelling of “Spider-Man 3″ was corrected.

Grant's Tomb is one of Morningside Heights' key tourist attractions. Photo by Bebeto Matthews/AP

A 15-year lobbying effort to have Morningside Heights designated a historic district is about to pay off, but the area marked for approval may be much smaller than some had hoped.

Since 1996, the Morningside Heights Historic District Committee has argued that the area from 110^th to 129^th streets, between Riverside Drive and Amsterdam Avenue, is worthy of historic district status from the Landmarks Preservation Commission, pointing to its architecture, elevated natural boundaries and high density of historic institutions. Yet since the commission officially began discussions in September 2010, it has agreed to cite only the area between Claremont Avenue and Riverside  — a small fraction of the original proposal.

Gretchen Borges, vice president of the Historic District Committee, says the original proposal does a historic neighborhood greater justice. “All the land was owned by institutions for a long time, so when development occurred, it occurred all at once,” Borges said “So the neighborhood seems all of a piece because it was basically built all at the same time, and that’s not characteristic of the rest of New York. It makes the neighborhood stand together in a coherent way that we would like to see preserved.”

The Landmarks Preservation Commission did not respond to a request for comment. Its final decision is still pending, and expected within the coming weeks.

With historic district status, Morningside Heights architecture would be protected as New York City landmarks. A co-op apartment or business hoping to replace its windows would face little conflict obtaining a permit, but ambitious changes to a building’s design would be subject to formal review with the landmarks commission.

“People are under the mistaken impression that once you’re designated, your buildings are frozen in time,” said Gregory Dietrich, the founder of Gregory Dietrich Preservation Consulting and a supporter of the historic designation. “Any visit to the Landmarks Commission on a Tuesday, when they hold the hearings, will tell you otherwise. They’re constantly approving new additions.” Dietrich points to the approval of a large addition to the base of Hearst Tower, a landmarked building on 57^th Street,  as an example of how flexible the commission can be.

The area encompassed by the committee’s proposal already includes several designated landmarks. The 116^th Street subway station, Riverside Park and Grant’s Tomb are registered as state or national landmarks, giving the city little authority over them St. Paul’s Chapel, Fire Station 47 and St. Luke’s Hospital are already New York City landmarks.

Low Library is the only section of Columbia University currently with landmark status. Committee members note that Columbia, one of the crown jewels of the area, has been reluctant to get on board. Dietrich says that Maxine Griffith, executive vice president for Government and Community Affairs, has told the Morningside Heights group that it was premature to talk about Columbia’s involvement before the  city had set the district’s boundaries. Columbia is not part of the landmarks commission’s proposal, but would be covered by the Morning Side Heights group’s plan.

But Dietrich speculates that other motives may be at work. He notes that Emily Lloyd, executive vice president of the university, commissioned an inventory on historic properties and produce design guidelines on future alterations within the neighborhood. Dietrich believes the Northwest Science Building, which began construction on 120^th and Broadway in 2007, might not have received a Certificate of Appropriateness. “With district status,” said Dietrich, “at the very least there would have been consideration that this is a very historic crossroads.”

New York State Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell, a founding member of the historic committee, notes that Columbia was actively engaged with the committee during its first proposal in 1996, but persuaded the committee not to include Morningside Drive, where the university owned property. “I think that’s ridiculous,” said O’Donnell. “What is a historic district? It’s an area where buildings are consistent. I think if you look at the structures on Morningside Drive, they are as consistent as the buildings on Riverside Drive. I would like someone to point out to me the differences.”

Columbia’s communications office did not respond to a request for comment.

Andrew S. Dolkart, a Morningside Heights historian and an architecture professor at Columbia, said he thinks the university is “perfectly happy not having landmarks in the area,” adding, “There are certainly some sites it’s no secret that Columbia would like to develop, and designation would probably inhibit it.”

Regardless of the landmarks commission’s decision, the Morningside Heights Committee plans to continue lobbying for wider district recognition. “We do have resources at our disposal,” said Dietrich.

Neal Ludevig, J.J. El-Far and Chelsea Goding stand at the newly refurbished amphitheater. Photo by Milos Balac/Northattan.

As the DJ suddenly cut out the ’80s dance music on a recent Wednesday night, a group of about 30 patrons hushed to a quiet. The crowd at Harlem’s Nectar Wine Bar listened as a 20-something brunette with a shock of red lipstick and a glint in her eyes picked up the microphone.

