Diadem made of gold and turqoise.

Kazakhstan is a relatively new country, established in 1991 after the fall of the Soviet Union, but was the home of ancient civilizations stretching back thousands of years. The country is northeast of China and southeast of Russia. The idea for the exhbit came about two years ago, when Kazakhstan Ambassador Erlan A. Idrissov traveled to California and visited the Getty Museum with his colleague, General Counsel Steven Jaffe. The ambassador was so impressed with the institution he began formulating ideas on how to have his countrymen’s art featured in the United States.
Nomads and Networks is the manifestation of this idea. The exhibit focuses on the art of the people of this region from the 8th to 1st centuries BCE. Various items on display range from beautiful carvings to pottery, jewelry, brass stands and decorative ornaments.
Chief curator Jennifer Chi said, “This art is representative of the network created through the nomadic people’s interaction with the various other cultures they came into contact with throughout their distinct patterns of movement.” The show also features a presentation detailing the excavation process that uncovered the artifacts. Everything, from the dig to the transportation of artifacts to the preservation process, is on display.

Plaque of perched raptor, made of gold and turqoise.

ISAW, with the assistance of Idrissov, negotiated with four other national museums to borrow the many items on display. “It [the artifacts in the show] is only a small part of what we have,” he said.
Given the lack of tools at the time the objects were made, it’s interesting to see how they were inspired by the natural elements surrounding them. Intricate carvings of dragons, wolves and horses speak much about the abilities of these nonsedentary people. Chi said the mission statement of her curatorial team is to “enable us to look at ancient worlds and recognize how they communicate with each other and how that communication is expressed in art.”
The show will run from March 7 to June 3.

122 Greenwich St., otherwise known as One Jackson Square, stands out from the other buildings on the block. In a neighborhood with brick high rises and squat mixed-use town houses, 122 has a winding façade and floor-to-ceiling windows, creating a striking appearance. And tucked into this stunning building is an expansive duplex for rent—at a reduced price, too, from $19,500 per month to $18,500.

Mitchell Cashwell, a senior associate salesperson with Citi Habitats, has been with the listing since he first sold Penthouse C to its current owners, who then placed it on the market for rent. This spacious abode boasts two bedrooms, two baths, three fireplaces and 20-foot ceilings, but its real draw is the southern view and adjoining terrace.

It is this unparalleled light-filled home and outdoor space that leads Cashwell to believe it is a one-of-a-kind listing. The apartment has already caught the attention of a few A-list celebrities and financiers, he admitted.

Aside from the enviable windows and size of the apartment, its location is also a selling point. Located in Greenwich Village within walking distance of the Meatpacking District and Chelsea, leasees will have the benefit of great shops, clubs and restaurants. The building also comes with some upscale amenities like 24-hour concierge, valet parking, a spa treatment center and a landscaped garden.

“People love the unit,” Cashwell said. “When they see it, they want to buy it. I have to tell them, it’s not for sale, it’s for rent. If you want to live here, you’ll have to rent it.”

The Running Company, 1059 3rd Ave. (at 63rd St.), www.therunningcompany.net, 212-223-8109.
Spring is on its way and that means it’s time to hit the jogging trails in Central Park. With special consultations and staff who take their time to find the exact running shoe for your size and fitness routine, The Running Company is offering 15 percent off all running equipment through the end of February.

Little Shop of Crafts, 431 E. 73rd St. (betw. York & 1st Aves.), www.littleshopny.com, 212-717-0361.
Let your inner craftaholic out this year. The Little Shop of Crafts offers complimentary wine every Wednesday-Friday, 6:30-10 p.m., for those who are ready to get crafty. Lessons in pottery, plastercraft, mosaics, wood crafts and more are offered here. Parties for special occasions are also welcome.

Earth Yoga, 328 E. 61st St. (betw. 1st & 2nd Aves.), www.earthyoganyc.com, 212-486-4111.
Need a de-stressor? Earth Yoga provides classes in hot yoga for beginners and the advanced. They recently moved to a new location and are offering an unlimited seven-day package for only $30.

