Bloomingdale Playground

Wang Chen is a famous female table tennis player who moved to the United States from Shanghai in 2000. In 2008, she gave a splendid showing at the Summer Olympics before ending her professional career. As part of her retirement, she founded the Wang Chen Table Tennis Club. For $20 each month, members can play unlimited table tennis. The Club offers after-school programs for children, one-on-one coaching for all ages, tournaments, and birthday parties. Observing Chen play while teaching a student was a thrill. Her skill was immediately apparent as she casually hit the ball to a grown man who was sweating with the effort it took to return her swings. The Manhattan Sideways team then went to the lower level where we sat down on the steps overlooking several tables and became mesmerized as we watched both singles and doubles players hitting against one another. We all agreed that this was not the sport that we knew to be ping pong. These men and women took the game to a whole new level. Taking in my surroundings, I discovered photographs from Chen's professional matches covering the walls, as well as a paddle hanging that said: "To Wang Chen - thanks for kicking my... "

What makes the Bloomingdale School of Music unique is an "openness to anyone who comes. " I spoke to Erika Floreska, the director, who described the school's diverse student body to me: ten percent are in early childhood classes and ten percent are adults, with the rest of the participants filling in the ages in between. Additionally, twenty percent of the families who attend Bloomingdale School of Music are in an income bracket of less than $40, 000 per year, thanks to a robust scholarship program. The Bloomingdale School of Music was founded in 1964 by David Greer, the organist at the West End Presbyterian Church. He started out teaching classes in the church's basement before moving to 108th Street in 1972. Erika showed me the school's original sign, which advertises music lessons for fifty cents and a dollar. From the start, Bloomingdale has been "a place where anybody can come and play music. " In 1972, the school moved into its current building. At the time, music education was being removed from the public school system. Therefore, more and more children would walk from school straight to Bloomingdale. Since then, their purpose has remained constant, with the structure shifting slightly to meet the needs and requests of the community. For instance, in 2016, Erika is finding that the vocal department is growing, and more and more students are interested in learning jazz and musical theater styles. The lifeblood of Bloomingdale School is the staff. There are fifty-five instructors who cover over twenty instruments. After showing me various practice rooms, some of which can be rented by outside musicians, and meeting some of the passionate teachers, Erika led me back to the ground floor and out the door to the garden. It was here that I was introduced to people preparing for one of the school's Jam Sessions. The guitar teacher, Gabe, had a barbecue set up and was making food for the event, which would feature anyone who wished to share something - from a three year old who was learning a piece from a lesson, to an older student rehearsing an audition piece for conservatory. At this time, I also met Brandon, the assistant director, who had been involved with the program over twenty years ago, and Ling, who started as a student and now works for the school. I spoke to Monica, who has been a piano teacher for seventeen years and who wrote the history of the school for their website. Erika said that since she has joined the team, she has tried to "build on the community feeling. " She loves that at Bloomindale, everyone is part of a family. In addition to the jam sessions, Bloomingdale has themed concerts throughout the year. These concerts can focus on a specific instrument, such as guitar and piano festivals, or a topic, like "music of the Americas. " Bloomingdale has also started offering composition workshops in conjunction with the New York Philharmonic. Erika confidently stated, "Anyone can compose, " and described the layout of the workshop, which involved both writing one's own as well as playing classmates' pieces. "It's a program that highlights creativity and finding your voice. " Erika then shared a story of how one student wrote something for the recorder, bongos, and violin, since those were the instruments her three friends played. "These kids are serious about this. " In terms of other events, the instructors offer free concerts from October to June that are open to the public, and are a way of bringing high quality musical performances to lower income audiences. When I visited - at the end of August in 2016 - it was the first time that Bloomingdale had offered a summer camp with a specific focus on a book with narration called "The Carnival of the Instruments. " Two of the piano teachers had the idea: the campers, who ranged from six to ten years old, learned the basics of music while also engaging in arts and crafts. They made their own instruments, took part in movement classes, and were taught some piano. Erika said that at the end of the camp session, the kids wrote a song for Bloomingdale, which she described as, "The cutest thing I ever heard. "One of the last touching stories shared with me before leaving took place in 2014 when Bloomingdale had a fiftieth anniversary concert at West End Presbyterian Church, where it all began. A notice was sent out to the school's community, stretching back to its inception, inviting anyone who was interested to come on stage to play Beethoven's "Ode to Joy. " Erika shared that while usually the audience at Bloomingdale attracts about 150 people, during this concert, there were 150 people playing on the stage. The church was jam packed - including people seated up in the balcony - a clear symbol of the great appreciation that has been felt throughout the city for this inspirational school of music.

