REPORTER
Mercer Island
Serving the Mercer Island community since 1947
‘Aging on the Rock’ a forum for seniors
Is real estate ripe for a rebound?
Islander actor takes on ‘The View’
On Thursday, May 16, a special ‘Aging on the Rock’ forum will be held for Mercer Island seniors from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Mercer Island Community and Event Center. The event is being presented by members of the Mercer Island Senior Advisory Board and the Mercer Island Senior Foundation. To learn more, contact Patti Murphy at (206) 232-4597.
Recession doldrums are beginning to lift, prices rise, buyers look to buy
Financial open house May 16 S.R. Schill & Associates will be hosting a financial open house, “It’s your money, make it work,” from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, May 16. Staff will be on hand to answer questions about investing and financial planning. Learn more at www.srschill. com.
Dueling pianos at JCC event on May 19 The Stroum Jewish Community Center will host a “Jewish Dueling Pianos Revue” on Sunday, May 19, beginning at 4 p.m. The event will feature music performed by Cantor David Serkin-Poole and Peter Pundy, the music director on two pianos. Learn more at www.sjcc.org.
Farmers Market benefit dinner Sunday, May 19 The Mercer Island Farmers Market will host “For the Love of Food” benefit dinner on Sunday, May 19. The event will be held at Aljoya from 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $50. Learn more at www.mifarmersmarket.org.
SOLD
Mary L. Grady
editor@mi-reporter.com
Contributed Photo
Nathan Kaufman’s wife, Ashley Alderfer-Kaufman, introduced him to Whoopi Goldberg, seen here at the Kaufmans’ wedding last fall. Kaufman, an MIHS graduate, appears with Whoopi on ‘The View’ this month.
In the park, by the pond, with Whoopi Island actor and NYC tour guide finds himself on ABC talk show ‘The View’ By Mary L. Grady
editor@mi-reporter.com
Folks tuning in during May to “The View” television show on ABC may have glimpsed Whoopi Goldberg strolling through Central Park with a much taller person — a blue-eyed, curly haired Islander-turned-New Yorker and aspiring actor, Nathan Kaufman. 2000 MIHS graduate Nathan Kaufman can be found every Thursday in May in a five-minute segment on “The View,” where he takes Whoopi Goldberg around New York City. The pair shows viewers hidden gems in the city
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unknown to most. In between acting gigs, Kaufman works as a New York City tour guide. Kaufman, 30, was voted by his Mercer Island High School class as “most likely to win an Oscar.” As a boy, Kaufman did not show much enthusiasm for sports. His mother, Molly, needing to find a way to channel his energy, suggested acting classes. She took him to theater classes at Seattle Children’s Theatre, then on to YTN, the SJCC and drama classes at the high school and beyond. He had found his niche. “It was perfect,” he said. “I could be loud and obnoxious and get a lot of attention.” But he became serious about acting. After high school, he headed east and attended a theater
Building Bridges Relocation Specialist 206.459.8411 | BarbaraBro@cbbain.com
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program at Purchase College just outside of New York City, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts. After graduation, he headed to New York to find work as an actor and has been there ever since. There he ran into old friends, found the right job, romance and an unexpected opportunity. But in the interim, he worked at all kinds of less than perfect gigs. He was a bartender, a demonstrator — most notably for Nespresso coffee machines, but also grills and blenders, and handed out samples. It wasn’t easy, he said. None paid too well. Then the recession hit and it got harder. He had a temp job for a time at NYU — but was laid off. Things got a bit desperate. He then ran into an old friend from YTN days, Amber Cameron, a friend from Newport High School. She and her husband, Luke Miller, have a tour company in New York City.
Is it true? Is the real estate market beginning to come back? Yes, maybe, kind of — perhaps slowly and hopefully surely. A look back at the Island’s April real estate numbers shows again that fewer homes were on the market. The number of new listings added last month were nearly double that of a year ago, but the total number listed remained flat. The number of closed or final sales remained about the same as last year, but prices were up
Homes | Page 2
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Wednesday, Wednesday, March MAY 20, 15, 2013 | 75¢
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Whoopi | Page 11
Barbara Bro Senior Real Estate Specialist 206.232.4600 | www.BarbaraBro.com