Oh hey.
Features, reported pieces, fiction, and other clips I have had featured in various publications.
Published by TheBody, September 13, 2023
Toni Blackman is a rapper, writer, poet, and performer. She also holds the unique honor of being the first official U.S. hip-hop ambassador—someone sent by the State Department into communities around the globe to engage in cross-cultural performance and collaboration.
Published by FanSided, July 5, 2022
The Sports for Climate Action Framework is supposed to encourage action and accountability on climate change from the sports world. But is it enough?
The sports industry isn’t often singled out as a major contributor to climate change. When searching for sources of global warming, we tend to think of more obvious sectors like transportation and electricity. But keeping sports running requires a collection of other industries, each with their own carbon footprint.
Published by InStyle, January 14, 2021
I'm sorry, but you can't have my copy of 200 Cigarettes.
It isn't personal. In fact, one of my best friends once offered to buy it from me, and I told her the same thing that I am telling you : Absolutely not, get out of my apartment.
It's not the money that I am worried about, although a used DVD of the film is currently selling for $265 on eBay. And it isn't the movie's highly elusive status that concerns me, although it isn't available for rent or on any streaming platforms and never shows up on TV.
Until they weren't.
Published by InStyle, December 8, 2020
My first bedroom in New York City was so small that it couldn't fit a door. Legally, it wasn't a bedroom at all, just the front end of a friend's living room in a tiny first-floor apartment in the heart of the West Village. My window was parallel to the sidewalk, and sometimes as I got dressed, I would wind up face to face with a grinning stranger.
Published by Brooklyn Magazine, December 7, 2020
As March had barely gotten underway, Eric Demby was early to the realization that everyday life was about to change irrevocably. But due to some quick thinking—and nimble pivoting—over the past nine months, he has been able to ensure the survival of the marketplace staples Brooklyn Flea and Smorgasburg, both of which he co-founded, through a brutal year.
Published by Inside Out Tattoo Magazine, March 27, 2019
I have come to believe that making a regrettable tattoo choice is truly just part of living your best life. It means that for a brief moment in time you felt something so strongly that the idea of ever changing your mind about it seemed impossible.
But unlike other choices made in a vacuum of blissful ignorance, like a perm or blue contact lenses, tattoos are forever. You can’t grow them out or take them off. And who among us can say that something super important from a decade ago holds the same level of importance for them today?
Published by Culture Magazine, January 16, 2019
Sohail Zandi, the 34-year-old chef and co-owner of Brushland Eating House in Bovina, N.Y., did not attend culinary school. Instead, he earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and attended graduate school for political science. But in between classes, he struck up a side hustle in New York City’s restaurant world.
Published by Inside Out Tattoo Magazine, June 21, 2019
The world of tattoos is forever evolving and, as a result, artists and tattoo lovers are constantly looking for new ways to push boundaries. It should come as no surprise that this also includes tattooing new parts of the human body, and with every square inch of skin tried and tested, some are turning to new surfaces as a canvas. One of those surfaces is fingernails.
Published by Artsy, October 2018
Art is often the unsung hero of music festival season. Less attention-grabbing than the headliners and less click-baity than the fashion trends, the horizon-breaking installations, colorful murals, and kinetic sculptures that dot concert landscapes tend to play a backseat role. But as anyone who has been to a music festival knows, it is the art that transforms a patch of dirt and grass into a place that feels light years away from a nearby parking lot or a surrounding city.
Published by Culture Magazine, April 30, 2018
While a popular menu item in many parts of the world, lamb is not a common order in the United States. In fact, the average American consumes less than a pound of the protein per year, compared to nearly 200 pounds of beef, pork, and chicken. Why? Some blame World War II, during which it is said that American soldiers ate a great deal of mutton. As a result, the men returned to the States with an aversion to the gamy meat, associated it with lamb, and passed the distaste on to their families.
When I had a slice of American cheese in my hand, all was right with the world. It was summertime and I had spent the day swimming in a friend’s pool. At the barbecue, each child was handed an individually wrapped cheese slice to place on a hamburger. I had never seen cheese like this before. It was so orange it practically glowed. It was smooth and lacked condensation, even in the hot sun. I ate one slice, and then asked for another, savoring each salty bite, tonguing the gummy stuff on the back of my teeth.
One of New York City’s most iconic Christmas traditions just got a high-tech makeover.
