At 2,200 acres, Freshkills Park will be almost three times the size of Central Park and the largest park developed in New York City in over 100 years. The transformation of what was formerly the world’s largest landfill into a productive and beautiful cultural destination will make the park a symbol of renewal and an expression of how our society can restore balance to its landscape. In addition to providing a wide range of recreational opportunities, including many uncommon in the city, the park’s design, ecological restoration and cultural and educational programming will emphasize environmental sustainability and a renewed public concern for our human impact on the earth.
While the full build–out will continue in phases for the next 30 years, development over the next several years will focus on providing public access to the interior of the site and showcasing its unusual combination of natural and engineered beauty, including creeks, wetlands, expansive meadows and spectacular vistas of the New York City region.
The City of New York established the Fresh Kills Landfill in 1948, before there was any large–scale development on the west shore of Staten Island. The Fresh Kills site in its natural state was primarily tidal creeks and coastal marsh. By 1955, Fresh Kills was the largest landfill in the world, serving as the principal landfill for household garbage collected in New York City. At its peak of operation in 1986-87, Fresh Kills received as much as 29,000 tons of trash per day and employed 680 people. The four landfills mounds on the site are made up of approximately 150 million tons of solid waste.
While New York City had a number of operating landfills in the latter half of the 20th century throughout the five boroughs, many were closed as new landfill and environmental regulations came into effect. Fresh Kills, however, was allowed to remain open through a Consent Order between the State and the City and the site was retrofitted to meet these regulations. By 1991, Fresh Kills was New York City’s only operating landfill receiving residential garbage.
In 1996, a state law was passed requiring that the landfill cease accepting solid waste by December 31, 2001. By 1997, two of the four mounds were closed and covered with a thick, impermeable cap; and the landfill received its last barge of garbage on March 22, 2001. New York City’s garbage is currently shipped to landfill locations in places such as Pennsylvania and Virginia.
After the World Trade Center attack of September 11, 2001, the state consent order closing the landfill was amended by Governor George Pataki in order to allow for the handling of materials from the World Trade Center site. Materials were brought to the West Mound. No other materials were brought to Fresh Kills during this temporary suspension of the closure.
During the 10–month recovery effort, rescue workers carefully screened and sifted the 1.2 million tons of material that came from the WTC site to Fresh Kills. The search effort did not end until all discernible remains and effects were removed and taken to the New York City Medical Examiner’s office for identification and safekeeping. After the FBI, NYPD, and Office of Emergency Management determined the process of retrieval had been exhaustive and complete, the screened and sifted WTC materials remaining at Fresh Kills were placed in a 48–acre area immediately adjacent to the recovery site on the West Mound at Fresh Kills. A layer of clean soil at least 1 foot deep was placed in this area prior to placement of the screened materials; afterward it was covered with additional clean soil to protect the site and control erosion. The area is clearly marked to prevent disturbance.
To take advantage of the potential for the adaptive end use of this unique site, the City of New York conducted a two–stage International Design Competition in 2001 to foster the development of a master plan for Freshkills Park. The goal was to attract the best talent, worldwide, to generate ideas and innovative park designs that would meet the needs of the City’s communities, and respond to the natural and constructed history of the site.
A multi–disciplinary expert consultant team led by landscape architecture firm Field Operations was chosen through the design competition to produce the Draft Master Plan.
May: In anticipation of the closing of Fresh Kills Landfill, the Department of City Planning, in association with the Municipal Art Society, New York State Department of State, New York City Department of Sanitation, New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, and New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, formed an International Design Competition Organizing Committee to sponsor the development of a master plan for Freshkills Park.
September 5: The City of New York announced the start of the International Design Competition for Freshkills Park. Read the project history.
December: Three finalist teams were chosen by a jury of professionals to compete for selection as planning consultant:
June: Landscape architecture firm Field Operations was selected as the planning and design consultant.
September: Mayor Bloomberg announced the kickoff of the master planning process. Read the Mayor’s announcement.
June 23: Approximately 100 people attended the 6th public meeting at PS 58 in Staten Island to view the Preliminary Draft Master Plan for the future of Freshkills Park.
April 6th: Mayor Bloomberg and City Planning Director Amanda M. Burden announced the release of the Draft Master Plan for Freshkills Park.
