“Rhee, Rhee, Rhee, Get Out of NYC”
As many New Yorkers rushed home to escape the 30 degree weather Tuesday night, Juan Pagan stood on the sidewalk on 42ndstreet between Madison and Fifth Avenue, chanting in anger. “My daughter had a few more credits! She closed the school down, she ruined it for my daughter,” yelled Pagan. The target of Pagan’s [...]
Hedging Social: Market Traders Use Online Community to Raise Value
By Pierce Gibson Crosby Ι Updated January 14, 2013 There are common tactics for Wall Street traders to pass the latest headlines to their cohorts – whether it is an underreported quarterly earnings statement or the Federal Reserve’s latest round of liquidity puts in the mortgage markets. The problem for the average Main Street consumer [...]
From client to volunteer, homeless shelter monitor “still one of us”
It’s not-too-cold, not-too-warm in Yorkville this Thursday night. Inside the kitchen of the homeless shelter in the Church of The Holy Trinity’s basement, Thomas Williams is preparing for tonight’s group of men. He says the food is just right. “A lot of good stuff. Sandwiches, salad, you got rice and beans. Wow, they’re going to [...]
Thanksgiving at the Church of The Holy Trinity Homeless Shelter
Anthony Womack stuck out among the men he dined with last Thursday evening. He wore a vertically-striped blue and white shirt buttoned to the top, a patterned tie, black vest, along with creaseless black pants. He may have looked like he could fit in on Wall Street, but Womack spent his Thanksgiving in a homeless [...]
The High Line: Where Art, History, and Public Space Collide
Few places in the city exemplify how earnestly Manhattan tries to develop harmony with nature. Yes, there’s Central Park, but that’s its own beast entirely, and buildings just hug it. The High Line, a former elevated freight line stretching multiple districts, literally encases nature with a concrete counterpart. Apartments and other buildings stand just feet [...]
The Plight of Lower East Side Small Businesses
Pepto-Bismol. Nowadays, Rona Economou, owner of a small Greek food stall in the Essex Street Market, keeps it handy. Stress makes her stomach uneasy. And her right eye, it twitches. Even in seemingly ordinary moments, like when she’s done laboring over the stove, the day’s cooking complete, and stands watch over her spinach pies, pear [...]
VIDEO: Columbia Fencer Chasing Olympic Bid
National champion, two-time junior world champion … one day, perhaps an Olympian? That’s what drives Margaret Lu, a freshman fencer at Columbia University, who last year was one spot away from qualifying from the London games. Video from NY City Lens on Vimeo.
There’s More to This Butcher than Meat and Frowns
PHILADELPHIA — It’s called Turducken. Cuts of three birds – chicken and duck inside a large, deboned turkey, each layer lined with a sausage stuffing – bundled together, forming the on-steroids pièce de résistance of a holiday meal near you. Patrons line up out the door of D’Angelo Bros., the century-old butcher shop in [...]
VIDEO: Rock and Roll Auction Features Items from Music Legends
Hundreds of items of celebrity music memorabilia is being auctioned off by a Midtown collectibles store; ranging from original handwritten lyrics by Bob Dylan, and the Michael Jackson wore during his first visit with Nelson Mandela. Steve Silva has the story.
Brooklyn Community in Fear While Fro-yo Bandit is Still on the Prowl
A recent string of robberies in Brooklyn has left small business owners feeling worried, scared, and vulnerable, as the suspect remains on the loose. Known as the “Fro-yo” and Ice Cream” Bandit, the suspect has robbed several businesses at gunpoint in Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, Fort Greene and Downtown Brooklyn, including a series of ice [...]
VIDEO: Hurricane Sandy Brings Storm Merchandise to New York
In New York, you can find all kinds of souvenirs – so why not a souvenir for Hurricane Sandy? Jefferson Mok reports. Video from NY City Lens on Vimeo.