The stars of Radio City Music Hall’s Christmas Spectacular have always been and continue to be the famous Rockettes dancers, but this year audiences will be treated to an extra layer of excitement: a modern overhaul of the production in the form of updated technology and enhanced digital elements.
“We’ve expanded upon the existing projections to create a wholly immersive experience for our fans from the first row to the third mezzanine,” said Larry Sedwick, senior vice president of production for the Christmas Spectacular. “It was just a great challenge, and we are very excited about the results.”
It was after dark when my husband and I arrived at Mystic Lodge. We followed a string of illuminated bulbs along the side of a small house and into a large valley at the base of the hills, the moon offering just enough light for us to make our way. We had no idea what to expect from the promise of a tipi stay; we had spent most of the car ride tossing out guesses for what the experience might hold. Upon entering the tipi and lighting some candles, we took in the welcoming feel — an inviting bed stacked with warm blankets, a wood-burning stove, brightly colored throw pillows, and all sorts of eclectic details.
The Glen Wilde is one of those unique properties that triggers memories of my childhood. The communal bonfire makes me think of balmy summer nights at sleepaway camp. The collective undertone reminds me of light-hearted vacations with family and friends, and the wooden bungalows take me back to days spent glued to the television set watching Dirty Dancing or Meatballs over and over (and over again).
While the Glen Wilde has only been operational for two seasons, the property has a history of welcoming city visitors like myself to relax and stay awhile. Originally built in the 1940s, the colony sits on 11 private acres in the quiet hamlet of Mountain Dale, NY, just 90 minutes from the George Washington Bridge. Set in an area of the Catskills once nicknamed the “Borscht Belt,” The Glen Wilde was one of many mid-century bungalow colonies utilized as a seasonal destination for weary city dwellers. Millions of Jewish families traveled up each summer to swap the sweltering heat for clear lakes and fresh mountain air. Children roamed freely and safely, potlucks were a nightly ritual, and everyone enjoyed dressing up for evening entertainment. When air travel became more attainable, the area’s tourist industry declined, and today many of the old colonies around Sullivan County have since fallen into decay.
BY GABRIELLE SIERRA IN NEWS ON OCT 25, 2016 3:32 PM
Long-time Brooklynites may be familiar with the siren noises that resound on Friday evenings in neighborhoods across the borough. This noise, which signals the beginning of Shabbat, gives observant Jews a heads up that it's time to head home before sundown. The sirens are especially common in neighborhoods like South Williamsburg and Borough Park, which have large ultra-Orthodox Jewish populations.
The sirens, while extremely loud, are short-lived and usually easy enough to ignore, but a new siren on top of a Bed-Stuy synagogue is causing a bit of a stir with residents. (Disclosure: I am one of these residents.) The siren was recently recorded hitting a decibel level of 106, more than double the legal limit for New York City.
BY GABRIELLE SIERRA IN NEWS ON JUL 14, 2016 11:20 AM
As a female growing up in New York City I’ve developed a thick skin when it comes to indecent exposure. I’ve been flashed a handful of times, and although the moment is always disturbing, I've typically decided there's not much to do about it. My general rule of thumb is to ignore the flasher and extricate myself from the situation in a quick and safe manner. Sadly my ability to soldier through an act of indecent exposure without freaking out has almost become a point of pride—a sign of true city grit.
However, I recently found myself in a unique position; a man exposed himself to me when I knew a policeman was nearby and I reported the incident. I wish I could say this story ends with an arrest and me riding home on a rainbow of justice, but sadly it does not.
We are just four months into the New Year and already the 2016 concert lineup reads like a time traveler's wish list. An insane number of bands have announced their decision to reunite, producing new music and booking new dates while putting aside old feuds, statements of permanent partings and solo side projects. Long-separated bands like Guns N’ Roses, LCD Soundsystem, Ween and At The Drive In have all begun touring, while other groups like NWA and The Spice Girls have been hinting at a potential reunion.
But are we satisfied? Quite the contrary—all of these reunions have left us thirsty for more! Here are 8 bands we wish would drop what they are doing and reunite for our own selfish listening pleasures.
The 2016 Academy Award season has been riddled with controversy over what many see as a severe lack of diversity. Hashtags have been born and boycotts have been announced, all leading to a promised overhaul in the Oscar voting policies and pool. But the Academy Awards are no stranger to controversy. From wacky acceptance speeches to possible assaults, this show has seen more than its share of memorable moments, and here are 7 that stand out the most.