May 24: The Department of Parks & Recreation held a public scoping meeting on the Scope of Work for a Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) to be prepared for the proposed Freshkills Park. Read the scoping document. Final Scope of Work to Prepare a Generic Environmental Impact Statement (48 mb, PDF)
September: The Freshkills Park Administrator, Eloise Hirsh, was chosen by the Department of Parks & Recreation and began work overseeing park development. Read the Daily Plant article.
August 15: The Department of Parks & Recreation held a public presentation on the schematic redesign of Schmul Playground, an existing DPR playground.
October 16: The Department of Parks & Recreation presented to Community Board 2 the schematic redesign of Schmul Playground.
February 7: The Department of Parks & Recreation held a public presentation (PDF, 13.7 MB; Warning: Large File) about the progress of the circulation plans for Freshkills Park.
April 9: The Department of Parks & Recreation held a public presentation on the design of the first portion of North Park to be constructed.
April 15: The Department of Parks & Recreation presented to Community Board 2 the design of the first portion of North Park to be constructed.
May 16: The Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement was released. Download it under the Public Review tab.
September 4: A public hearing on the Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement was held at PS 58 in Staten Island.
March 13: The Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement was released. Download it under the Public Review tab.
March 25: A public hearing on the Draft Scope of the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement was held at PS 58 in Staten Island.
June 22: A public hearing on the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement was held at Wagner College in Staten Island.
January 29: The New York State Department of State awarded Freshkills Park with a grant of $1.25 MM for the design and construction of North Park signature features and educational outreach.
March 30: The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation awarded Freshkills Park with a grant of $400,000 for the design and construction of a comfort station and bike maintenance post.
April 7: The Department of Parks & Recreation held a public presentation (PDF, 25.3 MB; Warning: large file) on the design of the first portion of South Park to be constructed.
April 21: The Department of Parks & Recreation presented to Community Board 2 the design of South Park Phase 1.
October 3: The first large-scale, public event was held at the Freshkills Park site. 'Sneak Peak at Freshkills Park' drew approximately 1,800 visitors.
October 27: Mayor Bloomberg broke ground on the renovation of Schmul Park and Playground. Read the Daily Plant article
January 19: The Department of Parks & Recreation presented to Community Board 2 the design of the New Springville Greenway.
March 22: The New York City Departments of Sanitation and Parks & Recreation celebrated the 10th Anniversary of the last barge of waste to Fresh Kills Landfill by welcoming a barge loaded with young trees to the site.
May 14: The Department of Parks & Recreation hosted an open house about the plans for the New Springville Greenway.
May 22: Freshkills Park teamed with Kayak Staten Island to hold the first public kayak event on site.
July 27: The New York City Department of Design and Construction released a Request for Proposals for the first phase of the Freshkills Park roads system.
November 14: The New York State Department of State awarded Freshkills Park with a grant of $850,000 for East Park development and educational outreach.
Solid waste breaks down over time. The main byproducts of this decomposition are landfill gas and leachate. Fresh Kills is highly engineered, with sophisticated systems in place to collect and treat these byproducts and to protect both public health and the environment.
Landfill gas is comprised of methane, carbon dioxide, water and other organic compounds. The Landfill Gas (LFG) System on site collects and controls gas emissions through a network of wells connected by pipes below the surface that convey the gas through a vacuum. Once collected, the gas is either flared off (burned) or processed to pipeline quality (recovery for domestic energy use) at an on–site LFG recovery plant. Gas emissions, non–methane organic compounds (NMOCs) and other hazardous pollutants are reduced by almost 100%. LFG and its odor are prevented from entering the atmosphere. In addition to this active gas collection and recovery system, an additional safety system is in place to prevent the migration of gas off–site.
Leachate is the liquid by–product of the breakdown of household waste. Once the final cover is placed on the landfill, the quantity of leachate produced diminishes considerably because the amount of water that comes in contact with waste is minimized. The goal of the leachate management system is to remove pollutants by containment, collection and treatment of leachate before it reenters the environment. All treated water is cleaner than the nearby Arthur Kill.
The four mounds at Fresh Kills are the result of over 50 years (1948 – 2001) of landfilling municipal solid waste. By 1997, two of the four mounds were closed and covered with a thick, impermeable cap. The remaining mounds stopped accepting waste in 2001. Their capping began in 2007 and is expected to be complete by 2018.
The final cover placed over the solid waste is constructed in phases. The essential design goals are hydraulic performance, slope stability and long?term integrity or durability of the landfill and its systems. These are achieved by minimizing surface water infiltration, preventing erosion, promoting proper surface water drainage, and separating the waste layer from the environment to protect public health. The final cover also captures and prevents the emission of air–polluting gases.
