Bride-to-be Tanya Gonzalez put the two pairs of custom Converse sneakers, which she and her fiancé Michael Sanchez designed together months ago, back in their boxes. The shoes were supposed to be worn at their wedding reception on May 15. But due to the coronavirus outbreak in New York City last month, their plans came to a sudden halt, leaving […]
Author: George Fiala
‘Do I stay or go?’ One New Yorker’s decision-making process during COVID-19
Williamsburg resident Carly Quellman, 24, has been feeling socially anxious over the coronavirus pandemic since the beginning of March – before New York City saw a steady increase of COVID-19 cases and deaths. While she is a freelance writer here in the Big Apple, she has family and friends who live on the West Coast and in Australia. Quellman’s immediate […]
Eight facts you might not have known about the Fort Hamilton Army Base
Brooklyn is known for many things – its famous wooden roller coaster in Coney Island, its cheesecake from Flatbush Avenue, and its one-time-World Series-winning baseball team, to name a few. However, what many may not know is that it is also home to the country’s fourth oldest military installation and the city’s last active military installation for the past 26 […]
Meet five of Fort Hamilton High School’s JROTC Senior Cadets
The Monday following a week-long school break may not be the first thing students look forward to, but five seniors in Fort Hamilton High School’s Tiger Battalion Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) were ready early in the morning to speak with me about what it’s been like to be in the program. All five have been part of JROTC […]
Fort Hamilton High School’s Tiger Battalion is top-notch
The Tiger Battalion at Fort Hamilton High School – not affiliated with the nearby army base – is celebrating its 27th anniversary this year. The Tiger Battalion was the first Army Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) in the New York City public school system. At Fort Hamilton High School, JROTC can be taken as an elective for one to […]
An inside look at US Army recruiting
The first step to take for those who are interested in enlisting in the United States Army – whether it’s active duty or Army Reserve – is to meet with a recruiter at their local recruiting station. Recruiters help people better understand the Army and help them figure out if it is the right fit for them. During a meeting […]
Park Slope high school organizes Valentine’s Day fundraiser
Love and kindness were definitely in the air when we stopped by Brooklyn’s St. Saviour High School in mid-January, as students excitedly prepared for their Valentine’s Day fundraiser a month early. Members of the school’s National Honor Society and Water Project club wrapped school water bottles with pink, handcrafted “I Heart H2O” labels. The Water Project (TWP) is a non-profit […]
Seniors express strength, joy, love through dance
A Manhattan-based organization has the city’s senior citizens ready to tango this Valentine’s Day. Movement Speaks, the core program of Dances For A Variable Population (DVP), offers seniors in low-income communities free sequential dance instruction, followed by a public performance of their original work. It also allows older people to discover their strength – both physical and emotional – and […]
‘Stumbling’ through the search for love again with Francesca Van Horne
Carroll Gardens resident Francesca Van Horne is a triple threat as a producer, writer and actress. She recently completed a month-long summer residency in France where she produced and performed in Stumble, the sequel to Tales from the Trundle (which played at Le Petit Gymnase Théâtre in Paris, at the Ned Hotel, the Courtyard Theatre and Bridewell Theatre in London, […]
Bay Ridge and Brownsville senior couples to dance this Valentine’s Day
Peter Lovett and Jerry Childs, managers of the Fort Hamilton Senior Recreation Center and Brownsville Recreation Center respectively, have planned another Valentine’s Day Heart-to-Heart celebration this year. Five couples from the Fort Hamilton center will travel to Brownsville on February 13 for the event, which will feature food, music, singing and dancing (especially doo-wop). “I’ve partnered up with Brownsville for […]