Published by Paste Magazine I April 19, 2016
Part of being a successful musician means giving a good face. Whether it is a winning smile, a signature snarl, a distinctive makeup choice or an eye-covering hairdo, an artist’s face allows them to communicate who they are and how they want to come across to their audience. A recognizable face also allows fans to identify musicians off the stage and follow their lives outside of their art.
But what if you remove this aspect from a show? What happens when you strip away the lipstick and winks and scowls and smiles and draw focus to the music and other aspects of a live performance? Here are seven artists known for doing just that.
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, which means you can’t so much as buy a carton of milk without being bombarded by cheesy paper hearts and crappy love songs. Every restaurant is booked and every movie seat filled and all you can think to do is hide under the covers until the morning comes. But instead of giving up on Cupid’s birthday, get in on the fun with your own anti-Valentine’s day playlist—one that is so badass it actually rips the petals off all those overpriced roses. So pull your head out from under your pillow and put on those headphones or, better yet, turn your speaker way up and rock out to 10 great bitter, angry, sappy and ultimately empowering anti-love songs.
The Sofar rules are something we could all live by: Good music, good people keeping quiet during the sets and a good living room. It happens to the best of us: You are at a show and the person behind you is talking, that guy in front of you is on his phone, you are so far away from the stage that you can’t even tell who is playing and you are too embarrassed to ask your friends if that was the headliner or the second act. Take comfort, you are not alone.
No need for a destination wedding — these venues will make your special day feel one-of-a-kind.
When it comes to weddings, big cities can be just as expensive as destination weddings. But what if you didn’t have to go far to find a one-of-a-kind event?
Couples seeking to host a unique event need only take a short drive from the Northeast's three big cities to find a venue that boasts the perfect rustic ambiance, in charming towns their guests can explore.
Here are six spots sure to make your special day even more memorable.
Chris Evans may be known for his roles in movies like “Captain America” and “Snowpiercer,” but the actor recently took a turn behind the camera, diverging from his leading man title to direct and produce the upcoming romance film, “Before We Go.” It is Evans’ directorial debut, and probably not the last film we will see helmed by the actor. Yet Evans is hardly the first artist to jump from one focus to another. Many famous actors, photographers, painters, dancers and musicians have done the same, taking a seat in the director’s chair with spectacular and highly successful results. Here are five of the best and brightest.
A few weeks ago we took a look at current exhibits in museums and other cultural institutions in and around New York, and suggested that whiling the day away gazing at art while soaking up free air conditioning just might be one the best ways to tough out a heat wave. Well, the heat wave is here, and we want to amend that list and add one more exhibit that we left off the first time around, now, with musical guest.
Published by The New York Daily News
It’s not unusual to see shoppers at Arthur Avenue Retail Market do a double take when passing by the newly opened Bronx Beer Hall.
Surrounded by Italian-American vendors peddling dried meats, spices, oils and produce, the hall stands in stark contrast to where it’s located. With a bar made from reclaimed wood, beer served in Mason jars, and six flat-screen televisions circling the seating area, the Bronx Beer Hall appears to have dropped in accidentally from Manhattan or north Brooklyn.
Though we’re fans (and publishers) of neighborhood guides and lists of where to eat right now, we also recognize that they tend to follow trends and overlook neighborhood gems. To that end, we’ve started a new series called Neighborhood Expert in which we chat with a longtime local for the scoop on their favorite spots and their take on how the area has changed.
Name: Mauricio Lorence
Neighborhood: Clinton Hill
How long have you been in Clinton Hill?
It is going to be 41 years—it has been a long time. When my family first immigrated to New York from Panama, we lived in Bed-Stuy for two years. And I spent about 20 years in Park Slope. But I moved to Clinton Hill when I was about 29–30 years old. My mother, brother, sister-in-law—we bought a brownstone.
BY GABRIELLE SIERRA IN Gothamist NEWS ON JUL 30, 2014 5:05 PM
A Buffalo man is being accused of selling the "Molly" that led to a death at last year's Electric Zoo. Patrick Morgan was arrested this morning under charges of narcotics distribution and narcotics conspiracy in connection to the death of 23-year-old Jeffrey Russ.
