92Y is a cultural and community center which welcomes people of all ages, faiths and backgrounds.

“I’ve been here for more than 30 years,” says Adler. “Every year, I am so proud of what we accomplish at 92Y, and grateful to have the opportunity to lead this remarkable institution.”

Adler and his team at 92Y are ambitious about the prominent organization and constantly keeping an eye toward the future.

“We are always looking for new ways to serve our current community,” he explains, “and to reach out to geographically diverse communities here in New York and around the world.”

This year alone 92Y has witnessed some incredible programs, many of which have been livecast to extend their reach beyond the center’s walls. 92Y has had programs featuring fashion icon Marc Jacobs, former Mayor Ed Koch and many more notable names.

 In January of this year, 92Y also offered their very first online class—a Molly Peacock poetry seminar on sonnets, which was conducted from Peacock’s home in Toronto for students all across the US and Canada.

Adler says online classes present opportunities that simply cannot take place in a physical classroom. “There is definitely more of that to come,” he adds.

 ”As always, our audiences here in the hall continue to enjoy talents like the incomparable pianist András Schiff and today’s most compelling authors, like Michael Chabon and Zadie Smith, who opened our Poetry Center season,” explains Adler.

Soon 92Y will celebrate the 75th anniversary of their renowned Poetry Center.

The institution will also celebrate the 25th anniversary of its educational outreach program, which brings teaching artists into public schools and brings students into 92Y’s concert hall. Adler says this program reaches about 8,000 students a year.

92Y tries to keep their vision of productive social change broad and openminded. “We also continue to find new ways to ‘scale our values,’ to be a catalyst for change and for ‘repairing the world,’ both here in New York and beyond,” explains Adler.

92Y developed the idea of Giving Tuesday, for instance, which would occur annually after Thanksgiving and be a day devoted to charity. The idea took off on a large-scale, national level.

“Creating this new kind of community, with tremendous collective potential for positive impact, is our mandate as a community and cultural center in the digital age,” says Adler. “And we are just getting started.”

 Like any nonprofit, 92Y also faces its fair of hardships. “Doing more with less is an ongoing challenge as is continuing to create programs that are new and relevant, especially in a rapidly changing world,” says Adler.

Nonetheless, the group “keep[s] a laser-sharp focus on [their] core values,” he says.

Looking ahead, Adler hopes to be able to help 92nd Street Y continue to be a leading voice in “the call to use the tremendous advances in technology to build new communities and forge new ways for people to join together for the greater good.”

 When he manages to steal a moment for himself, Adler enjoys spending time with his family, especially his young grandchildren. He notes he has also been getting back in touch with film photography, an old favorite hobby.

“When I want to ‘get away,’” he explains, “I try to read books that have absolutely nothing to do with my work at 92Y – and given the variety of things we do, that’s sometimes a challenge.”

On July 16, I decided to go to an exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York, so I went online to get additional information. One particularly compelling detail emerged: the exhibition had closed July 15.

I missed it.

It’s a familiar feeling and extends way beyond museum exhibits. Last year and the year(s) before, there were the plays (Good People, with Estelle Parsons, among others), movies (Winter’s Bone) and concerts (Barbara Carroll, any night she performs and I’m not there). Yes, living in New York City means being right in the center of it all. Swell. But living here also means missing more than most Americans are ever even offered.

So many of us walk around with a list, sometimes in our minds and sometimes on our schedules, of things we hope to catch before they leave. I stopped my Time Out New York subscription after becoming too good at chronicling, at any given moment, what gallery opening was happening without me. Keeping track of club dates and Restaurant Weeks and music festivals, even when out of town, eventually made me wonder about my own mental health.

Other cities are different. There are places where you catch a touring Broadway show and a few fine other performances, throw in a night at the opera or symphony, see the occasional flick…and you’re done for the calendar year. The local performance center shutters in the summer. You’re keeping up—at least enough to feel equipped for dinner-party chatter.

