MEMBERS OF THE 13th Precinct will again participate in the annual National Night Out, a nationwide event designed to heighten awareness of how to prevent crime, generate support for local anti-crime programs and strengthen relationships between the police and the communities they serve. Once again, the Flatiron Partnership is a sponsor.

This year's event - the 25th annual - has been scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 5, with the 13th Precinct hosting a program from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the playground of JHS 104, at Second Avenue between East 20th and East 21st Streets. In addition to a display of safety tips, including some from McGruff the Crime Dog, officers will be on hand to answer questions. There will also be a DJ to provide music, food from Outback Steakhouse and the Olive Garden, ice cream and lots of souvenir handouts, including pens, Frisbees and T-shirts.

Last year's National Night Out was observed by more than 34 million people from over 10,000 communities in all 50 states, plus U.S. territories, some cities in Canada and military bases around the world. For more information click here.

Galaxy Day Spa & Nails

RELAX. REFRESH. RESTORE. That's the mantra of Galaxy Day Spa & Nails, a new business in the Flatiron district at 7 West 25th Street, between Broadway and Sixth Avenue. The 2,300-square-foot spa offers services including manicures, pedicures, facials, massages, waxing and body treatment. According to the manager of Galaxy, Diana Lim, "We do everything except for hair." Reservations are not required.

Galaxy is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information call (646) 429-9542, or you can visit the website at galaxydayspa.com, which also contains coupons for complimentary services.

Sophie's Cuban Cuisine

SOPHIE'S CUBAN CUISINE, founded by the Luna family in 1997, lost two of its four restaurants as a result of 9/11. Since then, the family has opened five additional Sophie's Cuban's in New York City for a total of seven, including its most recent right here in the Flatiron district at 28 East 23rd Street, between Madison Avenue and Park Avenue South.

When asked to name the most popular dish, Mila Luna, Vice President, responded, "I would have to say the roast pork." Sophie's roast pork, also known as pernil, is one of the many menu items resulting from the Luna family's collaboration with Cuban chef Eduardo Morgado.

Sophie's is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Catering is available and Sophie's does deliver. To contact Sophie's by phone, call (212) 260-8884, or visit the website by clicking here.

Ripplu

RIPPLU, A CUSTOM LINGERIE SHOP with locations in Los Angeles, Osaka and Tokyo, is now open at 66 Madison Avenue, between 27th and 28th Streets. Ripplu offers "Custom Bra Fitting." According to manager Akimi Kureshiro, "Ripplu does custom fitting to get the right size and style, and makes alterations to make you look good."

Ripplu sells a popular Japanese brand of lingerie, Brandelis, along with Italian, French and American brands. Bras typically start around $60. Ripplu specializes in petite sizes.

Open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m, Ripplu can be contacted at (212) 599-2223. To view Ripplu's website click here.

REGISTRATION IS UNDER WAY FOR a charity golf outing to benefit Housing and Services, Inc., the agency whose housing development and management programs have been focusing on lower-income households and New Yorkers with special needs since 1987. One of its major projects has been the rehabilitation of the Kenmore Hotel on 23rd Street between Third and Lexington Avenues into permanent housing.

The event, scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 2, at the Inwood Country Club, Inwood, N.Y., is HSI's major fundraiser for 2008. Some 100 men and women are expected to tee off. In addition to 18 holes of golf on Inwood's championship course, the event includes an online auction for items ranging from sports memorabilia autographed by Derek Jeter, Yogi Berra, Eli Manning and others to a luxurious week in Puerto Rico. The auction begins on Aug. 5.

The registration fee of $350 for the golf outing covers brunch, cocktails, BBQ and beer, greens fees, dinner and the use of golf carts and valet. A foursome may register for $1,400 and the cost for dinner only is $150. Sponsorships are being offered at levels ranging from $200 to $10,000.

For additional information, go to http://www.hsi-ny.cmarket.com.

A LITTLE OVER 25 YEARS ago, hospital wards in New York were overflowing with babies born HIV-positive, with drug addictions, with fetal alcohol syndrome or other significant medical problems. These children, known as "boarder babies," languished in hospital beds, often abandoned by their biological parents.

In 1982, at the height of the boarder-baby crisis, something else was born: New Alternatives for Children (NAC), an agency that has been a pioneer in the field of opening doors for children and leading them to stable family lives and a world of possibilities. Headquartered within the Flatiron district since 1991, NAC has its main offices at 37 West 26th Street, with additional space just down the block, at 15 West 26th Street. Its facilities include clinics for medical and mental health; education services; recreation services; vocational support for parents and teens; therapeutic groups; and a mentoring program.

Founded as a demonstration project with a start-up budget of $100,000 and a tiny staff, NAC - led by Dr. Arlene Goldsmith, its executive director - was tasked with helping children with severe disabilities leave hospitals and move into loving homes. Today, it employs more than 130 people and has an annual budget of $10 million. Its mission is to serve medically fragile children and their families by providing comprehensive health and social services to support family preservation, reunification or adoption. Currently, NAC serves about 800 children and 500 families a year, all in New York City.

Since its beginnings, NAC's scope has expanded dramatically, as it pairs families with social workers in one of four programs: Preventive Services, Partners in Parenting (PIP), Foster Care and Adoption, and Post Legal Adoption Network (PLAN). In 1985, it launched its Prevention program, helping families find support programs that allowed their children to come home from the hospital. In 1994, it began its PLAN program. A year later, a Sibling Program focusing on the brothers and sisters of NAC-eligible children began, and in 1998, the PIP preventive services after-care initiative was introduced.

