ILLUMINATING THE RICH AND VARIED LIFE OF NEW YORK CITY

 

 

 

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May 2019

News, Uncategorized

For 27 years, New Yorkers of all kinds have carried around a thin card of yellow plastic that grants entry to the city’s underground arteries. But if plans go according to the Metropolitan Transit Authority and its longtime contractor, the Cubic Corporation, the MetroCard will go the way of the token by 2023. In fact, the shift is already underway.  New York City will be one of the first in the U.S. to have a contactless system, Steve Brunner, vice president and general manager for Cubic’s operations in New York, said in an interview. Chicago may have been first in contactless payment,

News, Politics & Policy

As the city council polishes up a piece of legislation that would ban “cashless” retail, an early adopter of card- and app-only transactions has indicated it will be reversing course. The fast-casual eatery Sweetgreen announced in a blog post on Thursday it would transition away from its cashless policy, which its stores adopted two years ago. The national chain has 22 locations in the New York metro area, centered mainly on Manhattan and in parts of Brooklyn. Opponents to the practice complain the policy is discriminatory to customers who rely on cash—typically poorer and older residents. Similar to measures adopted by Philadelphia

Immigration, Queens, Religion, The Global City

This weekend is pandemonium in Astoria. All along 31st Street people hustle in and out of Greek bakeries and grocery stores and butcher shops, buying traditional tsoureki bread and lamb. “It’s our busiest weekend of the year.” says Michael Kallas, manager of Titan Foods, a Greek grocery store and sweet shop, before darting off to help a cashier with a line of customers. This Sunday is Greek Easter. The Greek Orthodox Church follows the Julian calendar, which differs slightly from the Gregorian calendar used in many other Christian faiths. For Greeks, Easter (or Pascha) is the biggest holiday of the