Gimbels Bridge over troubled shoppers
The blocks just south of Herald Square are pretty grim. Malls full of chain stores, bland electronic store fronts and fast food restaurants disguise a once…
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Blinded by the lights of Dyker Heights
December 12, 2008
Holiday traditions in Manhattan are of course known the world over, from the lights of Park Avenue to the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. But they lack that human touch, spun from wealthy corporations and honored tradition. Which is what makes Dyker Height's annual lighting…
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Bowery Boys Recommend: Belle of New York
BOWERY BOYS RECOMMEND is an occasional feature where we find an unusual movie or TV show that -- whether by accident or design -- uniquely captures…
Pilgrims progress in Central Park
For one Pilgrim, Thanksgiving never ends. Standing near the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park is Manhattan's tribute to the original European settlers, a solitary pilgrim upon…
Macy’s Strangest Thanksgiving Day Balloons Ever
Above: The parade in the 1930s was a veritable freakshow of oddball balloon creaturesNot every balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade latches on to your…
Name That Neighborhood: TriBeCa not so triangular
Some New York neighborhoods are simply named for their location on a map (East Village, Midtown). Others are given prefabricated real-estate designations (SoHo, DUMBO). But a…
Stopping time: Enrico Caruso’s Plaza tantrum
Caruso, wearing the big white turban, during the 1916-17 performance at the MetThe Plaza Hotel might have been built on the fortunes of a barbed-wire magnate,…
Manhatta: Art of the silent city
The Sunday New York Times had an excellent article on the restoration of the film Manhatta, purported to be the 'first avant garde film' ever made…
American History
Barack Obama’s New York City
Since Barack Obama is the reason we don't have a podcast this week, I thought I might as well spend a few moments looking into Obama's…
Magic New York: Martinka & Company casts a spell
Did you know it was National Magic Week? Please cast thoughts of David Blaine hanging upside-down from your mind and return to the mystical days of…
Fall foliage freakout at two Bronx botanical gardens
I'm skipping out on history today to give you a plain testimonial: if you're craving a flashy autumn show courtesy of Mother Nature, the time is…
Uncategorized
Pierre Lorillard: Manhattan’s original snuff king
Just a few gentlemen, enjoying healthy lungfuls of smoke (Picture courtesy National Cigar Museum)One of the key locales in the mystery of Mary Rogers was the…
Uncategorized
Haunted Brooklyn: Meet the sexy Bushwick ghost
While doing my ghost research this week, I came across an amusing article from an 1894 edition of the New York Times, back when ghost sightings…