1. Cabrini’s original name was Maria Francesca Cabrini, before she took her vows in 1877 and changed her name to Frances Xavier, in tribute to Francis Xavier. 2. Before becoming a nun, Cabrini was a teacher. She, herself, was taught by the Daughters of the Sacred Heart and had earned a teaching certificate with them in 1868. She was a […]
Author: George Fiala
St. Frances Xavier “Mother” Cabrini’s impact in New York
Upon coming to America in 1889 from Italy, Saint Frances Xavier “Mother” Cabrini and her seven Sisters helped newly arrived Italian immigrants in Lower Manhattan who were struggling with poverty. Her order organized catechism and educational classes, opened an orphanage and founded Columbus Hospital (now part of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center). Cabrini herself taught at St. Joachim’s parish, the Church […]
A brief history of She Built NYC and the push-back that followed, by Erin DiGregorio
She Built NYC concept She Built NYC is a public arts campaign that honors women through the installation of monuments that recognize and celebrate their historic impacts on and contributions to New York City (NYC). Former Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen and First Lady Chirlane McCray launched it in June 2018, after research showed that only five out of the City’s […]
Sahadi’s settles into Industry City with success
Sahadi’s, the James Beard Award-winning specialty grocery that spans three storefronts on Atlantic Avenue, has become a part of Sunset Park’s commercial fabric after opening in Industry City two months ago. It’s just a few blocks from their production facility, which houses an 18-foot-tall roaster that freshly roasts top quality nuts and seeds, stores thousands of pallets of imported delicacies […]
Nom Wah owner Wilson Tang talks traditions and Chinese-American classics
The 200-foot-long Doyers Street in New York City’s Chinatown was infamously known as the “Bloody Angle,” due to the street’s natural sharp bend and the criminal activity and bloodshed that took place between warring gangs in the early 1900s and late 1980s. More recently it’s been recognized in singer Justin Timberlake’s 2013 “Take Back the Night” music video, with Timberlake […]
Manhattan’s oldest Italian restaurant is landmarked and looks it
Barbetta – the oldest Italian restaurant in New York and oldest restaurant in the Theatre District at 113 years old – is outfitted in four townhouses that date back from 1874 to 1881. Its outside is deceiving, given the brownstone façade and shielding trees, and you might pass it by during the day if you don’t carefully look to see […]
Acme Smoked Fish’s humble beginnings and Fish Fridays
If you live in Brooklyn and have eaten bagels and lox during a Sunday brunch, there’s a good chance that the fish came from Acme. Acme has been distributing smoked fish from its Greenpoint warehouse since the mid-1950s. But the story didn’t start then. A brief history Russian immigrant Harry Brownstein came to Brooklyn in 1905 and distributed smoked fish, […]
Moving on: EPA makes final decision in tunnel vs. tank canal remedy showdown
EPA officials rejected New York City’s proposal to build a long tunnel to prevent sewage overflows into the Gowanus Canal. Instead, the original plan to build two holding tanks will continue uninterrupted. This was the main topic of the September Gowanus Community Advisory Group (CAG) public meeting, held the last Tuesday of the month as usual at the Cabrini residence, […]
A deep dive look into the famous NYC Village Halloween Parade
You’ve probably watched the annual spectacle on the local TV new stations or maybe have even participated in it yourself, dressing up in costume and walking the mile-long route in Lower Manhattan. New York City’s Village Halloween Parade is just one of those city-specific events that you can only experience here, much like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade or the […]
The history of Red Hook’s own Barnacle Parade
When Hurricane Irene made landfall in New York in 2011, Red Hook experienced storm surge flooding that made residents think about hurricane preparedness more seriously. But Superstorm Sandy forever changed the neighborhood a year later with unparalleled flooding and 12-foot-high storm surges that left locals to literally pick up the pieces and rebuild from scratch. Neighbors relied on one another […]