Gracie’s Wines, 1577 York Ave. (at 84th St.), gracieswines.com, 212-988-8288.
Valentine’s Day is every day with this discount at Gracie’s Wines. Get 15 percent off any case (12 bottles) of wine, champagne, sherry or port, You can even mix and match!

Bloomingdale’s, 59th Street and Third Avenue, www.bloomingdales.com, 212-705-2000.
Jo Malone afternoon tea: Every weekend during the month of February, join them for afternoon tea. Visit the Jo Malone counter for a complimentary fragrance consultation and a pampering hand and arm massage.

Given the predilection New Yorkers have for real estate, it should come as no surprise that a recent presentation by architects Anne Fairfax and Richard Sammons on how they restored the West 4th Street carriage house, where they live today, was standing room only.

Over a decade ago, in 2000, the couple was married and living in the roughly 300-square-foot second floor of a town house. One day, while Sammons was out of the country on business, a friend who worked in real estate convinced Fairfax to look at a home near Washington Street.

What Fairfax found was 183-5 West 4th St., a carriage house and adjacent studio in a terrible state of disrepair. When she arrived, Fairfax was sure the listing was a prank. But the estate of Armand Hammer, the American business tycoon, was eager to sell the property, as a deal had recently fallen through.

When Sammons returned home, the couple looked at the property together. The state in which Sammons and Fairfax found the house on their initial inspection reads like a 19th-century novel. The walls were riddled with holes, as if someone had been searching for hidden valuables. The home was laid out in an odd wedge shape, making a renovation tricky, and several personal belongings had been left behind.

The good news was that the two buildings, the carriage house on the right and the studio on the left, were already linked, connected by a door and walkway.

The “carriage house,” which Fairfax theorizes may not have been a carriage house at all, since the front entrance has a set of stairs, and horses, as she noted, are not in the practice of walking up stairs to their stables, was a two-story building, while the studio was a single, one-story room. Both homes were equipped with kitchens, a fireplace and an outdoor area.

Whereas others might have run in the other direction, Fairfax and Sammons decided to tackle this architectural conundrum. In the studio, the pair kept the kitchen but added a bedroom.

For the carriage house, they brought in T&L Contractors, who worked on the space for a little over nine months, creating a new dining room, living room and second-floor guest suite.

After a slightly lengthy gestation period, the couple’s little piece of architectural heaven was complete, giving them a new perspective on the renovation process. Sammons remarked, “Now I knew how my clients have felt all this time.”

There is no doubt that Valentine’s Day is met with anxiety and trepidation by New Yorkers hoping to do the night justice. For those budget-conscious romantics or for those of us who need a bit of inspiration, below is a list of some of the best Valentine’s Day buys, promotions and things to do Downtown.

A Laugh For Half
Psycho Therapy, Cherry Lane Theatre,
38 Commerce St. (at Bedford St.),
cherrylanetheatre.org; $36.
For any couple looking for a night full of laughter, the Cherry Lane Theatre is offering tickets to its current show, Psycho Therapy, at nearly half-price—they have reduced ticket prices from $66 to $36 through Valentine’s Day for anyone using the promo code GMPT35. Go and enjoy this humorous three-way love triangle!

For the Shoe Lover’s Soul
Camper, 125 Prince St. (at Wooster St.), camper.com.
If you’re searching for the perfect gift to accompany the chocolate on Valentine’s Day, why not buy your significant other a pair of fashionable heels or sneakers at Camper? They are offering sales ranging from 10 percent to as much as 40 percent off, which means you’ll make her—or him—happy without compromising your dinner reservations.

