New York gas rationing 1942: “The taxi driver’s golden age?”
Today begins mandatory gas rationing in New York City due to shortages caused by Hurricane Sandy.There was limited gas rationing during the 1970s, but the longest…
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Dressed for success: The tradition of Thanksgiving masking, children in drag, begging for money!
November 21, 2012
Turkey anyone? Thanksgiving maskers, in New York, taken sometime between 1910-15. Whatever you do, don't look the 'lady' directly in the eye! My new column for the Huffington Post is live, and the topic is a strange, forgotten holiday custom called Thanksgiving masking, popular…
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PODCAST: A snapshot of Hurricane Sandy, Nov. 2, 2012
Above: Aftermath of a massive blaze in Breezy Point on the Rockaway Peninsula (Picture courtesy AP) PODCAST A brief encapsulation of what's happening in the city as…
“Not since the Great Blizzard!” “Bigger than 1821!” Hurricane Sandy inspires historical superlatives
When things get really, really bad, history provides validation and context. The aftermath of Hurricane Sandy has already inspired newscasters, meteorologists and journalists to reach to…
Hope everybody is safe and sound!
I'll update the blog later today with some observation on catastrophic Hurricane Sandy. Tom is one of the thousands on the Manhattan side without power. I'm…
Brooklyn’s Hell Gate: Dangerous tides off Coney Island
Above: The waters off Gravesend, Brooklyn, sketched by a British general in 1776. They too would have experienced the odd watery phenomenon known as 'the Potato…
Rough and rusted: Walking the last section of the High Line
The last remaining unrenovated tracks of the West Side Elevated Railway: Seen better days, but haven't we all? (Click onto pictures for a larger view)This past…
Staten Island already had a gigantic Ferris wheel — in 1893!
In the spirit of P.T. Barnum, Mayor Michael Bloomberg yesterday announced plans to build the world's largest Ferris wheel next to the ferry terminal on Staten…
The art of the reservoir, New York’s forgotten architecture
The Fortress of Fifth Avenue: the Murray Hill ReservoirWe share a lot of the same needs as New Yorkers of the past, but we've just gotten…
Uncategorized
Ten strange supernatural events that have supposedly occurred in New York, according to the Weekly World News
When I was a teenager, one of many life missions was to one day write for the Weekly World News, the black-and-white supermarket tabloid which specialized…
Newspapers and Newsies
Hot off the press: the bicentennial of the Bronx Gutenberg
Hoe Avenue in the Bronx has nothing to do with farming, although it once indeed ran through a grand 19th century farm estate. The avenue's namesake,…
Rainey’s African Hunt: A bloody 1912 movie blockbuster
Hunter and gadabout Paul Rainey: An accidental matinee idolCatching a movie this weekend? Many New Yorkers had the same plan one hundred years ago, but the…
Tammany Hall hosts the city’s first Democratic Convention: Susan B. Anthony, the KKK, and a reluctant nominee
Many of you may remember New York's sole Republican National Convention, held in 2004 at Madison Square Garden, celebrating the re-election bid of George W. Bush.…