See website for class schedule

UCG eats, originally named Urban Garden Cafe, has moved from 118th Street to 104th Street. The space on the corner of Park Avenue and 118th Street was a big white empty box when the Gatanas family first looked inside. It was Dimitri, the eldest son, however, who immediately had a vision, and wow did he make it come to life, literally, towards the end of 2016. The place had been empty for two years, but Dimitri had never paid much attention to it. After a fire happened in their Garden Center, a block away, Dimitri felt that a "shining star appeared, " and told him that he needed to take this, and make it his own by opening up a coffee shop - filled with plants. In addition to the family's history with plants, Dimitri has his own personal passion for collecting. As far as I could tell, Urban Garden Cafe will always be a work in progress, as Dimitri and his wife, Sarah, continue to travel and bring items back to their coffee shop. With one wall painted by a local graffiti artist, and the garden theme carried throughout, every nook is filled with antique and bistro tables, church pews, a parking meter, a seat "taken" from a commercial airplane, miniature chairs from India for young ones to sit on, and an array of colorful items used as both decoration and for sale. Pointing down at the cement floor and then over to the grass mats, Dimitri described UGC as "Urban culture meet nature, and then laughing he added, "hoarder meets a picker. "Sarah then joined us and spoke humorously about their travels. I love how they are able to share their passion for traveling and discovering. One of their excursions took them to Kentucky because Dimitri had read that they have great flea markets there. Little did he know that he would have to send a truck out to pick up all that they had purchased, including the front of a bus, which is now in the cafe. Completely entertained, I could have sat for hours more listening to the couple reminisce about their adventures. "I have encountered many eccentric, neat guys who have accumulated things over the years, " and apparently Dimitri is the perfect person to take them off their hands when they are ready to give them up. The menu pairs well with the plant based theme and the relaxed environment that has been created. It has inspired the food that is served. Due to their love of nature, the family decided to offer meatless options, more like a Mediterranean diet, which makes perfect sense, as it reflects their Greek background. "I love that I can continue our family traditions in a modern way. "On my first visit I had a "Pan de mie con queso" - a mix of Greek gruyere and fontina - "We are giving the Italians a bit of love" - the sandwich was simply done in a panini made on a thick slice of fresh brioche with tomatoes and pepperoncinis. Gooey and maybe the best classic grilled cheese sandwich possible, and it was served on a perfectly dressed mix of lettuce leaves. When I inquired about the coffee, Dimitri chuckled. We use beans roasted in New York, and the guys from the company were kind enough to teach us the business. He admitted, "we knew nothing about making a good cup of coffee and certainly had no idea how to make the leaves or hearts on top of a cup of cappuccino. " I can attest, however, that they have now mastered both. In addition to the sandwiches and salads that are served, the shop is like a mini gourmet market filled with interesting healthy snacks, oils, vinegars, wild flower honey, Greek cheeses and yogurt, oatmeal, hot sauce, dark chocolate toffees, Greek gum and Greek mountain tea. It is not just about a cup of coffee at Urban Garden Cafe, however, there is so much to discover, one needs to spend days to absorb it all. More importantly, though is to be sure to strike up a conversation with Dimitri, his brother Alex, his mom, dad or his wife, Sarah to understand the commitment, the passion and the love that they each feel for their latest project - and each other. "Passion at its absolute finest, " is how Dimitri phrased it. "We are having fun and that is the most important part. We are not pretentious, we are just providing for the community every way we can imagine... I trust this community and I am very proud of it... and I am only trying to transmit positive vibes. "Dimitri shared that he does not believe that the garden center, across the street, will last forever, so it is a good idea to extend the family business in a way that exudes the spirit of the neighborhood today. He prides himself in supporting some of the local artists, and he has even begun a community compost project. "I want to preserve the history by reclaiming items - serve good food to the world, and allow people to come and relax in a welcoming environment. Continuing, "I am not just saying it, we are really intertwined with the neighborhood. " Dimitri then reminded me of the story he had told me when I visited the Garden Center a few weeks before. "It is ironic that my grandmother is standing on a rooftop garden in the first page of the book, "Images of America - East Harlem Revisited. " She is on 117th Street. "We survived through some hard times but I always went back to my grandparent's roots and knew we could make it. He ended by saying, "I embrace all the things my grandma told me to do. I started walking and never knew what I was going to find.... and here I am. "When I tried to describe the setting of UGC to my husband after I returned from my lengthy visit, I realized that I could never do it justice. Therefore, a few days later, I found myself back on 118th Street with my husband in tow. This time it was on a snowy Saturday afternoon. The vibe was slightly different in that there were more people coming and going, rather than those that were nestled in their corner space reading and working during the week. Although I did spy one gentleman with the New York Times spread out before him, sipping on coffee and looking like he was settled in for the remainder of the afternoon. People commented to me that there just is not another place like this in the neighborhood. Everyone seems to have instantly gravitated towards UGC, and they are so appreciative of having a spot like this to purchase a good cup of coffee, something light to eat, and the pleasure of enjoying a conversation with others in their community.

There are only a few media outlets that enable free speech completely, and Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN) is one of them. Established on West 59th Street, with another facility on 104th Street, MNN is Manhattan's free public-access cable network, airing over 13, 000 hours a year of original content, covering topics ranging from art to cooking, fitness and religion. Director of Communications and Marketing, Linda Romano, explained to me how, since 1992, MNN has offered Manhattan residents access to video production training and equipment, as well as broadcasting hours. As the city's largest media education facility, MNN has approximately 1, 600 annual enrollments in classes where multiple topics are taught including field camera use, studio production and digital editing. Classes are offered at both locations, and classes in Spanish are available at the MNN El Barrio Firehouse Community Center. Once people have completed the courses, they are then certified and invited to utilize MNN's studios, HD cameras and air their programming free of charge. Linda reiterates, "MNN is a true champion of localism. We offer a powerful tool for talking and promoting ideas or stories that may not receive coverage on mainstream media outlets. " From what I ascertained, anything is possible for the motivated student at MNN, no matter their age or abilities.