Build Trust for 23 Bucks
Dialogue in the Dark, South Street Seaport (at Pier 17), dialognyc.com; $23.50.
Every good relationship is built on a solid foundation of trust, so take your loved one on an exciting “blind” date. Patrons are guided through some of New York City’s most famous landmarks without their primary sense: sight! Your guide will be visually impaired and you’ll have a perfect excuse to cuddle up close as you try to navigate the Big Apple with touch, sound, smell and taste.

A Romantic “Summer“
Getaway in February
Openhouse Gallery Park, 201 Mulberry St. (betw. Kenmare & Spring Sts.), openhousegallery.org.
Anyone who has been waiting to marvel at the charm of this chic indoor park needn’t wait any longer. Adorned with fake grass and splendid backdrops, the Openhouse Gallery Park provides a warm atmosphere for a summer’s day picnic without the potential for discomfort that winter in New York may force upon your outdoor dining plans. Cuddle up with magazines, lunch, candles and some one-on-one time and see what’s new to do at the pop-up park.

Bargain V-Day Eats
Greenwich Grill & Sushi Azabu, 428 Greenwich St. (betw. Lincoln Hwy. & Vestry St.), greenwichgrill.com; $55.
Nebraska Steakhouse, 15 Stone St. (betw. Broadway & Broad St.), nebraskasteakhousenyc.com; $65.
If you haven’t already, now is the time to sample the delicious Italian-Sushi spot that earned Best New Sushi Restaurant from the New York Times in 2009. The northern Tribeca restaurant is offering a special Valentine’s Day prix fixe—a four-course meal plus coffee or tea for $55. If, however, you are looking for a different sort of cuisine, Nebraska Steakhouse is offering a similar prix fixe with a three-course offering and a bottle of wine. Nebraska offers an intimate atmosphere perfect for Valentine’s Day.

Fashionable Heart Finds
bit+piece, 246 Mott St. (betw. Prince & Houston Sts.), bit-piece.com.
Smart Valentine’s Day buys aren’t just found at candy stores and restaurants. Take advantage of the convenient overlap between this romantic holiday and the change in fashion seasons at bit+piece, which is offering as much as 80 percent off select items. You’ll be sure to find some great designer clothes for your partner, though much of their selection will cost you over $100.

An Excessively
Decadent Date
Trump SoHo, 264 Spring St. (at Varick St.), trumpsohohotel.com; $6,740.
Sometimes money is no obstacle. For those of you looking to put an exclamation point on your shock-and-awe campaign this Valentine’s Day, the Trump SoHo has your interests in mind. Their Valentine’s Day package includes a private skating lesson at Wollman Rink, couple’s spa therapy, a penthouse stay and more guaranteed perfection for the small price of $6,740 per night.

At issue is the westbound traffic on Broome Street toward the Holland Tunnel. The deluge of vehicles during heavy traffic periods not only blocks other cars from crossing the thoroughfare but also creates a daily symphony of honking horns.
“For residents of the Soho and Hudson Square communities, horn honking has become the lullaby of lower Broadway,” said Stringer at the press conference. “Broome Street has turned into a pedestrian nightmare filled with impatient drivers. We’re speaking out now about the noise and congestion and demanding that the Department of Transportation take long overdue action.”

Residents have also complained to Stringer’s office about blocked crosswalks, which force some pedestrians to weave through cars in order to cross the street. There is, however, a law on the books outlawing this practice of “blocking the box,” but Stringer pointed out that the violation—carrying a $115 fine—is rarely enforced.

Stringer co-authored a letter with Rep. Jerrold Nadler, State Sen. Daniel Squadron and Council Member Margaret Chin to transportation officials asking that the following improvements be undertaken: the installation of additional traffic cameras to help enforce “Don’t Block the Box” laws; improved signage about these laws; repairs to deteriorating crosswalks on Mercer and Greene streets; and increased communication with the community.

The third point speaks to the cobblestones on Mercer and Greene streets, which are falling apart. According to Stringer, these streets were paved roughly 20 years ago but that pavement has since deteriorated, causing deep cracks to form in the road.