Our town is different. Right now we’re heading into the dog days of August, right? But not really—not here. There’s that Monet garden recreation at the Bronx Botanical Gardens through Oct. 21. The Jewish Museum, at 92nd and Fifth Avenue, has an unusual exhibit on the artist Edouard Vuillard, one of my favorites. At least I think he’s one of my favorites, but that hypothesis needs to be tested—before time runs out on Sept. 23. Oh, the plays. Don’t I need to see Tribes, that interesting off-Broadway one in the Village? And what about that woman from England on Broadway, the one pretending to be Judy Garland?

There are ways to play this game successfully. The experts advise going right after the opening crowds leave the exhibit/play/whatever. Don’t wait. That’s easier said than done, though, especially when there are jobs to do and lives to live and money worries. Some people even choose buying groceries over theater tickets.

The most precious commodity remains time. It gets eaten up. At summer’s start, I wrote in my Google calendar an exact date for that trip to the Museum of the City of New York. The day came and I didn’t go.

So I never saw The Greatest Grid: The Master Plan of Manhattan, 1811-2011, which was a smart look at longterm planning in the city. At least that’s what the New York Times said on its front page. And what my mom said after she went and issued a report. Mom won this round.

Sometimes, though, I score. My pal Liz and I went two weeks ago to the Morgan Library, which leaves me a bit cold when I see the books locked up there like they’ve done something wrong. But the Winston Churchill exhibit, especially the audio of his fantastic speeches, made it all worthwhile. What an election-year treat, seeing a political leader who rallied people in common cause instead of talking down to them and dividing them up into special interests.

So much to see and do. That’s one of the things that drew me to the city. Then, amidst all the rushing from the reading at Barnes & Noble to the Film Forum retrospective, I realized the ultimate irony: My favorite thing to do here is simply to walk down a street.
There’s a lesson there. But I might miss it, hurrying to get to the next big thing.

Christopher Moore is a writer living in Manhattan. His email address is ccmnj@aol.com and he’s on Twitter @cmoorenyc.

Jewish wines that are delicious and complex do exist

Passover has come and gone already this year, but if there’s one question that I get more than any other from my fellow Jews, it is this: “Why is kosher wine so bad?”

It could almost be added as the fifth question in the Passover haggadah.

Wine is a central part of Jewish culture. It is prayed over during the weekly Shabbat, drunk under the chuppa during the exchange of vows, and sipped with relish during many festivals. It would stand to reason that, given how much vino we are required to drink, Jews should probably make the best wine there is.

This is, very sadly, far from true.

Well, I am here to Let My People Go …or at least their palates. Kosher wine doesn’t have to taste like the remnants of a Smucker’s grape jelly jar. It can be drinkable and, yes, even delicious and complex.

The fundamental thing to know about kosher wine is that there are two basic types: mevushal, and non-mevushal.  It is usually the mevushal wines that have given kosher wine a bad name. The process of making a mevushal wine entails flash pasteurization. In a nutshell, due to the intricacies of rabbinic laws concerning kosher diet, any wine that is made and handled by a gentile (or a non-Sabbath-observant Jew), cannot be considered kosher. The wine, however, can be “purified” by boiling it. It only need boil for a split second, but boil it must. After that, it can be served by a gentile and still be considered kosher.

This would all be well and good if heat weren’t wine’s number one enemy. Raising the vino’s temperature to that point, even for a split second, drastically changes the flavor of the wine and robs it of most of its unique characteristics. Drink a little bit of this stuff, and your taste buds will feel as repressed as the protagonist of a Philip Roth novel.

Non-mevushal wines, however, are made completely by Sabbath-observant Jews. By doing this, there is no need to “purify” the wine. Strict kosher observant Jews will only allow other Sabbath-observing Jews to serve this wine to them, to avoid breaking kosher law. If you are serving this wine for a Jewish holiday, however, this will most likely not be an issue.

Making non-mevushal wine is much easier to do in Israel, where keeping kosher is not only a way of life, but the norm. And it just so happens that grapes have been grown and wine has been made in Israel for thousands of years.