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BY GABRIELLE SIERRA IN Gothamist NEWS ON JUL 30, 2014 3:58 PM
One former and two current Rikers Island correction officers have been arrested and indicted on charges of drug trafficking, smuggling contraband, and bribery. The indictments come as the result of a five-month wiretap investigation dubbed "Operation Correction Connection," during which undercover investigators posed as friends and family of Rikers Island inmates and made deals with accused officers Steven Dominguez and Divine Rahming.
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BY GABRIELLE SIERRA IN Gothamist FOOD ON JUL 30, 2014 1:35 PM
In a decision laden with potentially super-sized consequences, the federal government ruled on Tuesday that McDonalds is an employer that exerts substantial power over its employees’ working conditions. This ruling by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) shot down $5.6 billion company's assertion that it was not in control of employment decisions at its franchised restaurants.
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BY GABRIELLE SIERRA IN Gothamist NEWS ON JUL 30, 2014 11:57 AM
A new study has found that New York state adults are severely lagging behind the rest of the country when it comes to registering for organ and tissue donation. New York state adults register as organ and tissue donors at less than half the rate of adults nationwide.
The need for lifesaving organs in New York State is among the highest in the country; today, out of the nearly 123,000 Americans that are on waiting lists for organ transplants, almost 11,000 are New Yorkers. Last year, 381 New Yorkers became too sick to remain on the waiting list, and 539 died awaiting a transplant.
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BY GABRIELLE SIERRA IN Gothamist NEWS ON JUL 30, 2014 11:00 AM
Today marks the first official day of city-mandated paid sick leave, which means that more New Yorkers can finally stop dragging their summer-cold plagued body to work, spreading germs, making enemies, and violating important office etiquette laws.
"Today, we embark on the beginning of a bright new chapter in New York City's history," says Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. "The start of paid sick days for over a million newly qualified workers is a momentous occasion that will help build a stronger, healthier New York that lives up to the promise of uplifting all those who call our great City home."
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BY GABRIELLE SIERRA IN Gothamist NEWS ON JUL 27, 2014 5:15 PM
The Bronx man accused of torturing a cat to death by setting it on fire is now claiming the act was carried out in self-defense.
According to The Daily News, Ernesto Bailey told the police that the cat came into his apartment and was scratching him and his children. “I went outside for a smoke and the cat jumped on my head, and as a reflex, I threw it against the wall. I ran the cat over with a shopping cart,” Bailey said.
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BY GABRIELLE SIERRA IN Gothamist NEWS ON JUL 27, 2014 4:52 PM
A trend far worse than $25,000 bottles of champagne has hit the Hamptons this season: Lyme disease. Hospital visits as a result of tick bites have been on the rise in the region this year. One local physician told The Post that he treats 100 patients each week for Lyme disease. To combat the issue, Southampton Hospital has started the Tick-Borne Disease Resource Center, a service created to educate the public about ticks and to diagnose and treat bites.
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BY GABRIELLE SIERRA IN Gothamist FOOD ON JUL 27, 2014 3:15 PM
Your favorite doughy midnight snack may be a contributing factor to world annihilation. A fascinating article in this week's Times Magazine shows how China's rapidly expanding network of freezers is having a huge impact on global warming.
The world's number one carbon emitter (We're Number Two!) is experiencing the boom in commercial and residential refrigeration the United States saw some decades ago, but on a much larger scale.
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BY GABRIELLE SIERRA IN Gothamist NEWS ON JUL 27, 2014 10:00 AM
A 21-year old woman was killed on Long Island yesterday after her ex-boyfriend accidentally ran her over in his car. The victim, Krystal Berkowitz, had refused to ride home with her ex because he was intoxicated, Newsday reports.
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BY GABRIELLE SIERRA IN Gothamist NEWS ON JUL 27, 2014 12:36 PM
The recent car crash involving an ex-Hasidic Brooklyn woman has prompted some in the ultra-Orthodox community to paint it as an act of divine retribution. Brenda Turtle, aka Brenda Rosenberg, has caused a stir since leaving the Satmar community nearly two years ago, establishing a following on Twitter and Facebook.
In the past Turtle has used social media to discuss her issues with the Satmars. A video on YouTube shows her holding a drink and presenting what she believes to be the double standards of Hasidic culture, highlighting the repression of women.