The final cover is made of a series of layers, each with distinct functions, which are described below, from bottom to top:
Before the final cover can be placed, final grading must be completed. A soil barrier layer, sometimes called the cover foundation level or sub–base, is laid over the solid waste, graded and compacted to the appropriate angles. Before the final cover is placed on the landfill, slopes may need to be adjusted to meet the minimum and maximum required grades (4% to 33%) set by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to maintain slope stability and promote proper drainage.
A gas venting layer is constructed of a geocomposite to facilitate the movement of landfill gas toward the landfill gas vents or extraction wells.
The impermeable liner or hydraulic barrier is placed on the sub–base material. This is the most crucial component of final cover. It prevents water from entering the waste, both directly by stopping the flow of water and indirectly by promoting storage or drainage of water in the above layers. This layer also prevents the upward flow of gas into the atmosphere except in controlled places. It is made of low–permeability clay and/or plastic material.
The drainage layer is needed in some portions of the final cover. This layer reduces the pressure of water on the barrier layer and increases friction, thus reducing the risk of sliding. It drains the overlying protection layer, increasing water storage capacity and reducing the risk of over–saturating the cover soils above.
The barrier protection layer protects the hydraulic barrier from the extremes of weather that could cause the underlying layers to crack or heave. This layer stores excess water until it is either used by overlying plants or drained off. This layer is composed of soil and has a minimum thickness of 24 inches, and more where trees are to be planted.
The planting soil layer or top soil layer must have a minimum thickness of six inches. It is specified to be fertile. The soil used is a sandy loam, selected for its potential to prevent soil erosion and to provide suitable growing medium for the vegetation layer. The primary objective of the vegetation layer is to protect the integrity of the final cover through erosion control. A network of plant roots hold onto the soil, providing stability.
A variety of federal, state and local laws and regulations govern present and future use of the Freshkills Park site. The overall goals of these regulations are to protect and preserve public health and the environment. To do so, it is essential that the integrity of the landfill and its systems be maintained. In addition to the landfill, regulations govern the city’s land uses, the quality of its air and water, and its coastal resources.
It is anticipated that it will take a minimum of thirty years before gas production and settlement associated with decomposition cease and leachate fully drains from the site. As these processes occur, there will be a continuing need for regular maintenance, monitoring and evaluation of the site and systems that have been put into place?primarily the final cover, landfill gas (LFG) and leachate systems, and the extensive network of monitoring wells. It is essential that access to these systems be preserved during this time for inspection, maintenance and repair.
Two of the four mounds at Fresh Kills are already capped with a thick, impermeable cover that separates the waste from the environment and the public. The remaining two mounds are in the process of being capped. The City’s Department of Sanitation (DSNY) is currently working with the State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to ensure environmentally sound closure of the landfill sections that remain to be capped and to prepare for DSNY’s long–term operational responsibility (a minimum of 30 years post–closure) for on–site environmental monitoring and control systems. No area will be open to ongoing public access until it has been tested and found safe for park use.
DEC’s Division of Solid and Hazardous Waste Materials regulates landfill closure and post–closure operations under 6 NYCRR Part 360, Solid Waste Management Facilities (Title 6 of the Official Compilation of Codes, Rules, and Regulation of the State of New York). The Solid Waste Management regulations address the need to identify and manage current or future potential releases of pollutants or the mitigation of contaminants from a landfill, and to control and mitigate any impacts once landfill operations have ceased. Among the requirements, all of which are met at Fresh Kills, are landfill gas control, leachate collection and treatment, and a post–closure operation and maintenance plan for a minimum 30–year period.
Under the 1970 Clean Air Act, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for six air contaminants (criteria pollutants) for protection against adverse impacts to public health and welfare. These standards have also been adopted by DEC and are specified in 6 NYCRR Part 275.
EPA and DEC regulations include emissions guidelines for municipal solid waste landfills, including Fresh Kills. The emissions of concern from landfills are non–methane organic compounds (NMOC) and methane. The Fresh Kills gas containment and collection system is comprised by the landfill cap and a system of gas collection trenches and header pipes that convey the gas to one or more collection points onsite, either for beneficial use (power generation) or for flaring under controlled conditions. While most of the gas is recovered for reuse by National Grid, the flare stations are a back–up safety measure in the event that the recovery system is down. In the future, when little or no gas is generated by the site and the active extraction system is no longer cost–effective, the remaining methane will be flared off.