One of my absolute favorite producers in Israel is Tishbi. Their Tishbi Cabernet Sauvignon / Petite Syrah, 2010 ($11.99 at Crush Wine & Spirits, 153 E. 57th St. btwn. Lexington and 3rd, 212-980-WINE), rivals any Cali-cab I’ve had in the same price range. It has tons of pipe tobacco and leather scents, with big, bold cherry fruit flavors, and the 30 percent Petite Syrah gives it a peppery finish.

If you’re looking for a bold kosher white wine that can hold its own, look no further than Golan Vineyards’ eponymous Golan Chardonnay, 2010 ($15.99 at Beacon Wines & Spirits, 2120 Broadway btwn. 74th and 75th Sts., 646-213-0776). This is a no-nonsense chardonnay with just enough spice, vanilla and tropical fruit flavors. For those who love the unctuous mouth-feel of Napa style chardonnay, you will absolutely fall in love with the flavor profile on this great white.

For something sweet and light to finish off any Jewish celebration, try Dalton’s Sweet Muscato, 2010 ($12.99 at www.hudsonvalleywinesandliquors.com). From the Galilee area of Israel, Dalton’s slightly fizzy Muscato shows that kosher wine can be sweet and interesting at the same time.  Ripe peach, tangerine and honey flavors are balanced by an effervescence that keeps the sweetness from being overbearing.

Above all, always make sure to check that the wine you are buying is a non-mevushal.  Many producers make both mevushal and non-mevushal versions of their products. While this is by no means an epicurean stamp of approval across the board, it will at least ensure that it hasn’t been boiled.

Now, if we can just do something about that gefilte fish.

Follow Josh on Twitter: @joshperilo.

By Kara Bloomgarden-Smoke

The West Side Cultural Center started with a knock on Nanci Callahan’s door in 1989. A neighbor told Callahan that the historic Beacon Theatre was in danger of becoming a nightclub, and she realized that she would have to get involved in order to preserve the cultural landmark.

Nanci Callahan turned to neighborhood work when arthritis forced her to give up her job.

“When the person knocked on my door and told me about the Beacon Theatre, I just thought, yes, we have to have an organization. I had to make a difference and do something,” said Callahan.

Callahan, a psychologist, had recently been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and was no longer able to work, but she wanted to continue to help the community. “The easiest thing would be to just lie in bed and not do anything, but that isn’t my nature.”

Shortly after Callahan formed the West Side Cultural Center, the organization began to branch out into other areas.

“As soon as the Beacon was saved, we went on to do other things I really cared about—working with children and with the environment,” she said.

This year marked the 22nd Ecofest. The annual event showcases environmental exhibits, an eco-friendly fashion show and environmental groups and speakers. Over the years, Ecofest has been held in Central Park, Riverside Park, Lincoln Center and, this past year, Battery Park. From the beginning, Callahan saw the event as a way to raise awareness of environmental issues.

“There was basically nothing visible happening with the environment when we started that long ago. We were ahead of the times,” Callahan said. “It’s nice to see the environment finally getting the visibility and importance it deserves, but it didn’t for a long time.

“Our first parade was two conversion vehicles, a solar car from RIT and a marching band,” she continued. “The very first electric car was a GM car called the Impact. It was the forerunner of the EV1 and we debuted it in New York. “

Callahan, 59, runs the West Side Cultural Center out of her brownstone apartment on West 70th Street, and relies on a combination of college and high school interns, volunteers and staff to organize annual events.

In addition to Ecofest, the West Side Cultural Center organizes four annual events. Twice a year, it showcases performers from Broadway shows in A Taste of Broadway as a way to reward public school students for excellent attendance records and improved academic scores. The event is part of the Board of Education’s Attendance Incentive Dropout Prevention program.

“It is about using the carrot as well as the stick,” said Callahan. “We involve children in everything we do. You have to involve the children because the future is theirs.”