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BY GABRIELLE SIERRA IN Gothamist NEWS ON JUL 25, 2014 4:27 PM
A task force has been formed to address the flood of unaccompanied migrant minors streaming into New York. This new coordinated effort was announced on Wednesday during a meeting hosted by the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), where officials discussed a new strategy for handling the children, involving a partnership with local church charities, health care organizations, and legal groups.
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BY GABRIELLE SIERRA IN Gothamist NEWS ON JUL 25, 2014 3:29 PM
An audit has shown that The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) failed to meet their own hiring requirements, subsequently depriving public housing and low-income New Yorkers of potential wages.
The audit, conducted by NYC Comptroller Scott M. Stringer, examined 29 of the 224 capital project contracts awarded by NYCHA between the years 2010 and 2012.
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BY GABRIELLE SIERRA IN Gothamist NEWS ON JUL 25, 2014 11:15 AM
A 32-year old Queens man had his face slashed during a dispute near Times Square early this morning. The incident, which took place in front of 717 8th Avenue at around 2:12 a.m., was the result of an argument between the victim and an unidentified male.
Police say the two men got into a physical altercation before the suspect punched the victim in the face with an unknown object, causing a deep laceration to left side of his lip. The suspect then fled and is still at large.
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BY GABRIELLE SIERRA IN Gothamist NEWS ON JUL 24, 2014 4:32 PM
A female executive assistant at the business management firm Alvarez & Marsal has filed a sexual harassment suit against the company, alleging that her boss continuously assaulted her with a flow of inappropriate, unwelcome, and generally racist comments. The woman, Maysa Abdel-Razeq, claims that this sort of behavior went on for years, "culminating in a campaign of retaliation against her" after she publicly refused her boss's advances.
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BY GABRIELLE SIERRA IN Gothamist NEWS ON JUL 24, 2014 12:41 PM
A city human resources worker has been arrested for allegedly pocketing over $500,000 meant for homeless and low-income New Yorkers. The employee in question, Rafael Heras, is charged with stealing public assistance funds through fraudulent rent checks issued to bogus landlords.
The arrest came after discrepancies were discovered by the City Human Resources Administration (HRA), the sector that Heras worked for. The complaint was then examined by the New York City Department of Investigation, resulting in Heras's arrest this week.
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BY GABRIELLE SIERRA IN Gothamist NEWS ON JUL 24, 2014 12:27 PM
Arriving at the Port Authority Bus Terminal is like entering New York City through America's most depressing shopping mall. There is always a vendor selling headbands, everyone looks lost, and the aromatic carpet of Auntie Anne's pretzels is punctuated by occasional stains of urine. It is hard to find your way out, and once you do get past the heavy front doors you are immediately confronted by a strange man who is super mad at you. Welcome to New York!
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BY GABRIELLE SIERRA IN Gothamist FOOD ON JUL 23, 2014 5:07 PM
Morton Williams Supermarkets have announced that they will be boycotting Turkish goods as a gesture of solidarity with Israel. According to a release issued today by the supermarket chain, the product ban will begin immediately.
The decision was spurred by Turkey's boycott of Israeli products, and by Prime Minister Recep Erdogan's "support and embrace of the terrorist organization Hamas, his vitriolic anti-Semitic comments comparing Israelis to Nazis, and his ally's egregious acceptance of violence against the Jewish community in Turkey."
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BY GABRIELLE SIERRA IN Gothamist NEWS ON JUL 23, 2014 3:00 PM
A Brooklyn man has entered the running to win the 'biggest jerk in New York' title, neck and neck with the guy who kicked a cat, and the ReBar owner who left betrothed couples in the lurch. The alleged jerk in question is Ariel Lemos Hernandez, a 41-year-old who lives in Flatbush. Hernandez is being charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of a forged instrument after scamming over $42,500 from an 87-year-old woman.
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BY GABRIELLE SIERRA IN Gothamist NEWS ON JUL 23, 2014 2:36 PM
Local religious and political leaders gathered in Bay Ridge yesterday in order to address escalating anti-Muslim hate crimes in the area. The conference was called after two separate incidents occurred in one weekend, increasing tension between Israeli and Muslim groups. Both incidents overlapped with the final days of Ramadan.
The first incident occurred on July 18th. Elderly Muslims heading into a Sheepshead Bay mosque on Coney Island Avenue were hit by eggs flung from a passing car. According to the New York Times, the attackers shouted, “This is for your Allah!”
