The story should be familiar to you. On September 11, 2001, Firefighter Stephen Siller was officially off duty when airplanes struck the Twin Towers. Unable to drive there himself because the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel was closed, he ran through the tunnel in full firefighting gear. He reached the World Trade Center where he became one… Read more »
Preparations for a perfect summer day required a delicate dance Yesterday, I strolled through Central Park. Resting on a bench in front of the Delacorte Theater, I turned my eyes to the center of the Great Lawn. I saw myself lying face up on the grass at 9 years old, throwing a ball up… Read more »
Summer is when many New Yorkers plot when and how they are going to leave the city for as long as possible. Although this has been a relatively mild summer so far (we still have to get through the rest of August), New York summers can be a cauldron of oppressively humid heat and sweaty… Read more »
I wish I had a dollar for each time my father asked me, “What were you thinking?” I spent more time in silence after this question than the collective moments of quiet I grudgingly accumulated in church. Answering your father’s “What were you thinking?” inquiry, well, you may as well throw a live grenade straight… Read more »
Summer is a traditional time to go to the beach and be near the water, and New York City has 14 miles of public beaches where you can contract skin cancer while being eaten alive by horse flies. I never understood why people would want to go to a sunny place and let the sun… Read more »
1. Brunch at The Bailey: When walking through the Financial District early on Sunday morning, you’ll spot a tour group or two, standing around taking pictures of the New York Stock Exchange – but will be surprised by just how barren downtown can be. Practically alone in this concrete wasteland, you’ll walk down Wall Street,… Read more »
This past week, New York City’s Comptroller approved a settlement reportedly totaling $41 million to members of the “Central Park Five.” The five men were convicted in 1990 of the brutal rape and bludgeoning of a woman jogging in Central Park in April of 1989. No one who was living in New York at the… Read more »
Last Saturday, I headed north to “Back in the Day at Poe Park,” a Bronx storytelling and music festival. A two block walk from the # 4 train, and one block from the D train, the event was organized by the Five Boro Story Project, a city wide effort lovingly founded and led by Bridget Bartolini…. Read more »
A little more than two years ago I found a strange object in downtown Manhattan and I have been puzzled by it and would like to learn its origins. I am reopening the case as I remain curious as to its origins. I spotted it as I walked past Delmonico’s restaurant. I noticed what appeared… Read more »
My happiest time of year is not tied to the weather, nor is it tied to a holiday. I get silly when The Losers Lounge play Joe’s Pub. Founded by Joe McGinty and Nick Danger in 1993 at the Pink Pony, the revue grew into a musical force when it merged with the Kustard Kings… Read more »