Callahan also organizes an annual poster competition for city schoolchildren. Art teachers submit their students’ work for a poster that exemplifies the importance of preserving the environment. The finalists’ artwork is displayed at Apple Bank on West 72nd Street, and the winning selection is used to promote Ecofest. Peter Max has judged the art contest for the past two years, and before that LeRoy Neiman was the judge.

“This is a grassroots movement that is very effective,” said Callahan. “If there is a place to do that, it’s on the Upper West Side.”

By Mirva Lempiainen

Holly Hotchner credits being selected for a WESTY award with the fact that she managed to do the impossible. Two years ago, she and her team breathed new life into the so-called “Lollipop Building” at Two Columbus Circle, turning it into the home of the Museum of Arts and Design.

“We succeeded where no one else did,” said Hotchner, the director of the museum. The building, which first opened in 1964 and housed the Gallery of Modern Art, was vacant for a number of years before the MAD moved in.

Holly Hotchner, director of the Museum of Arts and Design, said more people from the Upper West Side visit the museum than from anywhere else.

Before relocating its exhibits and programs to Columbus Circle, the MAD had the original Edward Durell Stone building completely renovated and redesigned. A glass façade replaced the white marble exterior. Its signature lollipop-shaped arches in the bottom part were left intact, though, with the exception of one.

Hotchner, 59, said that the museum took a “defunct site” and an “eyesore” of a building and transformed it into a “tremendously successful” museum. The move tripled the museum’s space for exhibitions, public programming and education outreach.

The museum showcases “objects that document contemporary and historic innovation in craft, art, and design,” according to its mission statement. It was founded in 1956 and was known as the American Craft Museum until 2002.

“We had a vision of what we could do. We made it happen against all odds,” Hotchner said, referring to the rampant controversy that surrounded the Lollipop Building for years.

Upper West Siders are one of the largest demographics among the museum’s 500,000 annual visitors. That’s ironic, Hotchner said, as Landmarks West was one of the biggest opponents of the museum moving into the neighborhood.

Others included author Tom Wolfe, Columbia art history department chairman Barry Bergdoll and Nicolai Ouroussoff, the New York Times’ architecture critic.

Despite getting off to a rocky start, the museum has successfully made Columbus Circle its home. Some 60 percent of the visitors are local residents.

“It’s hard to get New Yorkers to go to museums more than once,” Hotchner said. “We’re thrilled.”

Prior to joining the design museum in 1996, Hotchner held positions at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C., and the Tate Gallery in London, and was a painting conservation fellow at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Altogether, Hotchner has about 25 years of experience as a museum director, as well as a master’s degree in art history from New York University. She is also an elected member of the American Association of Museum Directors, and a board member of the New York Landmarks Conservancy.

“I was always interested in the arts,” said Hotchner, whose father is writer A.E. Hotchner. “I’ve given my life to the enrichment of New York.”

Besides arts, Hotchner is an advisory board member of VisionSpring, a non-profit social enterprise that addresses blindness in developing countries. The organization enables individuals to sell eyeglasses to others who are in need.

“It’s a fantastic cause, “ said Hotchner.

For now, the MAD and its future remain Hotchner’s main priority. Considering the museum’s tumultuous entry to the Upper West Side, the WESTY award means all the more for the museum’s director.

“I was very surprised,” Hotchner said. “I think it’s great that the museum is recognized.”

By Alan Krawitz

West Sider Lisa Gugenheim has been an integral part of the American Museum of Natural History since joining the organization more than a decade ago as executive director of government and community relations.

“It’s very rewarding for me to contribute to finding ways to connect the public with the museum’s authentic scientific research and collections,” said Gugenheim.

Perhaps as testament to her skill as both an administrator and communicator, Gugenheim, 47, has been promoted twice since joining the museum in 1996. Most recently, in 2009, she was named senior vice president of institutional advancement, strategic planning and education.

Among Gugenheim’s various responsibilities are educational outreach to schools and development of public programming, such as the upcoming Margaret Mead Film Festival and space shows. She also spearheads fundraising activities.

Prior to her tenure at the museum, Gugenheim was chief of staff to former City Councilwoman Ronnie Eldridge, and director of the New York office of Greater Media, Inc.

