Celebrating Community
Europe’s reaction to the autumnal second Covid wave has been different nation by nation, revealing the priorities and the weaknesses of each country. Today the most discussed field where these differences break out is about keeping or not schools open. Countries like Scandinavian nations, Ireland,UK, Germany or France have decided not to shut down classrooms, even if cases have increased […]
I first met Roman Perez through a mutual friend, Juan Carlos Pinto, a local Brooklyn artist. Juan Carlos invited me to the blessing ceremony of a mural he made in Newkirk Plaza. The mural decorates the inside of a tunnel connecting Newkirk Plaza to a pedestrian street. “Come to my showing of the mural. And I want to introduce you […]
The grasslands, hills, and prairies of Staten Island’s Freshkills Park project seems like something out of The Sound of Music, or a Midwestern nature landscape. While New York City may not be synonymous with nature, this lesser-known development could put a dent in that perception. Freshkills is developing into the largest park in New York City, even bigger than Central […]
The holidays are usually a time for large family gatherings and festive activities, but this year continues to look and feel different due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dyker Heights, however, is still keeping its annual holiday decorating tradition alive. Deck the halls The neighborhood’s Christmas lights have garnered national and international attention throughout the years, as tourists flock to the […]
A Simple Desultory Philippic PAUL SIMON: “And I don’t know a soul who’s not been battered I don’t have a friend who feels at ease I don’t know a dream that’s not been shattered or driven to its knees But it’s all right, it’s all right We’ve lived so well so long Still, when I think of the road we’re […]
It was my toughest assignment yet, but George had faith I could pull it off. “Sure, it’ll be dangerous,” he said dismissively. “But you run fast. For an old guy, anyway. Plus, I’ve noticed you’re pretty quick at pressing that ESCape key.” And so off I dove into the Internet to unearth the identity of a man named Q. Since […]
I’ve been going to Vincent’s Barber Shop on Cortelyou Road in Brooklyn since I moved to the Ditmas Park area in 2003. Until recently, there has always been a packed crowd waiting for haircuts and shaves. And now, since COVID, when I walk into the shop, I wear a mask. Everyone who enters the shop has to wear a mask, […]
Many New York City residents, especially those of us who are from New York City, think we know everything about our beloved hometown. But the fact is, we do not. I joined the Victorian Flatbush Tour, which includes parts of Ditmas Park, Prospect Park South, and the historic Albemarle-Kenmore Terraces, on a Sunday afternoon. The tour wound around a small […]
Hurricane Sandy was a storm of the century. Which these days means a storm that seems to hit two or three times a year. But that’s another story. Our story is about Sandy and Red Hook. Sandy put us under two feet of water, plunged us into darkness for three weeks and thrust us into the national spotlight. Two young […]
A Historic Election The historic election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris marks another hard-fought milestone in American history. President-Elect Joe Biden, is now the oldest elected president in US history, and more noteworthy, Kamala Harris, the first Black (Jamaican), South Asian (Indian), and female vice president of the United States of America. As the nation transitions from one presidential […]