Oysters Are Saving New York’s Waters
There are many fans of oysters who eat them for their failure; however, I’m a fan of oysters because of what they eat. Back in 2011 we looked at the…
New York City
two days in new york city
This is one of those posts I write only for myself. This blog functions as my travel diary, and I like that diary to be complete. So here I am.…
new york, bruce springsteen, and other things i love
We are here! Staying here. Going to this! Also here, scene of many past celebrations. Ah, New York. And Bruce!! That is all.
kevin baker in harpers: "the death of a once great city — the fall of new york and the urban crisis of affluence"
Everyone who cares about cities, about privatization, and frankly, about humans and our ability to live on our planet, should make time to read the July cover story in Harper’s…
welcome to the allan and laura new york city history reading club
The theme of this year’s TD Summer Reading Club — a national program (developed by Toronto Public Library) that more than 2,000 Canadian libraries participate in — is Feed Your…
rip fred bass, who gave nyc a priceless gift
Is there a New Yorker alive who hasn’t spend time in The Strand? A New York City tourist who didn’t thrill to their first visit to The Strand? The man…
what i’m reading: city on fire
I finished City on Fire, Garth Risk Hallberg’s astonishing debut novel, a few days ago, but stories from the book are still playing in mind. I initially didn’t want to…
what i’m reading: the new jim crow by michelle alexander
When I first heard the incarceration of African Americans in the United States referred to as a “new Jim Crow,” I thought it must be hyperbole. So did Michelle Alexander,…
A Playground Where Kids Play With Tools
Kids need places to play, and those playgrounds need to encourage community, exploration, and more. Designing a good playground can be harder than it sounds, it’s not as easy as…
in which the death of a rock legend makes me think about how our world has changed
When this came out, I hung the cover on my bedroom wall. Sharing memories of David Bowie, as so many of us were after his too-early death this week, led…
Fast food and fair wages: What happens when a good idea from Alberta hits the big time in New York?
PHOTOS: New York, New York … You gotta love it! Below: Fast food, New York City style. Below that: New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo and Alberta Premier Rachel Notley.…
joseph mitchell, master writer of the master city
My desire is to get the reader, well, first of all to read it. That story was hard to write because I had to wonder how long can I keep…
subway tokens, greek coffee cups, and me: missing nyc
This week I received email from my friend Alan, formerly known in this blog as Alan with one L, or AW1L. Subject line: Re: 34th Street/Penn Station Just Now Out-of-Towner…
Taking a Call for Climate Change to the Streets of New York City
Richard Hughes-Political Blogger Read Lisa W. Foderaro’s comprehensive New York Times report that saw 100,000 demonstrators that hit the streets of New York city calling for action on ‘Climate Change.’…
Climate Disruption: Why Do We Do So Little When We Know So Much?
* This weekend in New York City, and at solidarity events around the globe, the People’s Climate March:
tommy ramone, and how can it be the ramones are gone from this world?
Back-to-back obituaries again. Obits are taking up a large percentage of wmtc real estate these days, yet another indication of how little I’m writing. The passing of Thomas Erdelyi this…
ruby dee, 1922-2014
Ruby Dee was a towering figure in the American theatre. She was a great actor, a poet, playwright, and screenwriter, and a steadfast voice for equality. Along with the actor…
memo to porter airlines passenger who needs lessons in new york city
Dear suburban GTA resident flying on Porter Airlines from Newark to Toronto: Since you were not talking to me, I was unable to respond to your erroneous statements. But since…
what i’m reading: just kids by patti smith
Just Kids is a memoir by the artist and musician Patti Smith, about her life and relationship with the artist Robert Mapplethorpe. The book is a memoir of both Smith’s…
before the onion, before the yes men, there was the post new york post
One day, as I was getting off the subway on my way from Brooklyn to my workplace on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, people were handing out these tabloids.…