Asked about highlights of her career with the museum, Gugenheim said founding Urban Advantage with museum colleagues and others from city institutions ranks on top of her list.

Urban Advantage, said Gugenheim, is a 6-year-old middle-school science initiative that has helped “thousands of 7th and 8th graders in the city to greater achievement in and enjoyment of science.”

“I find it extremely exciting to work in an institution that is so relevant, even approximately 140 years after its founding,” she said. Questions of conservation and biodiversity have never been more critical than they are now, she added.

The Rose Center, she said, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, created a premier center for learning and public education about astrophysics, earth and planetary science.

“Millions of people have visited the Rose Center since it opened in 2000,” she said.

However, while the museum has racked up millions of visitors over the years, Gugenheim laments that visitors are only seeing a tiny part of the museum’s vast historical reserves. “Many people don’t know that what is displayed in the museum’s galleries are only a fraction of the approximately 32 million objects it holds in its collections,” she said.

“I have been working with Lisa and her staff at the American Museum of Natural History for years,” said Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal. “From special projects like our partnership on my annual West Side Senior Day to providing educational programming and resources to our neighborhood schools, Lisa is thoughtful and dedicated to her work.”

Gugenheim said that the greatest challenge faced today by arts institutions, is of course, fundraising.

Nevertheless, Gugenheim considers herself lucky.

“I feel very fortunate to be in a job that I love,” she said, “where I don’t need to change anything because by its very nature it changes every day.”

Screening—The Rubin Museum of Art, which houses a collection of Himalayan paintings, textiles and sculptures, screens Federico Fellini’s Academy Award-winning drama La Strada, presented with an introduction by artist Henry Chalfant. The film series at the museum is inspired by the exhibition Visions of the Cosmos, which juxtaposes Eastern and Western conceptions of how the universe is represented through art. 150 W. 17th St., 212-620-5000; 9:30 p.m., Free with $7 drink minimum.

Saturday, April 3

Music Collectors—Browse more than 10,000 music items for sale, including records and music recordings from the 1800s through the 1980s. Collectors can find posters of jazz greats, rare rock ‘n’ roll albums and eclectic sheet music selections. Tip Top Shoe Building, 155 W. 72nd St., 212-579-0689; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Free.

Stroll Through Flowers—The president of the Roosevelt Island Historical Society leads a magnolia blossom walk through the island’s flowering trees. On the 90-minute tour, Judith Berdy offers historical and botanical observations for various sites. Roosevelt Island, 888 Main St., 212-688-4836; 11 a.m., Free.

Good Friday Concert—Dr. Stephen Hamilton directs the 30 members of the Holy Trinity Choir in a performance of Faure’s Requiem during the Liturgy of Holy Friday. The Church of the Holy Trinity, 316 E. 88th St., 212-289-4100; noon, donation suggested.

Sunday, April 4

Easter Dinner—Bistro Ten 18 celebrates Easter Sunday with a four-course menu available for brunch or dinner, served family style. Each course includes seasonal, locally sourced ingredients, and the entrée is a rosemary-crusted rack of lamb with creative vegetable pairings. Bistro Ten 18, 1018 Amsterdam Ave., 212-662-7600; $20 children, $45 adults.

Art World Documentary—Symphony Space screens the critically-acclaimed independent film The Art of the Steal: The
Untold Story of the Barnes Foundation. Directed by Don Argott, the documentary chronicles the long struggle for control of the Barnes Foundation, a private collection of post-impressionist and modern art valued at more than $25 billion.
Also playing April 11 and 18. Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway, 212-864-5400; 4 p.m., $7 to $11.

Monday, April 5

Body Tuning—Physical therapist Shmuel Tatz, Ph.D., and Vladimir Mayoroff, M.D., cap off a week of free lectures and treatments in their “Hands On” series, which emphasizes the health of the hands, especially for musicians and professionals who work on keyboards all day. Today’s concert at Steinway Hall launches Tatz’s book and the newly created Healthy Hands Foundation. Tatz is known for his body tuning technique, applied to help dancers and performers as well as ordinary New Yorkers, for the relief of everything from common aches to Parkinson’s disease. Steinway Hall, 109 W. 57th St., 212-246-7308; 6:30 p.m., Free.