“This is not just an event,” said the woman, J.J. El-Far. “This is not just something we’re putting on in the park. This is a movement.”

“This” is the Harlem Arts Festival, which its organizers describe as Harlem’s first all-encompassing celebration of dance, theater, music and visual art by artists who are either based in Harlem or produce work focused on Harlem. El-Far is its creative director and, if everything goes according to plan, the recently renovated Richard Rodgers Amphitheatre in Marcus Garvey Park will host a two-day festival in late June.

On Nov. 30, El-Far, along with Neal Ludevig, 24, the organization’s executive director, and Chelsea Goding, 25, the development director, hosted a fundraiser at Nectar, raising just short of $300.

“We’re trying to start something creative and educational,” says Ludevig.

The idea for the festival came about in 2008, when El-Far, a theater producer, director and playwright who had just moved to East Harlem, started running through Marcus Garvey Park, where she says, the construction site at the Richard Rodgers Amphitheatre intrigued her.

“When I moved to Harlem I didn’t know anything about it except that I could afford it,” says El-Far. “To find out there was an amphitheater literally in my backyard, I was instantly like, ‘Who do I need to talk to?’”

El-Far says she was also struck by her new neighborhood’s rich art scene, which she said went unrecognized by other parts of the city.

“I noticed that the arts programming that happened in Harlem was of a fantastic quality. But there wasn’t an attempt to really make Harlem a destination for a show.”

El-Far came up with the idea for a multidisciplinary arts festival that would not only put the freshly redone amphitheater, which reopened to the public in June 2011, to good use, but also draw large audiences to see the artwork that existed in Harlem.

“We have a space. We have a wealth of artistry. Let’s put on a festival. We’re just connecting the dots that are already there.”

Last year, El-Far explained her plan to Ludevig, a friend from Brandeis University who moved to Harlem in 2010 and who works as a music agent in the New York jazz scene.  Ludevig brought in Goding, a childhood friend and dance devotee, who was also living in Harlem and working in the education department at New York City Center.

In a few short months, they have been able to rally community support for their project, start recruiting a roster of participating artists and begin raising funds for production expenses and promotional materials, as well as park permits, which cost around $20,000.

Joyce Hanly, owner of the Harlem Jazz and Gospel Getaway, a brownstone inn located just off of Marcus Garvey Park, donated her space to the trio for a fundraiser in October.

“The issue with Harlem is that it’s very difficult to get people to come up there,” says Hanly. “Everyone downtown says, ‘Oh, all the way up there? Go to Harlem?’ Anybody that has connections with downtown people that can bring new people up to Harlem is doing a great service to the community.”

Proposed Festival Map. Photo courtesy of Harlem Arts Festival.

While the Harlem Arts Festival aims to bring new audiences to Harlem, it also wants to cater to longtime residents. Using their connections in the theater, music and dance industries, the group has reached out to some of Harlem’s biggest names – the Apollo Theatre, Harlem Stage, Rotary International, the Mount Morris Park Community Improvement Association – for guidance, both creative and financial. The trio formed an artistic selection committee, as well as a festival steering committee, chaired by professionals from the local arts scene, to help guide them.

“We are open to the needs and wants of the community,” says Goding. “We want to present what they want to see.”

Simone Eccleston, programming manager at the Harlem Stage performing arts center, who is on the festival’s artistic selection committee, says that the Harlem Arts Festival fits perfectly in the local art scene.

“There are so many organizations that present work in Harlem, that the scene is thriving,” says Eccleston. “This festival just helps to complement and open it. It increases awareness and generates more participation in Harlem.”

Eccleston says that Harlem Stage will encourage artists that it works with to apply to the festival.

Global Tech Prep, a middle school in East Harlem, will provide the rehearsal space for the festival artists. Global Tech’s community coordinator, Homer Cook, who is on the festival steering committee, is developing an 11-week poetry apprenticeship for Global Tech students to work with local poets, and the students will present their work at the festival.

“Youth are not exposed to enough cultural and arts events today,” says Cook.

In Harlem, a community known for its historic importance to the African-American community, the youthful trio, consisting of Ludevig, whose heritage is Polish and Russian, El-Far, who is Palestinian, and Goding, who has a black mother and white father, says that some people don’t take them seriously because of their skin color.