Unlike air and water, the framework for regulation of soil quality is not established by a single law or program. Rather, there is a collection of regulations and guidelines at the federal and state levels that are intended to apply to soil in certain situations.
Both the federal and state hazardous materials management programs provide procedures for evaluating whether soils have the potential to cause adverse impacts to human health or the environment. This is generally performed on a case–by–case basis, since the potential for adverse impacts depends on the likely pathways and extent of exposure. Both EPA and DEC have developed “screening levels,” i.e., levels below which there is unlikely to be concern given assumptions about the potential for exposure.
The Federal Water Pollution Control Act, commonly referred to as the Clean Water Act (CWA), requires the EPA to establish and periodically update national water quality standards that are based on quantifiable pollutant concentrations and that aim to protect the environment and human health. Individual states then use these published standards to set allowable concentrations of pollutants in groundwater and surface water. In New York State, surface water and groundwater quality standards and groundwater effluent limitations are promulgated by DEC through 6 NYCRR.
At Fresh Kills, groundwater monitoring wells are installed at intervals of about 500 feet in the shallow groundwater around each landfill mound, at 750 feet in the groundwater zones downgradient of the mounds, and at 1,500 feet in the groundwater zones upgradient of the mounds. In total, there are 238 groundwater monitoring wells at Fresh Kills, 116 of which are shallow well, 61 are intermediate depth wells, and 61 are deep bedrock wells. Groundwater monitoring is performed quarterly at each well.
In addition to the groundwater monitoring plan, there is also a surface water monitoring program at Fresh Kills. This program includes annual surface water monitoring in Fresh Kills, Main, and Richmond Creeks within the landfill boundaries and a biennial monitoring program for their sediment quality. Surface water and sediment sampling is performed at a total of 14 sampling stations. Four of these stations are also monitored for benthic ecology (the study of organisms living in and on the sea floor) at both the intertidal and subtidal zones.
Father John Joseph Harris (1884-1937) dedicated much of his life to working with youth. A native of Yonkers, Father Harris first entered the novitiate in 1911 at Villanova, Pennsylvania and was ordained to the priesthood seven years later. From 1919 to 1935 he was stationed at St. Rita’s High School in Chicago where he served as Prior, President, and Procurator. Father Harris joined St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church on University Avenue in 1935. He served as Prior there until his death from a heart attack on June 8, 1937 while on field trip with a group of children at Bear Mountain State Park. Though Harris’s sojourn in the borough was brief, he left such a strong impression in the Bronx that the City Council named this park in his honor in 1940.
Ajma: Ajwain seeds contain health benefitting essential oils like thymol, which offers aromatic fragrances to seeds and helps to increase the digestive function of the intestinal tract by increasing effective digestive enzymes.
Haritaki contains tannins, chebulinic acid which is useful in treating constipation and act as a gentle bowel cleanser.
Belgarbha contains alkaloids that help to protect the intestinal flora and ensure property formed stools
Triphala has been backed up with numerous scientific data for its colon cleansing effect Jeera Stimulates digestion and reduces abdominal distension & discomfort.
In Ayurvedic herbalism for thousands of years, Amla has been historically used as a rasayana (rejuvenative) to promote longevity, support digestion, heart health, healthy vision, hair growth and to rejuvenate the body. Amla has active ingredient tannins unique to Amla that can help, support and modulate immune function. This has been backed up with numerous modern scientific studies demonstrating the positive effect of its component herb to provide strong anti oxidant protection from free radical damage and help support the immune system and healthy aging
The best 'Rasayana' mentioned in Ayurveda, helps strengthen Immunity, Rejuvenate body and helps to fight against diseases
In Ayurvedic herbalism for thousands of years, Triphala has been historically used as a digestive cleanser and tonifier. This has been backed up with numerous modern scientific studies demonstrating the positive effects of its component herbs on the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, Triphala has been shown to be a Tridoshic rasayana (Ability to balance Vata, Pitta, Kapha), a potent antioxidant, protecting cells against the damaging effects of free radicals
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Coordinate, prepare, and review technical studies, environmental impact assessments, and permit applications for projects in the transportation, water, energy, and land development sectors.
Travel for project meetings within the northeastern United States or other areas is possibly required to successfully perform project duties.
Sound understanding of environmental regulatory requirements and NEPA/SEQRA/CEQR environmental review processes.
