The once-celebrated East Village bar the Yaffa Café announced that it is closing its doors for good. It was initially shut down in September by the Department of Health for health violations. The coverage sent up its standard lament; another “iconic” landmark crushed by cruel fate. It’s a familiar pattern now. A well-known music venue,… Read more »
In the past few years a litany of small businesses have closed in Manhattan. From music venues like CBGBs and the Roseland Ballroom to stalwart restaurants like Union Square Cafe, NYC landmarks are disappearing at an alarming rate. Normally this would be a sign of a struggling economy but here it means quite the opposite…. Read more »
Dad had a habit for coming back into the apartment after he left late for work. Most weekdays, Rory and I watched the act as we sat at the kitchen table late for school eating Kellogg’s corn flakes or burnt toast (not Mom’s fault. Toaster was on the fritz, everything came out dark). Like Dad,… Read more »
About twelve years ago I was coming to the end of a long spell of unemployment. I had a job as a reporter/editor at an Internet publication that was on its last days. The publication’s offices were in a building in Hell’s Kitchen that also housed garment district sweatshops and offshore Internet gambling companies. There… Read more »
Tomorrow is my parents wedding anniversary or as I refer to it the anniversary of the opening volley at Fort Sumter. My parents battled over anything. The following 1950s’ New York story depicts one of their classic brawls. It’s an excerpt from my new book, “I Hate the Dallas Cowboys: tales of a scrappy New… Read more »
Market to table, meet SoHo. Cool cat Matt Levine and his indieFORK crew along with Michelin starred chef Joe Isodori have made their mark on the downtown foodie scene with the arrival of Chalk Point Kitchen, a blasé ode to all things local. In summary, crazy good home-grown fare and a kick-ass cocktail program are… Read more »
Friday night The Replacements took over Forest Hills with a long-awaited concert at the historic Forest Hills Stadium. Though the band’s current tour began in 2013 this show marked the first time in over 20 years that the band played in New York. That time away seems to have improved the group’s live act taking… Read more »
This weekend saw a very large demonstration in New York in favor of addressing climate change. Support for helping the environment is widespread and spans a lot of political and cultural chasms. You don’t need to be a climatologist to know which way the wind blows. Even if the case for climate change is oversold,… Read more »
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a form of depression induced during whether change; primarily around winter months mood-swings are quite pervasive, and during summer the spirit uplifting becomes more prevalent. Let’s exclude therapy, antidepressants and other attributes, and specifically focus on the inherent correlation between weather conditions and our physiological mechanisms. Light stimulates a powerful effect… Read more »
Why at 60 do I remember my half birthday is tomorrow? I never forget. The reason is Uncle Norman. Mom had this thing with shoe stores. She always complained her feet hurt. We’d go in and out of Yorkville’s many shoe stores looking for the perfect comfortable shoe that she never found. Rory and I… Read more »