“It’s a superficial hurdle,” says El-Far. “People that don’t know us can say, ‘they’re not black, they’re not Harlem, we don’t want anything to do with them.’ But we’re really persistent,” she laughs.

Pending its own tax-exempt status, the group has been collecting donations through Fractured Atlas, a nonprofit that raises funds on other organizations’ behalf.

“Many people are put off when you ask them to make a check out to you but tell them to write Fractured Atlas on the line,” says Goding.

The three friends also maintain full-time jobs, making it difficult to find time to devote to the project. But they use Google’s chat and document features to talk during the work day. Ludevig says he prioritizes his efforts for the Harlem Arts Festival over his other obligations.

Despite these hurdles, the three are confident that come June, Harlem will be home to a new creative extravaganza. All three say that if the festival takes off, it will become their fulltime job and they will commit themselves to making the festival an annual mainstay in the Harlem community.

“This will happen. Otherwise we wouldn’t be doing it,” says El-Far. “The worst possible case scenario is that we would have to take out a loan and finance the rest ourselves and pay it back. But this festival is going to happen.”

Word Up, a community-run pop-up bookstore that has served Washington Heights for nearly six months, has spent most of its short life running on borrowed time. The store’s most recent shutdown date was Nov. 30, but nearly a week after that deadline, it’s still open. For how long, though, is a question of great uncertainty.

Browsing the bookshelves at Word Up bookstore. Photo by Tania Rashid/Northattan.

Word Up opened last June 17 as a one-month novelty — a rare bookstore for the neighborhood and a venue for evening poetry slams and other performances. The building’s landlord, Vantage Residential, a New York realty company, initially renewed its agreement with community organizers to keep the store open, rent-free, through November. As that deadline approached and passed, organizers opened new negotiations, asking Vantage to let them keep operating through December, and into next year.

“So many people have asked for it to continue,” said Veronica Liu, an editor for Seven Stories Press and the driving force behind the bookshop deal. “We have a whole set of daily volunteers. Everyone has been happy to do something because they are just so happy that this place is bringing people together in a way that we haven’t been able to.”

The sign outside the store on 176th Street in Washington Heights reads “pharmacy,” but on the inside, wooden shelves are stacked to the ceiling with used books. Writings by local authors in both Spanish and English are displayed in the window.

While the store’s used books draw some shoppers, it’s the performances — ranging from spoken word poetry to live music -– that attract a broad audience of supporters, said Liu.

According to the Word Up website, about 300 events were organized since the store’s inception. Among the most popular events are the open mic nights every Wednesday and Friday, when dozens of local artists line up to share their poetry about politics, social issues, or even their love of Word Up.

But it’s not certain whether Vantage, the landlord for the building, will continue offering the space rent-free to the community. Some of the store’s volunteers speculate that current negotiations may center on a new agreement that involves paying rent for the storefront. But volunteers asked not to be quoted by name, and Vantage did not respond to requests to comment on the negotiations.

Others in the community believe that Vantage wants to sell the space. Katarina Rivera, a regular at the weekly open mic, said closing the store would be a loss for the neighborhood. “This space is bringing something nobody else is bringing, especially with the space for self expression, and inspiration, not just through books, but the performances, and events,” she said.

For now the store remains open daily. But its future remains in limbo.

The Save Half for Later Campaign wants to help shrink northern Manhattan’s waistline, and more and more restaurants are joining the cause.

Once a month, the East Harlem Taste Trolley titillates Northattan’s taste buds, taking 45 hungry diners on a tour of the area’s gourmet restaurants.

Harlem’s first-ever Hair Expo wants women to love their hair, the natural way.

Harlem enjoys a glut of beauty supply stores, but only a few offer products made with natural ingredients. Even fewer of those shops are owned by the black women they serve. Harlem’s first natural hair expo sought to persuade black women that the “natural way” is better not only for their hair, but also for the wallets of black-owned beauty retailers.

“Parkour is just training your body to overcome obstacles,” says “Vert,” who teaches the acrobatic discipline four times a week in Fort Tryon Park.

Five years ago, when she conceived the idea of opening La Casa Azul bookstore in East Harlem, Aurora Anaya-Cerda knew it would be no easy task. Despite the area’s rich cultural heritage, similar ventures have struggled in recent times.

Aurora Anaya-Cerda has raised $72,000 to open a new bookstore in East Harlem. Photo by Johnny Ramos.