—Compiled by STAFF

Now that it’s January and we’ve eaten far too much and feel disgusted with ourselves, I thought I’d mention a health food restaurant and some non-food openings in Lower Manhattan, including a medical facility that specializes in pain management.

Lower Manhattan has a lot of new openings on the horizon, particularly in Battery Park City around the Goldman Sachs building. As usual, if you see any new retailers or spot changes to a longtime friend, please email me at tre@downtownny.com and I’ll check them out.

Openings
Maxwell Medical
99 Wall St., 10th Fl. (at Front St.),
212-952-9355.
“You should never wake up with pain.” That’s Maxwell Medical’s mantra, and they take it seriously. I violate this rule every day, so I stopped in for a massage and was rewarded with a pain-free neck and shoulders the next morning. The multidisciplinary medical center specializes in physical therapy, chiropractic, acupuncture, sports medicine and manual therapy (a more specialized form of massage therapy). They’re against medicine, as far as pharmaceuticals are concerned, Marketing Director Erum Hussain said. The idea is to find out what is causing a patient’s pain and treat it through therapy instead of medicating. The staff also incorporates diet and exercise consulting into their treatment plans.

T.J. Maxx
14 Wall St. (betw. Broadway & Nassau St.), 212-587-8459.
This retailer is open and ready for bargain hunters. Walk through the brass gate on Nassau Street between Wall and Pine streets, take a trip down the escalator and peruse designer handbags, clothing, shoes and home décor at discount prices. In other words, you’ll get the max for the minimum price. I stopped in recently and found a wide selection of everything you need to stay warm, including coats, hats, scarves and some cashmere items for people tired of warm but scratchy wool.

Pier 15
(at South Street Seaport)
The stretch of waterfront south of the Seaport has a new place for visitors to sit, stroll and enjoy views of the East River. Pier 15 features an upper and lower deck with benches and grassy lawns that I predict will become very popular in the spring. The lower level contains two glass-paneled buildings; one will house a restaurant and the other will house a maritime museum. The way the deck was designed, with steps leading down to the water, gives you the feeling you could dip your toes in, but you can’t—and in this weather, you wouldn’t want to anyway.

Basics Plus
85 John St. (betw. Gold & William Sts.), 212-791-6870.
Founded in 1989 at the corner of University Place and 13th Street, the first Basics Plus store sold everything from keys and hardware to an expanding line of household products. The retailer recently opened a new location in the Financial District focusing on housewares. It’s known as “the corner store that carries everything,” and customers can find well-known kitchen staples such as Cuisinart and simplehuman there or try out eco-friendly cleaning products such as Mrs. Meyer’s and Totally Bamboo.

Beans and Greens
245 Murray St. (betw. North End Ave. & West St.), 212-786-4760.
Beans and Greens’ grand opening presages a host of new retail offerings in Battery Park City, which is growing so fast it’s hard to keep track. You won’t find produce treated with pesticides at this organic eatery; their menu features organic Stumptown Coffee and organically farmed greens and dairy products.
The café has several different stations where patrons can choose their toppings, including a yogurt bar, an omelet bar and a salad bar. Or choose a chef-inspired entrée salad such as the sweet greens salad with dried cranberries, candied walnuts, veggies and grilled chicken.

North End Grill
104 North End Ave. (at Vesey St.), northendgrillnyc.com.
Blue Smoke
255 Vesey St. (betw. North End Ave. & West St.), bluesmoke.com.
I mentioned a host of new openings in Battery Park City and would be remiss if I didn’t point out these two highly anticipated restaurants. They’ve just opened and are serving limited menus at the moment, but I’ll have more details in my next column.

Closings
Milk Street Café, 40 Wall St.
Duane Reade, 147 Fulton St.

Visit the Alliance for Downtown New York at www.DowntownNY.com, where you can check out an interactive map with details on hours, locations and services.