Demonstrated experience preparing or contributing to NEPA/SEQRA/CEQR environmental impact assessments and/or permit applications associated with projects in the transportation, water, energy, or land development sectors.
The ability to handle a wide variety of projects and multiple assignments with a creative attention to detail is a must.
The successful candidate will possess a strong understanding of Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel) and ESRI ArcGIS.
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The horse and carriage men feel much more confident as the 1st of January approaches that they will about come out even, which is much more than many people interested in other branches of business will be able to do. The sales of carriages, harness, and horses for the last mix weeks have been remarkably good, with every prospect of a very much better trade in the Spring. View Full Article in Timesmachine »
A version of this archives appears in print on December 30, 1893, on Page 6 of the New York edition with the headline: HORSES AND HORSEMEN.; Notes from, the Carriage Room, Auction Mart, and Breeding Farm. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe
UNUSUAL camera club activity in the metropolitan and near-by areas is noted in recent announcements. View Full Article in Timesmachine »
A version of this archives appears in print on March 30, 1958, on Page DRAMA11 of the New York edition with the headline: CAMERA NOTES; Clubs Announce Print, Slide and Film Shows. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe
Ivan Beshoff, the last survivor of the 1905 mutiny on the Russian battleship Potemkin, a harbinger of the Russian Revolution, died Sunday, his family said today. His birth certificate said he was 102 years old, but he contended he was 104.
Born near the Black Sea port of Odessa, Mr. Beshoff abandoned chemistry studies and joined the navy, serving in the engine room of the Potemkin.
The mutiny over poor food was the first mass expression of discontent in Czar Nicholas II's military and later came to be seen as a prelude to the 1917 Russian Revolution.
The mutineers killed the captain and several officers. The entire Black Sea fleet was ordered to suppress the rebellion, but crews refused to fire on the battleship, and it sailed for 11 days before surrendering.
Mr. Beshoff had said he fled through Turkey to London, where he met Lenin. He settled in Ireland in 1913, saying he had tired of the sea.
Mr. Beshoff worked for a Soviet oil distribution company and was twice arrested as a Soviet spy, but became a beloved figure in the Irish community.
After World War II, he opened a fish and chips shop in Dublin. His sons opened branches elsewhere in the city.
A version of this article appears in print on October 28, 1987, on Page B00011 of the National edition with the headline: Ivan Beshoff, Last Survivor Of Mutiny on the Potemkin. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe
Also today, Park Avenue South will be closed from 23d to 32d Streets from 8 A.M. to 8 P.M. for the Park Avenue Festival Street Fair.
A version of this article appears in print on May 6, 1990, on Page 1001001 of the National edition with the headline: Traffic Alert. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe
VISITING Fire Island in late fall might seem like roughing it. Stores closed. Restaurants boarded up. And as few as two ferries a day traveling between the island and the mainland.
But Scott Ahlborn and Jim Streacker, who share a three-bedroom home in the Pines, have learned some secrets to survival. For starters, the liquor-store owner synchronizes his hours with ferry arrivals. And the local butcher will, if given a spare set of house keys, deliver a frozen Thanksgiving turkey to your kitchen counter in advance of your arrival, to ensure plenty of thaw time.
''It is always good to get to know the important people,'' Mr. Streacker said. He and Mr. Ahlborn have not missed a weekend in the Pines since Easter, and they plan to celebrate Thanksgiving this year with a dinner for friends, just as they did in 2002.
This time of year, Mr. Ahlborn said, their fellow residents are ''people who really love the island.''
''There is nothing commercial about it,'' he added. ''We've been out there whole weekends and not seen a single person.''
For many of the summer communities along the Eastern Seaboard, like Martha's Vineyard, Cape Cod, Fire Island and the Hamptons, Labor Day used to mean the end of the weekend crowds. When fall came, the summer residents returned to their city homes, and the locals reclaimed these resorts as their own.
But recently, there seems to be an ever-increasing encroachment of summer well into the fall, with some people stretching the season as far as they can, even into the once-dormant days of late November.
For some weekenders, fall has even replaced summer as the time when they hit the beach. Denise and Mike Mulica of Evanston, Ill., have virtually given up on getting to their Martha's Vineyard home during the summer, preferring the off-season. They have tried trips during June and July. But this year for the first time, Ms. Mulica took a long weekend in late September with 10 friends. ''It was one of the best times I have ever been there,'' she said. ''We were out on the beach in our bathing suits, and it wasn't cold at all. There were people on the beach but one-tenth of what the crowds are during the summer.'' Getting a table at a restaurant for 11 diners ''wasn't a problem,'' Ms. Mulica said. ''And the shopping was unbelievable. Everything was 50 percent off. The women went crazy.''