The advent of new technology – think kindles, iPads, e-books – has played a major role, along with rising Internet sales. “The industry has already changed so much,” says Anaya-Cerda. “I still have each draft of my business plan – I’ve seen how it goes from 20 to 35 to 46 pages. And there’s no denying bookstores have closed in New York City. I’m very aware of that because I visited them before it happened.”

But Anaya-Cerda is in an ebullient mood. In early October, her campaign to raise $40,000 in 40 days closed with around $36,000 in private and online donations. An interest-free matching loan from an unnamed benefactor makes a grand total of $72,000 – and Anaya-Cerda says “every penny” is accounted for. “The next phase is looking for a commercial space,” she continues. “I’m aiming to open in a year, because I know it takes time with negotiations, landlords, permits and all of that.”

Her mission is simple: “To promote Latino writers, writers from Latin America, literature in Spanish, literature for teens and bilingual books for kids.” Another key goal is helping people get in touch with their Hispanic identity through reading. With a résumé that includes starting an online store, organizing a children’s book festival and hosting dozens of smaller events during the last three years, Anaya-Cerda is confident she can overcome harsh economic realities and find a sustainable business model that serves the needs of its community.

On Nov. 8, the elders of that community were out in force at the Nuyorican Poets Café, a downtown venue that helped foster cultural identity for many Puerto Rican immigrants in the 1970s. The news about Anaya-Cerda’s fruitful fundraising is cautiously received. “I’ve been teaching Shakespeare for more than 30 years, and nobody reads anymore,” says writer and educator Miguel Algarín. As co-founder of the iconic café and a professor emeritus at Rutgers University, Algarín has experience behind his words.

Sery Colón performs outside the Nuyorican Poets Café, Nov. 8. Photo by Frederick Bernas / Northattan.

Sery Colón, whose own Latino bookstore, Agueybana, closed in 1998 after five years in business, agrees. “Seventy thousand dollars alone might just go into taking care of the location,” says Colón. Amid escalating gentrification on the Lower East Side, Colón says the rent on his space spiraled out of control – and when Amazon came along, he “just couldn’t compete.”

Colón tried again in 2007, when he co-founded Cemi Underground with Luis Cordero. Despite offering a broader choice – art, clothes and other merchandise, as well as books – and occupying a prime East Harlem location on Lexington Avenue, the venture was shuttered after just two years. “We did a lot there, but people were not supporting books,” says Colón.

Ed Morales, a journalist who also teaches at Columbia University’s Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race, says the Amazon effect should be a big cause for concern at La Casa Azul. “The distribution model is similar to music,” he says. “There are no record stores – people want to buy online and get those deep discounts. Right now, it’s very difficult for any bookstore to get off the ground.”

In late 2007, two established Spanish-language outlets on West 14th Street, Librería Lectorum and Librería Macondo, closed within weeks of each other.

Anaya-Cerda’s online donation drive was widely reported in New York media, and even made it to the Huffington Post “Latino Voices” homepage. But it was an article in the “Daily News” on Oct. 27 that caused one El Barrio business owner to react with frustrated surprise.

“A friend of mine told me there was a woman doing a fundraiser based on trying to open up the very first bookstore here in Spanish Harlem,” says author Deborah Cardona, sitting behind her front desk at the Deja Vu Book Lounge on East 116th Street. After five years selling street literature in the local area, Cardona opened this physical space in July.

“So I found her number, called it and told her, ‘Maybe you were trying to open up a different type of bookstore, and that’s fine,’” Cardona says. “‘But don’t tell people there isn’t a bookstore.’”

Anaya-Cerda says she only learned about the Deja Vu Lounge during that call. And Cardona is clear that she is in no way against La Casa Azul: “The idea is wonderful. I want my community to get back to reading. I don’t have a problem working with her, and I am open to collaboration.”

Jesús Papoleto Meléndez believes the new bookstore will raise awareness of Latino identity. Photo by Frederick Bernas / Northattan.

Nourishing awareness of cultural history among the local population is a call that resonates with Jesús Papoleto Meléndez, another elder statesmen of Nuyorican poetry. “When I was a kid, there were no Latino authors – we became those authors,” he says. Meléndez has worked with students of all ages in El Barrio and beyond, and he believes the new bookstore can become a valuable resource.