People interested in volunteer work are welcome to contact NAC. Volunteers serve as mentors, working with one child on alternate Saturdays, and also assist at special events, such as the annual holiday party in December, and the recent Kids Olympics, held every spring. For additional information, go to the website by clicking here, or send an email to volunteers@nac-inc.org.

SHOP FOR PUBLIC Schools, a week-long event in which stores donate a percentage of their revenues to New York City's Fund for Public Schools, will be backed this year by an enhanced promotional effort designed to generate increased visibility as well as to drive more foot traffic to participating retailers. This year's event will be held the week of Oct. 1-8 and store sign-ups are being accepted through the summer.

Proceeds will go to public school libraries all over the city, providing books, technological equipment, furniture and other resources to help inspire a love of reading among students. Shop for Public Schools was developed in 2004 and to date has raised some $3.5 million in support of library improvements. Participating retailers have run the gamut from family-owned shops to major department stores. For further information about signing up, go to www.shopforpublicschools.org.

LOCAL MERCHANTS HAVE until Aug. 8 to register for the City Fest Vendor Fair at New York University, an annual event that provides participants with an opportunity to introduce themselves to incoming students while offering special discounts and promotions.

The fair will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 26, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the 10th floor of NYU's Kimmel Center, 60 Washington Square South. A registration form providing additional information can be found by clicking here.

FOR THREE CONSECUTIVE Saturdays in August, vehicular traffic will be banned from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. along a 6.9-mile route that includes the stretch of Park Avenue South that goes through the Flatiron district.

On Aug. 9, 16 and 23, no cars, buses or trucks will be allowed on a route from the Brooklyn Bridge to East 72nd Street as part of an experiment designed to provide New Yorkers with "car-free recreation corridors." Major crosstown streets, including 23rd Street, will remain open to traffic. Buses that normally run along the route will be rerouted during the closings, but fitness, dance and yoga classes will be offered and bicycle-rental facilities will be available.

The NYC Dept. of Transportation invites businesses to take part in Summer Streets. Cafes can have tables and chairs outside. All cash/credit transactions must take place indoors unless there is a sidewalk café permit. Hotels are also encouraged to promote this event to their visitors as a unique way to see NYC.

Businesses in the affected areas should consider scheduling deliveries and pick-ups on the Fridays before the three Saturdays, or after 2 p.m. on those Saturdays. Parking will be restricted along the route from midnight the night before each event until 2 p.m. Access to garages on side streets will be possible. For more information about Summer Streets click here.

OWNERS OF COMMERCIAL and multi-family buildings in the Flatiron District that have 25 or more incandescent light bulbs, excluding table lamps, may be eligible for free Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) that last 10 times longer and are up to 80 percent more energy efficient than incandescents. The initiative is called Operation Kill-A-Watt and the program, put on by Public Energy Solutions and Con Edison, is operating on a first-come, first-served basis.

Operation Kill-A-Watt officials say eligible building owners can save significantly on energy costs, in many cases 50 percent of their electric bills; receive free replacement CFLs; and reduce air conditioning costs because CFLs burn cooler.

Public Energy Solutions instituted Operation Kill-A-Watt in 2005 and was contracted by Con Edison to help cut energy consumption in high load areas of Manhattan and Westchester County by giving building owners financial incentives to replace outdated lighting with more energy-efficient alternatives.

To register for Operation Kill-A-Watt, call (866) 818-1900.

FREE WALKING TOURS
are sponsored every Sunday by the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership.

Join our expert guides on a 90-minute journey through this vibrant neighborhood, viewing some of the City's most notable landmarks, including the New York Life Insurance building, the MetLife Tower, the Appellate Courthouse and the famous Flatiron Building.

Time:
Every Sunday at 11 a.m.

Meeting Place:
The southwest corner of Madison Square Park, at 23rd Street and Broadway, in front of the statue of William Seward.

Recent News Coverage

• Time Out New York: Flatiron Walking Tour
• Gotham Gazette: The Flatiron District
• 'Strengthening Communities' Panel Held
• BID Tells Businesses: Yes You 'Can'
• Group Confronts Abusers of Area Methadone Clinics
• Brrrsk Winter Walks Through Neighborhood
• BID Launches Homeless Outreach Program
• Making Downtown Friendlier
• Buyers Go Mad.
• Methadone Clients Will Be Told to Dose and Dash
• Methadone Clinics to Keep Closer Watch on Patients
• Drug Clinics to Dismiss Clients Who Get Busted
• Flatiron BID Launches Tree Planting Program
• BID Holds First Annual Meeting
• BID Launches Neighborhood Safety Program
• Annual Meeting Scheduled
• BID Giving Free Walking Tours Through Flatiron District
• BID to Hold Concert to Benefit Homeless
• Local Businesses Head to BID Forums
• BID Unveils New Litter Receptacles
• Clean Team Takes on Snow Removal
• BID Welcomes Citibank to Neighborhood
• BID Makes a Clean Sweep
• Officer Who Cleaned Up Kenmore Named BID's Operations Director
• Long Live the BID
• Jennifer Brown Appointed Executive Director of Flatiron BID
• Manhattan's First New BID in Over Four Years Launched
• New Improvement District Around Madison Square Park
• BID Aims to Clean Up Community
• Flatiron BID Uses Hi-Tech to Track Problem Areas
• Flatiron BID Plans Neighborhood Makeover
• New BID Is Milestone in Flatiron District Revitalization

Press Releases

• Homeless Outreach Program Launched
• BID Conducts First Annual Meeting
• Flatiron BID Launches Public Safety Program
• Discover Flatiron: Free Walking Tours
• Hero Officer Returns to His Beat
• BID Launches Sanitation Program
• Jennifer Brown Appointed Executive Director
• Flatiron Partnership BID Launched

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