T HOUGH the evidence of the autumn popularity of summer resorts is mostly anecdotal, there are some signs of a trend. Ridership this fall on the high-speed ferry from Hyannis, Mass., to Nantucket has jumped. Cape Air reports that bookings on flights between Martha's Vineyard and Boston have remained steady into the fall; in past years, there would be a huge decline in passengers the weekend after Labor Day.
The resorts have certainly tried to do their part to keep the tourists flowing. The Hamptons have the 11th annual International Film Festival, which runs through this weekend and now attracts 10,000 people. But even the more unusual festivals can attract throngs, like the one in West Cape May, N.J., that honors an underappreciated vegetable, the lima bean. Provincetown, Mass., just wrapped up its 19th annual Women's Week, which brings thousands of lesbians to the tip of Cape Cod in mid-October. Cape May added a fall film festival two years ago, and its 10-day Victorian Week in mid-October, which attracts some 30,000 visitors, coincides with the Lima Bean Festival, booking up most restaurants and inns.
''If you came here today, it looks like summertime,'' said Lynn Gleeson, an owner of Coldwell Banker Sol Needles Real Estate in Cape May.
But it is just such crowds that many beach-town visitors are attempting to avoid. Helen Cunneen, a financial services consultant in New York, and Harry Spillman, an actor, used to spend summer weekends at their five-bedroom house in Bridgehampton, but in recent years they have stopped, deterred by July and August crowds. With the prospect of casting for bluefish right off deserted stretches of beach and lounging in their heated pool, they have become fall regulars, often to their renters' chagrin.
''My renters would like as long a season as possible,'' Ms. Cunneen said. ''This year I went a week after Labor Day. I've gone as long as two weeks into September, but that's it. I like to have it back this time of year.''
Other homeowners have made adjustments. ''Most renters request a longer and longer season,'' said Dr. Ava Siegler, a 35-year Fire Island veteran who owns a house in Saltaire and another in Fair Harbor. ''Now we rent out the houses through Sept. 30.''
For Mr. Ahlborn and Mr. Streacker, fall weekends are generally free of charity events and parties, so they devote much of their time to projects in the yard, replacing a pine tree lost to a beetle invasion and raking the sand that surrounds their Japanese-inspired garden, or just taking walks around town. Mr. Streacker boasts of his knack for picking local flowers and putting together arrangements that ''could cost you $300 in the city.''
Bob Howard, who owns a real estate agency in the Pines, reports that several post-Labor Day rentals stretch far into the fall this year. ''I just had a call for a rental through the end of October,'' he said. ''That's the first time I have had a rental extend that late.''
The house that was rented, a two-bedroom with a heated pool, goes for $1,750 a week. During the summer it would fetch as much as $5,000 a week, Mr. Howard said.
Real estate agents from Martha's Vineyard to Cape May report that the price of rentals can drop as much as 50 percent in September compared with August, and they fall again in October. The houses are not only less expensive but the rental requirements are more flexible. Homes that may require a two-week stay during the summer can now be rented for a long weekend. Real estate agents also note more requests for larger homes in the off-season, particularly as the holidays near and as they become more affordable. A six-bedroom house in Cape May, for instance, that would go for $1,000 a night in high summer drops by 40 percent in the off-season.
Casey Crawford, who works for the New York City Finance Department, said he was tired of ''mooching off friends'' with homes on the East End, so he signed a lease for a two-bedroom weekend house in East Hampton, starting in early September. It is a yearlong lease and amounts to an ''amazing deal,'' he said, once he factors in how much a summer rental could cost.
''It's much more economical than to do a summer rental in June, July and August,'' Mr. Crawford said.
Of course, film festival or not, the Hamptons can still see their fair share of foot traffic, depending on the weekend. While one renter reports securing a table at a perennial East Hampton favorite, the Laundry, booking a reservation just 30 minutes earlier -- a coup ''unheard of during the summer,'' he said -- others have reported some crowds and private events, like weddings, filling up restaurants.
''The last few weekends, spots were booked,'' said Diane Saatchi, an East Hampton real estate broker, who notes that even with her connections she was unable to get a table at three restaurants.