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BY GABRIELLE SIERRA IN Gothamist NEWS ON JUL 23, 2014 11:34 AM
A Brooklyn man was seriously injured yesterday after he was crushed by a falling tree branch in Bedford-Stuyvesant. The victim, 43-year-old Wayne Knight, was walking along MacDonough Street on Tuesday afternoon when he was suddenly struck by the detached branch.
“I just watched as the tree just cracked in half and fell on top of him,” Shay Wilson, told The Post. Wilson had been speaking with Knight just moments before the branch broke free, and ran over immediately after the incident. “He didn’t scream; he was totally quiet. He was knocked unconscious,” Wilson said. “I didn’t know if he was dead or not.”
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BY GABRIELLE SIERRA IN Gothamist NEWS ON JUL 20, 2014 3:30 PM
Nuns running the St. Joseph's Immigrant Home are acting somewhat less than benevolent, raising rents on tenants and subsequently forcing out those unable to pay.
“You can really tell they do not want us in the building,” Rachel Wunder, told The Post. “They’re trying to suck everybody dry here.” Wunder's monthly rent was raised by $200, jumping from $600 to $800.
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BY GABRIELLE SIERRA IN Gothamist NEWS ON JUL 20, 2014 2:48 PM
After the death of 43-year-old Eric Garner at the hands of police last week, the organization charged with adjudicating civilian complaints against the NYPD says it will review the more than 1,000 incidents in which New Yorkers say officers illegally used choke holds. Yet of those 1,000 or so incidents reported to the Civilian Complaint Review Board since 2009, only nine were substantiated, a statistic that reflects the agency's longstanding inability to meaningfully impact police behavior.
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BY GABRIELLE SIERRA IN Gothamist NEWS ON JUL 20, 2014 12:50 PM
Two men plunged into the Hudson River yesterday to rescue a woman that had jumped into the water. Although all three had to be rescued by the FDNY, the incident still proved that some people are just really nice.
One of the men who jumped in after the woman told CBS New York, "I saw a crowd starting and we didn’t know what to do,” the man said. “I said ‘you’re going with me right?’ He said ‘yea.’ So I said ‘Alright let’s go, let’s do it because I can’t do it alone.’ We got over to the wall and help came.”
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BY GABRIELLE SIERRA IN Gothamist NEWS ON JUL 20, 2014 10:45 AM
Metro-North service has resumed after a Saturday afternoon rock slide delayed trains and stranded passengers. The incident occurred between the Garrison and Peekskill stations on the Hudson Line, leaving commuters waiting several hours for shuttle busses.
"Thousands of people waiting for one bus... Metro north fails again," said tipster Tarin Lite, who sent images of long lines and unhappy faces.
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BY GABRIELLE SIERRA IN Gothamist FOOD ON JUL 29, 2013 2:31 PM
The neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant has become quite the hotspot for craft beer options, available in all sorts of venues and stores. Here are a few of our favorite spots to grab a craft cold one.
Any bar with the motto "No crap on tap, craft beer at its best" is a-okay in our book. Straddling the Bed Stuy-Clinton Hill border this sports bar boasts 42 beers on tap as well as 72 bottled and 5 canned choices. The craft beer options are many, including the Breckenridge Vanilla Porter, Two Brothers Domaine Dupage and the Mad River Double Dread Imperial Red. Brooklyn Tap House also offers up a large food menu, a massive interior space complete with multiple television screens, and a backyard. 16oz drafts go for $6.
Brooklyn Tap House is located at 590 Myrtle Avenue, (347) 750-7557, http://www.brooklyntaphouse.com/ordereze/default.aspx
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BY GABRIELLE SIERRA IN Gothamist ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT ON NOV 5, 2013 5:17 PM
This past Sunday the Coney Island Polar Bear Club met for their first swim of the season. The dip, which attracted over fifty brave souls, was held on Coney Island beach, where the club has been conquering the icy waters since 1903.
The cold water swim season runs from November-April, with the infamous New Years Day swim attracting hundreds of masochists adventurous thrill seekers. But if you are looking to find a more long term commitment, the club is on the lookout for ten new members.