The owners of Walker’s, Tribeca’s favorite neighborhood eatery at the corner of North Moore and Varick streets, are rolling out an Italian alternative to their American fare next door at the new pizzeria Girello (“Walker” in Italian, posing a potential confusion for the multilingual).“This is a real departure for us,” said Gerard Walker, co-owner of the eponymous restaurant. “We’ve been the neighborhood regular for the last 30 years, so we decided it was time to become the neighborhood Neapolitan thin-crust pizza joint as well. We love the idea of evoking the same warmth with varying cuisines—that’s why we created Girello.”

Whereas Walker’s has all of the ambiance of a nostalgic American saloon, Girello has been decorated with a decidedly European feel—it looks like a simple, clean trattoria in a fading southern Italian town. “We had the option of expanding Walker’s into the space,” co-owner Scott Perez said, “but we thought it’d be fun to create the same sort of friendly environment using superior products, just different flavors.”

Walker and his partners, Perez and Martin Sheridan, first opened Walker’s three decades ago and have enjoyed steady, prosperous business there ever since. The secret to their success? “Err on the side of the customer,” Walker confided. “New York restaurant customers are the best in the world. If you treat them well and serve them quality food, they’ll return. Never, ever take them for granted.”

Walker says it’s the customers who keep him in the business. “I have the opportunity every single day to make somebody’s night special. A customer I haven’t seen in a while will come in, and I’ll say, ‘Where ya been?’ And he’ll look at me like he can’t believe anybody would remember him. You make someone’s day like that. How many people get to show up to work and do that?”

Perez is quick to add that it’s not just the customers that keep Walker’s (and now Girello) in business, it’s also the staff. “There’s such a joy and an instant gratification in working with people who understand how to treat customers well,” he said.  When the restaurant was the only spot in the neighborhood that remained open during Hurricane Irene, both men agreed it was the combined goodwill of the staff and customers that made the experience such an enriching one.
Girello may have missed the hurricane, but the new restaurant has not been without its own complications. The toughest aspect of opening the new joint? “Perfecting the dough,” Walker said. “For water, yeast and flour, there’s a lot that can go wrong before you get it right. We actually had emails from chefs all over the city writing in about ‘dough behaviors.’ Luckily, we mastered it. We mastered the dough.”

And dough there is in abundance. With nearly 30 toppings to choose from and the choice of either a margherita or white base, Girello is the controlling pizza-topper’s dream. When pressed for a favorite combination of flavors, both Perez and Walker are without answers. “Nah,” Perez said. “It’s all good. It all comes from the same dough, right?”
Also on offer are a handful of Italian and Italian-American sandwiches (including the New Orleans-style muffuletta), salads and appetizers; look out especially for the pancetta wrapped shrimp and the oven-roasted P.E.I. mussels. And in true Walker’s style, Girello offers plenty of alcohol to wash down a meal—a selection of Italian wines and a more international choice of beer, including Peroni and Heineken, along with specialty brews like Victory Hop Devil IPA and Ommegang Witte.

“It’s all just been a lot of fun,” Walker said with a glow. “Opening Girello now has reminded me of what it felt like to open Walker’s all those years ago—makes me feel like a young man again. Maybe that’s what we mean when we say Walker’s is the sort of place that makes the old feel young and the young feel like they’ve been there forever. Judging by the way I feel, Girello is following that tradition.”

Girello, 16 N. Moore St. (betw. N. Moore & Varick Sts.), 212-941-0109; 11 a.m.–11 p.m.

Beginning with her debut single, “As Tears Go By” in 1964 (also the first song ever written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards), Marianne has created an enduring legacy with her distinct, emotive, and truly haunting voice. She has also established herself as a powerful songwriter with a gift for crafting visceral melodies and deeply resonant lyrics. Her timeless sound has allowed her to collaborate with such modern and varied legends as David Bowie, Metallica, Beck, Morrissey, Billy Corgan and Blur.

For more information or to purchase tickets go to: http://citywinery.com/events/199577