Visitors to Fire Island don't face these sorts of problems now. For the most part, everything shuts down on Columbus Day. But that doesn't deter Jack and Eileen O'Neil, 30-year Fire Island visitors. They made sure to equip their three-year-old house in Fair Harbor for an everlasting summer. The key to an October full of weekends at the beach, Mr. O'Neil said, is a big freezer that allows them to stock up on food before the local market closes for the year. ''You can't get a newspaper, milk or anything,'' Mr. O'Neil said. ''You are pretty much on your own.''
The O'Neils generally head to Fair Harbor every weekend until the end of October. ''The fall is the best time of year as far as I'm concerned,'' Mr. O'Neil said. ''It is very peaceful. Once you get off the ferry, people walk slower.''
Unlike houses in the Hamptons or at the Jersey Shore, few on Fire Island are meant for winter living. Even if they do have heat, the pipes are most likely exposed to the elements. ''I go out there mostly every weekend,'' said Fran Nelson, who has a house in Ocean Bay Park that is only partly winterized.
Ms. Nelson said she didn't mind the isolation. ''It gives me time to enjoy and reflect on my surroundings,'' she said. She lets the temperature dictate how late she extends her visits and tries to keep the house open for as long as possible. Her record? Mid-December. ''I keep going out there,'' she said, ''until there is a big freeze.''
A front-page picture in this section last Friday, with a story about the off-season restfulness of Fire Island, in New York, gave an incomplete view of a ferry ride on a Saturday morning. Although the boat carried only about a quarter of its summertime passenger load, the riders numbered 70, most below deck and thus not visible.
A version of this article appears in print on October 24, 2003, on Page F00001 of the National edition with the headline: HAVENS; When the Summer Crowds Ebb. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe
At major American symphony orchestras just now, as in American politics, the watchword is change. A number of music directorships recently turned over, with others to follow. And several of the new appointments have signaled changes of direction, most notably at the New York Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where youthful hirings hark back to the orchestras’ earlier days.
But the Cleveland Orchestra is standing pat. It announced on Friday that it had renewed the contract of its music director, the Austrian conductor Franz Welser-Möst, to 2018, which happens to be the orchestra’s centenary.
Mr. Welser-Möst, 47, represented something of a youth movement himself when he took over the orchestra in 2002. The next year his initial five-year contract was extended for five years, to 2012. He has since agreed to become general music director of the Vienna State Opera for five years in 2010 and will give up his other current post, as general music director of the Zurich Opera, in July.
The Cleveland extension, and especially its six-year length, may surprise some. There has been a sense among critics, at least in Cleveland and New York, that Mr. Welser-Möst may not yet entirely have lived up to his potential.
In reviewing his performance during a Cleveland Orchestra concert at Carnegie Hall in October, Anthony Tommasini wrote in The New York Times, “I, like many others, am still trying to get a real fix on his work.”
And Donald Rosenberg, the chief classical music critic of The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, has often been harshly critical of Mr. Welser-Möst’s interpretations, finding them inferior to those of his predecessor as music director, Christoph von Dohnanyi, and even to those of less celebrated guest conductors. In contrast, reviews of Mr. Welser-Möst’s performances with the orchestra in other tour cities, especially in Europe, are typically glowing.
“I read the critics,” said Gary Hanson, the orchestra’s executive director, “and then I rely on my own judgment, as do members of the orchestra. The Cleveland Orchestra has always thrived on long-term relationships. It’s exciting that we can look forward to a very long relationship with Franz.”
Mr. Welser-Möst, for his part, said of Mr. Rosenberg’s criticism: “First, I’m a democrat enough to think that everyone is entitled to his opinion. At the same time, if the same person writes after six years that the orchestra plays beautifully and what I do is bad, somehow it misses logic. If a music director is no good, it would really show in the playing.”
As it happens, Mr. Rosenberg had high praise for Mr. Welser-Möst’s concert performance of Dvorak’s opera “Rusalka” on Thursday evening, calling it “surely one of the highlights of Welser-Möst’s tenure.” The performance is to be repeated on Saturday to end the orchestra’s season.
With the announcement of Mr. Welser-Möst’s extension came news of other ventures he will undertake during his term. These include the commissioning of substantial works for the centennial season from five composers: Marc-André Dalbavie, Osvaldo Golijov, H K Gruber, Matthias Pintscher and Kaija Saariaho.