“My generation spent its time breaking through walls,” Meléndez continues. “We created a whole legitimate literary movement. Our quest was to identify ourselves in the context of this culture, which was a big unknown. The people who came from Puerto Rico at least had memories, but I was born here – I had a different reality, so I was really displaced from our own cultural identity.”

Meléndez believes the Nuyorican literary legacy holds wider significance in today’s changing America, and for other Hispanic communities. “We made a collective identity for ourselves and gave it a voice, so anyone else could attach to it, which is what they’ve done – even Latino immigrants,” he explains.

Aurora Anaya-Cerda is an example of this trend: Her parents arrived in the United States from Mexico when she was 5 years old. In addition to her literary pursuits, she works at El Museo del Barrio organizing family programs. “I believe a big part of educating children is teaching them about their identity, or at least making them comfortable in knowing their stories,” she says. “Celebrations and traditions are very important for children finding out who they are, so that’s what the bookstore will provide.”

Meléndez thinks the adult market will be tougher to crack. “You always have to focus on kids when it’s about books, because big people are into their customs or habits,” he explains. “The only opportunity to change their behavior is at child level – and it’s like a shark feeding frenzy when kids see book fairs at school. So, let this bookstore be a new candy store for children in East Harlem!”

Volunteers replenished the platters of stuffed grape leaves and delicate filo dough pastries again and again at the annual Greek festival and bazaar in Washington Heights on Sunday.

Greeks and Greek-Americans line up to sample homemade food at the festival. Photo by Nadine Natour/Northattan.

Sponsored by the Ladies Philoptochos Society, a philanthropic branch of the Saint Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church, the festival draws hundreds of Greeks and Greek-Americans, who buy the homemade food and other goods to raise money for local charities such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Children’s Medical Fund.

But one cause is not on the charity list. Greece has been one of the high-profile casualties of the euro zone debt crisis, but few attending the festival expressed a desire to reroute the funds raised to help out the economically shattered country.

“I don’t think we have any obligations at all,” said John Callimanis, who recently returned from a trip to the Greek island of Ithaca. “Of course, we feel bad for what’s going on, but I don’t think it’s up to America to bail them out,” he added. Greeks should reform laws and curb spending rather than look to the outside world for assistance. It’s bad politics, bad people running the country. They spent like drunken sailors once they got in the euro.

Judging from those who attended the festival, it seems that like Callimanis, many New Yorkers of Greek descent are nostalgic for the old country but do not feel an obligation to bail it out.

“They have to change their government. They have to change their structure and they have to change their laws so Greece becomes a place where you can do business easily,” said John Demoleas, a third-generation Greek-American who stopped to eat at the festival after morning services at Saint Spyridon.

Greeks working abroad sent almost $1.5 billion in remittances in 2009, according to the European Commission. Relative to other countries, these remittances are not a significant part of the Greek economy.

Some Greek specialties served at the festival. Photo by Nadine Natour/Northattan.

Ann Coustosbinas sold books at the bazaar in between sneaking bites of pita bread and hummus. “A lot of them are helping in any way they can, but things are tight here,” she said when asked about supporting Greece. She said she knows neighbors and family members who have sent money to Greece, but her own relatives have remained silent despite the financial strains. “They don’t ask me because they know I don’t have it.”

And if the policy of the Ladies Philoptochos Society is any guide, contributing to solve the current economic chaos in America speaks more closely to the Greeks in New York than does the European crisis. “We try to make donations for a family that is here where we can be of some consistent presence,” said Elizabeth Katsivelos, the former president of the society. The group often provides food and support to needy cases that walk in to the church and ask for help. At Sunday’s festival, two homeless people wandered in and were given dinner, dessert and boxes of food for later by Lydia Vagelos, the current president of the society.

Vagelos grew up in Washington Heights, a haven for Greek-Americans in the early 20th century. “I left for a while, you know,” said Vagelos. “But there’s a draw, there’s a pull, something pulls you back,” she said, echoing the sentiments of other Greek-Americans who come back, if not to live, then to celebrate their heritage at the annual festival.

As for the old country, Greek-American Vicky Adams, another native of Washington Heights, said she wished good luck to new Prime Minister Lucas Papademos as he wrestles with Greece’s economic turmoil. “I give that man a lot of credit for taking the job,” said Adams. “Maybe a whole new outlook and a fresh eye will help things if those wacky Greeks will give the guy a chance.”