Spring is finally here and in the air! And for beautiful, blooming cherry blossoms, look no further than Green-Wood. To kick off the spring season after a quiet, dormant winter and to honor the beauty of the spring season, the 478-acre cemetery and national historic landmark is hosting its second annual Hanami Festival on April 20. Hanami is Japanese for […]
Feature Story
Interborough Express: The Early Years, by Joe Enright
On Monday, March 19, 1877, over 200 Italian immigrant laborers were laying tracks amidst the chilly woods of Flatbush, just yards beyond the southern boundary of the Village of Parkville – an old dirt trail called Foster Avenue. Many more of their crew had been left a quarter of a mile behind to dig a tunnel under the recently completed […]
Brian and George’s Ukrainian Odyssey, by Brian Abate and George Fiala
Last month we did sandwiches. This month we were going to do another food item, but we decided instead, because of the tragic stuff happening in the Ukraine, we decided to take a look at what’s going on in NY’s Russian and Ukrainian neighborhoods. It’s not a perfect view, we didn’t go millions of times, we only went to three […]
Marie’s Craft Corner | Recycle take-out chopsticks into picture frames.
If you’re like me, you have a drawer in your kitchen where you stash things like take-out chopsticks because it seems wasteful to throw them away. Here’s an easy craft idea to transform those chopsticks into picture frames for children’s artwork, photos, postcards, or whatever you’d like to display. What you’ll need: To make the frames, all you’ll need is […]
American Utopias, by Mike Fiorito
I generally do not like Broadway shows. While I appreciate the talent, the stagecraft, etc. of Broadway shows, I just don’t generally connect with the style of music. And yet, in January 2022, during the height of Omicron, I saw two Broadway shows in one week that absolutely blew my mind. Both shows were last minute. Totally unexpected. I received […]
Rising crime rates, mental health and stop and frisk
NYC crime rates in the 80s and 90s In New York City and nationwide, there is a rise in crime rates. While the violence is not identical to the climate of the 80s and 90s, the sharp spike in crime rates should cause some concern. Between 1990 and 1998 crime rates decreased tremendously. During their respective tenures, New York City […]
A war with only losers, by Dario Pio Muccilli
It’s not an easy task to speak with someone belonging to a people oppressed like the Ukrainians are currently; you might expect to feel pity, shyness or horror. None of those feelings came to me when I spoke to Alla Pysana, an active member of the Ukrainian Community in Turin, Italy, which has organized many sit-ins and demonstrations for peace […]
Press Pass NYC’s Pilot Program Launches in a Handful of High Schools, by Erin DiGregorio
More students will be introduced to journalism during high school, thanks to Lara Bergen, former children’s book editor and founder and interim director of Press Pass NYC. The idea came to Bergen five years ago when she was teaching English at Louis D. Brandeis High School, which at the time did not have a school paper. “I didn’t know how […]
Words from the old curmudgeon, by Joe Enright
In other news I notice the Bike-Nazi-Politicos have proposed eliminating parking for the Not-Really-Affordable-Housing (NRAH) going up in “transit rich zones.” Our new Beep, Antonio Reynoso, leads a cast of nine Brooklyn Council members, including Alexa Avilés (Red Hook/Sunset Park) and Lincoln Restler (Dumbo/Boerum Hill) who sent a letter (penned by Reynoso and Restler but yet to find its way […]
George and Brian’s Sandwich Odyssey, by George Fiala and Brian Abate
What happened was we decided to find five places in the neighborhood, actually four in the neighborhood and one outside the neighborhood… Brian: but not too far away – George: and check out their sandwiches. This was at lunchtime on different days, and each of us had half the sandwich. The idea was to go to these places and ask […]