Tuesday, April 6

Comedic Legend—Comedian Joan Rivers presents an evening of her rants on Hollywood, pop culture, celebrities and award show fashion. A portion of the proceeds from the night of laughs goes to Rivers’ favorite charities, God’s Love We Deliver and Guide Dogs for the Blind. West Bank Café, 407 W. 42nd St., 212-352-3101; 8 p.m., $30 plus $15 food/drink minimum.

Wednesday, April 7

Floral—The Ikenobo School demonstrates the Japanese art of floral arrangement called ikebana. The event showcases the many different styles of the delicate art and explores its evolution from simple Buddhist priest flower bunches of the 8th century to today’s wide variety of materials and techniques. Explore a Mini-Ginza sale and an obento lunch prior to the show. Horticulture Society, 148 W. 37th St., 212-217-0220; 11 a.m. doors, noon lunch, 1 p.m. program, $20 program only, $35 program and lunch.

Street Talk—The Municipal Art Society of New York hosts “Are New York’s Streets Out of (Design) Control?” a discussion about the aesthetics of city streets. Architect Michael Sorkin moderates the panel, which includes professionals in urban design, development and from the Department of Transportation. Participants consider the best and worst elements of New York streets, from sleek bus shelters to hodgepodge outdoor furniture and graffiti, comparing the Big Apple to other cities and brainstorming future plans to keep design in check. Reservations required. Scandinavia House, 58 Park Ave., 212-935-2075; 6:30 p.m., $15.

Cocktails and Science—The SciCafe series continues with “The Future of Stem Cells,” with Dr. Kristin Baldwin from the Scripps Research Department of Cell Biology. Baldwin, who cloned a mouse from a single neuron from its nose, discusses the latest stem cell technology in relation to the often-misunderstood science of cloning. The museum remains open after hours, and the café offers music and drinks. The American Museum of Natural History, Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth, West 81st Street/Rose Center entrance between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue, 212-769-5200; 7 p.m., Free with cash bar (21 and older).

Latin Cinema—The Havana Film Festival New York runs April 16 to 23, with special free short film screenings at El Museo del Barrio today. The museum’s “Nuevo Cine” screens the Columbian documentary Desterrados, about a group of violently displaced Afro-Columbians, and El Play, about a small city in the Dominican Republic famous for its world-class baseball players. The festival celebrates 15 of the best Latin American films in the industry, all competing for the Havana Star Prize, and convenes screenings, panels and programs to promote Latin American film throughout the city. El Museo del Barrio, 1230 Fifth Ave., 212-831-7272; 6:30 p.m., Free (other films at various locations).

Thursday, April 8

Classic Revival—New York City Center Encores! Program, which celebrates rarely heard works of America’s most important composers and lyricists, presents a four-night run of Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents’ Anyone Can Whistle. Raúl Esparza, Edward Hibbert, Jeff Blumenkrantz and John Ellison Conlee join Broadway stars Sutton Foster and Donna Murphy in the cast of this 1964 musical, directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw, with musical direction by Rob Berman. Through April 11. New York City Center, 131 W. 55th St., 212-581-1212; 8 p.m., $25 to $95.

Story Behind the Book—As a complement to its exhibition Curious George Saves the Day: The Art of Margret and H.A. Rey, the Jewish Museum hosts a lecture by Louise Borden, who wrote a book about the true wartime escape of the Reys from Nazi Germany to the United States. The talk explores the Reys’ journey and how their treasured manuscripts became the children’s books we know today. During the day, children’s book historian, author and critic Leonard Marcus presents “Picture Book Bohemia: The Reys of Greenwich Village,” an illustrated talk about the Reys’ creative home. The Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth Ave., 212-423-3337; 11:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., $15 to $20.