VIDEO: Hoboken Recovers Amidst Elections
In Hoboken, New Jersey, the devastation from Hurricane Sandy has been immense. With recovery efforts underway, community members are now turning their attention to the elections. Jefferson Mok reports. Video from NY City Lens on Vimeo.
VIDEO: Political Party Volunteers In Short Supply On Election Day In Staten Island
As the hours ticked away toward the end of Election Day, Republican Party volunteer Ann Lettis was calling residents in Staten Island to remind them to vote, and check if they needed a lift to a polling station. She volunteered dozens of times before, but never had so many problems getting a hold of people. [...]
Staten Island Residents Have Mixed Feelings On Voting
Tuesday morning, Maria Martucelli, 58, stood in the basement of the Dongan Hills home where she has lived since 1985. Wearing navy rain boots, she walked around the muddy remnants of what was once a comfortable living space for her invalid father and her 26-year old son, Justin. Sheet rock covered the floors and [...]
VIDEO: Marathon An Afterthought on Staten Island
News of the New York City Marathon cancellation caused major inconveniences for the runners. But the race was not on the minds of the residents of Staten Island where the marathon begins. Staten Island Residents Not Focused on Marathon Cancellation from NY City Lens on Vimeo.
VIDEO: South Staten Island Community Recovers From Hurricane Sandy Together
Hurricane Sandy devastated many parts of the city. Staten Island was hit especially hard. Steve Silva brings us the story of how one man’s basement was destroyed, and how the community came to his help.
Lower East Side Back to Normal on Election Day
Lower East Side Back to Normal on Election Day from NY City Lens on Vimeo. A week after superstorm Sandy knocked out electricity in downtown Manhattan, Lower East Side residents had no trouble casting their votes on Tuesday. Though one site was changed because of flooding, voters on the east side of lower Manhattan, [...]
SLIDESHOW: One Howard Beach Family, Ravaged by Sandy, Tries to Recover
The first floor of Ralph Rivera’s house in Howard Beach was completely flooded on Monday, when Hurricane Sandy hit the shores of Queens. Rivera said he did not expect such damage, as last year his house was spared by Hurricane Irene. Howard Beach was located in a zone B, the city said, and residents were [...]
Not Even Sandy Can Stop New York’s Cabbies
When subway service is down, it falls to New York City cab drivers to take frustrated locals from one point to another. But the storm has made getting around town a nightmare, as traffic was heavy and gasoline was in limited supply.Taxi drivers haven’t had it so easy. “Are you crazy?!” barked taxi-driver Nikita Ibragimov [...]
Volunteers Out in Force on Staten Island, But Some Residents Are Still Angry Relief Didn’t Arrive Sooner
Nearly a week after hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on New York City, New Dorp Beach still looked as though a bomb had just exploded over the tiny seaside community. Along Cedar Grove Avenue, a trail of houses remain completely mangled. Battered cars, some with shattered windows and traces of water still pooling in them, littered the sidewalks; one SUV sat perched on top [...]
VIDEO: Relief Runners Aid Staten Island After Sandy
When the New York City Marathon was cancelled in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, a group of runners banded together to bring additional aid to one of the city’s hardest hit boroughs: Staten Island. Relief Runners Aid Staten Island After Sandy from NY City Lens on Vimeo.
With Everything in Ruins, A Family in Staten Island Clings to Hope
For most families in New York, the living room is the heart of a home. For the Ingenitos, who have lived in their house on Topping Street, a few hundred feet from New Dorp beach on the east side of Staten Island, it certainly was. But, the Ingenitos’ living room has lost its cozy feeling.
VIDEO: On Coney Island, Few Escaped Devastating Losses
Since the hurricane hit, nobody is visiting Coney Island for amusement. FEMA tents are set up down the street from the Cyclone rollercoaster, and the walls of Nathan’s hotdog stand are stained – like the rest of the buildings – where the water flooded six feet high. A heavy police presence on the street is [...]
