Meet the Lissmans – Sutton Place Social

Rachael moved to the city in 1999. “I had an unconventional college experience,” she explains. “I hopped around a bit.” She transferred twice: from the University of Michigan to Rutgers to the Fashion Institute of Technology. As it so happened, her first two apartments – one, a fifth-floor walk-up, and the other, a first-floor studio — were Sutton Place residences, located on 58th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenue. Upon graduating from FIT, Rachael landed an internship at a handbag company in the garment center. After only a few months, she was offered a full-time position, which led to a 17-year-long career in the wholesale industry. “My true passion for real estate began in 2009 when I purchased my first apartment in Lenox Hill,” she explains. “Four years later, when my third, Asher, was born, I took advantage of the accelerating market and sold our two-bedroom two-and-a-half-bathroom apartment for a substantial profit. That enabled our move to a four-bedroom four-bathroom apartment in Sutton Place in 2014.” Around six years ago, Rachael joined NextStopNY Real Estate and has high esteem for the role she plays as a real estate agent in families’ homeownership journeys.

RESIDENT FEATURE

Rachael has always felt drawn to the “true neighborhood feel” of Sutton Place. “People move to Sutton Place because it’s low-key, has all your local conveniences including parks, retail, mom-and-pops, restaurants. It also has a fantastic public elementary school which draws families to the neighborhood. Whenever my kids walk around the neighborhood they see a classmate or a familiar face from school. Everyone looks out for each other and seems happy to be here.”

What draws Rachael to Sutton Place reveals a key Lissman-family value, namely, the importance of a sense of community. In 2012, the Lissmans found that sense of community at the Sutton Place Synagogue, after Rachael’s eldest, Gabriel, began nursery school there and they’ve been members ever since. At present, all three children attend the synagogue’s religious school.

From the nursery program at SPS, the children went on to the local public elementary school. Rachael is an avid volunteer at PS59, where she has served as the PTA president for the past three years. “Those were some of the most challenging, yet rewarding years of my life,” she reflects, “ especially with the restrictions brought on by the pandemic. Early connections are key in bringing together an elementary school community, but the restrictive measures limited how we could promote that sense of community. It was very humbling for me, and  I am grateful for all the relationships with the staff and fellow parents that I developed along the way.”

A few years ago, Rachael began hosting “Moms’ Night Out” events at her NextStopNY’s midtown office on 54th and 2nd. “One of my passions is bringing like-minded people together. “Moms’ Night Out” started as a way to promote other moms in business. It grew to be an outlet for women to connect with one another. The truth is, it’s hard for some of us to take the “mom uniform” off, even for just a few hours one night a month. I believe that the secret to surviving mom life is mom friends. Honest conversations with friends who are willing to be real, remind us that we’re not alone in our victories or failures. “Moms’ Night Out” was created with that end goal in mind.”

Rachael’s son Gabriel enjoys rec sports and hands-on activities, like woodworking, building, and anything related to computers. As a present for his eleventh birthday, Gabriel selected a computer model to construct from scratch. “We had a few more experienced tech-oriented friends help along the way, but it was a fantastic learning experience for him and he really enjoyed every aspect of the process.” Asher, her youngest, loves soccer, and plays on Auriga, one of Soccer Stars United’s elite travel teams. Her daughter Zoey has a medley of interests, but rock climbing is chief among them. “She’s pretty good at it, too! She wants to join the team at Cliffs over in Long Island City, but it’s a commitment. I don’t mind taking her because I enjoy climbing as well, but we’ll see. This season, she is participating in a track and field program. It was a bit of a push on my end for her to commit, but I want to instill in my kids that an active lifestyle learned in childhood will give them a strong foundation for a lifetime of health.” A lesson Rachael reinforces by her own example: “I was always into sports as a kid – soccer, softball, track and field. I ended up focusing on running, and still do to this day.” Rachael is currently training for the New York City Marathon this November. “It’s always been a bucket list item for me and this year I decided it was time. I started racing again last November, which inspired me to fulfill that goal. I partnered with a charity – Achilles International – as a way to fulfill this dream and give back to fellow athletes who are also hoping to achieve their dreams.”

The Lissmans love to support Sutton’s small businesses. Rachael commends the accommodating staff and fantastic food at Dai Hachi, the family’s favorite sushi place. When time permits, Rachael and Zoey like to have “mother-daughter date nights” there. Tenz is Rachael’s new favorite coffee spot. “It’s more of a grab-and-go place, but the coffee is delicious.” As for dessert, the Lissmans love the ice cream at A La Mode.

When they aren’t in the neighborhood, Rachael and her children can be found summering on Long Beach Island, or skiing in the mountains out West. “We are a ski and beach family!” says Rachael. “Barnegat Light is a true slice of heaven, and the kids have friends they’ve grown up with there. They always pick up right where they left off. And there’s nothing better than a relaxing day at the beach.” Having made fond memories with her family on ski trips growing up, Rachael always dreamed of making the same with her own kids: “Once the kids were old enough to learn how to ski, we started going on annual ski trips to Park City, Utah. Over the pandemic, when the kids had virtual school, we escaped to PC for three weeks. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and such a memorable experience for us.”

WRITTEN BY JACLYN OLSEN. PHOTOGRAPHY BY KAT FOR BRIAR ROSE PHOTO CO.