Mr. Welser-Möst also plans to revive a tradition of fully staged opera in Severance Hall dating to the 1930s. A production of Mozart’s “Nozze di Figaro” in March 2009 will be the first fully staged opera in the hall since the 1970s, with Mozart’s “Così Fan Tutte” and “Don Giovanni” to follow in 2010 and 2011. The productions will come from the Zurich Opera.
Mr. Welser-Möst also expects to restore ballet at the Blossom Music Center, the orchestra’s summer home, in 2009, in collaboration with the Miami City Ballet.
A version of this article appears in print on June 7, 2008, on Page B7 of the New York edition with the headline: Cleveland To Stay Its Musical Course. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe
Mission Chinese Food is a restaurant in San Francisco with an outlet that pops up occasionally in an old stable behind an Italian-restaurant compound in Brooklyn, where it offers a set dinner menu cooked in a catering kitchen that’s shared with the German steakhouse on the corner. One of Mission Chinese’s owners is a chef named Danny Bowien, a skateboardy young man who was born in Korea and raised in Oklahoma City. Bowien cooks punk-rock food to a hip-hop soundtrack. That makes him, functionally, a hippie.
Not long ago, Bowien was out to lunch with Angela Dimayuga, the executive chef of Mission Chinese Food. Bowien wanted to make, he said, a kind of Chinese Caesar salad.
They were eating Japanese food as they talked, and the dish they devised owed more to Japan than to Caesar, who in the end contributed only a tin of anchovies. The idea: red-cabbage pieces dabbed in a sesame-miso dressing enlivened by soy sauce, the anchovies and a hit of vinegar, the whole pile bedazzled by a mixture of dried seaweeds, salt and the crunch of fried kasha.
“Red Cabbage Salad” was introduced to regulars at the Mission Chinese pop-up, sometimes with sliced candy-striped beets thrown in for sweetness and beauty. The combination of the miso and the seaweeds, the anchovies and the soy sauce in the dressing made for a kind of riot of umami, the pleasant savory taste that food maniacs recognize as the fifth taste beyond sour and bitter, sweet and salty.
And it deserves a place at any table interested in flavor and excitement. We concentrate too often on the protein at the center of our meals. With this salad, the poles are reversed. Serve the dish alongside grilled chicken or pork, with a bowl of white rice. You could serve it alongside a teriyaki-glazed laptop case and receive plaudits.
The list of ingredients may appear daunting. Miso. Tahini. A couple of different vinegars and soy-sauce variations, dried seaweeds and that kasha, which is just roasted buckwheat. But even if there isn’t a good Japanese market near you that sells this sort of stuff, there is always the Internet, which does. And, Bowien says, even if you miss a few ingredients along the way, the dish will turn out well if you use just some of them. There is that much umami within it.
“I’m not a chef who makes you do it exactly the way I say,” he said when I asked him about where I might find shio kombu, a seasoned kelp that he uses as topping. “You’re just looking for flavor and texture. I’m going to improvise. You should, too. You could put potato chips on there if you want to be really stoner about it.”
Ingredients aside, the composition of the salad is simple. There are the vegetables: cabbage and beets. There is the dressing: tahini and white miso cut through with rice vinegar and soy sauce, and studded with chopped anchovies. And there is the crunchy topping, a riff on the Japanese condiment furikake — crumbled dried seaweed and ground sesame — along with fried kasha, just the roasted buckwheat groats tossed in hot oil until they get nutty and crisp. You can make the furikake or buy some. “You could use bread crumbs,” Bowien said. Or, you can improvise.
I found tahini, miso and kasha at the health-food store, and the seaweeds too. I got the ume vinegar, made from plums, at a specialty store, along with the shiro shoyu, an amber Japanese soy sauce. I reveled in all these new pantry items — as should anyone who secures them. Sprinkle some shio kombu on cooked white rice sometime, and you’ll see. You may never order takeout again.
But then I made the dish with just the tahini and miso and widely available dried hijiki seaweed in place of the others, with red-wine vinegar and regular soy, and I could hardly notice the difference. Bowien laughed when I told him that. “Yeah, if you don’t have it, leave it out,” he said. “That’s cool. It still works.”
There is great joy in the knowledge that whatever shortcuts you end up taking, the final result can rate very close to out-of-hand on the flavor register. It is a forgiving recipe in this sense. It nearly guarantees a win.
A version of this article appears in print on , on Page 42 of the Sunday Magazine with the headline: Mission Possible. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe
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