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BY GABRIELLE SIERRA IN Gothamist NEWS ON JUL 8, 2013 4:50 PM
Hours after announcing his bid for NYC Comptroller, former Governor Eliot Spitzer weathered the mid-day heat wave in Union Square. His goal? To collect some of the 3,750 signatures needed in order to get his name on the ballot. The result? About seven signatures, a suit covered in sweat, a huge swarm of reporters closing in on him, and infamous heckler Joey Boots yelling, "Hey Spitzer, what's the going rate for a hooker?"
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BY GABRIELLE SIERRA IN Gothamist in FOOD ON JUL 14, 2014 12:35 PM
Summer 2014 has brought many troubling things to New Yorkers, from rats in wraps, and sharks near the beach. But one of the most upsetting first world problems we struggle with here has been the dramatic rise in iced coffee prices. Counting up your caffeine-related receipts can be more depressing than counting up your booze-related ones. That's why we don't count receipts!
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It isn't often that bands credit Connecticut as the launch pad for their musical success. "We had a recurring DJ night in Hartford," says Matthew Young, singer/producer for electro-pop foursome Body Language. "We would spin house music and make our own tracks and put them in our sets. That's how we learned. It was a blast, because basically it was the only thing to do in Hartford." Now based in Brooklyn, Body Language's party-rocking roots are still evident. Tracks tilt between disco beats and dreamy synth chords, transporting listeners from a hazy beach to an early-'80s dance club.
King Avriel, the gender-bending stage name of singer/songwriter Avriel Epps, hints at her hard-to-classify music. "Every song I make sounds different," she says. "There isn't one specific sound or story." Nonetheless, the 23-year-old Los Angeles native has built an impressive social fan base (including 20,000-plus Instagram followers) and praise from online outlets like Complex, Okayplayer and 2DopeBoyz with her ethereal R&B-meets-electro sound and introspective lyrics about life and love.
Toronto-based pop-rock group Alvvays, which formed a year ago, has already opened for artists like Peter Bjorn and John and the Joy Formidable—not bad for a bunch of musicians who were mere weekend warriors until a few days ago. “We had never done more than three shows in a row,” lead singer/songwriter Molly Rankin says, calling in from the middle of a 12-day tour that’s taking the band through eastern Canada and New York.
"Big, built-for-the-stadium kind of jams." That's how Avan Lava lead singer Tom "TC" Hennes describes the Brooklyn-based electro-pop group's party-centric sound. It's known for bringing that energy to its frenetic live show as well. "They'll blow every penny they make to bring in lasers, smoke machines and confetti cannons," says manager Tara Perkins of Hard Land Management. "It's an incredible experience for the audience." Fan fun became a focus of the band early on. In 2009, multi-instrumentalist Ian Pai and producer/musician Le Chev met while touring with Fischerspooner.
Inspired by classic jazz artist Billie Holiday and soul pioneer Ray Charles, singer/songwriter Sophia Bastian combines smoky vocals with modern, youthful lyrics to deliver something both old and new, fresh but well-practiced.
Bastian loves songwriting and puts effort and thought into constructing her tracks. "It is the most delicate part of the process, being able to tap into the flow," she says. "It's not like pushing a button. I usually go through a rough patch of life and then work it out musically for myself." It's this dedication to her work that drew music executive Michael "Blue" Williams to become her adviser/guide. "Sophia is a pure artist," he says. "It's exciting to watch when an artist comes to you with a vision and you see it, and to see her be able to do it, it makes you believe."
When you think of street dance, Park Avenue is not usually the street that comes to mind. But choreographer Reggie “Regg Roc” Gray and director Peter Sellars are making the posh Upper East Side artery the place to see one of the city’s most exciting displays of physical expression with their new show,FLEXN, which opened at the Park Avenue Armory yesterday. For the next 10 days they will attempt to add a different type of cred to a street style phenomenon that up to now has had to rely on venues like subway cars and the steps of Union Square Park in order to attract an audience.
FLEXN centers around a street dance form called “flexing”—or “flexin” or “flexN”—a style pioneered by Gray that combines rhythmic movement and contortion. The form emerged from Jamaican dance halls and Brooklyn reggae clubs that were popular in the ’90s. Evolving over time, flexing hit the streets and began to gain traction around 2005, finding a home in dance circles all over the world.
They were on the road for two hours before the rain came.
Emma had changed her clothes in the back seat as they exited Manhattan, folding her bloody dress tightly before shoving it into a Wendy’s take-out bag. When they stopped for gas, Roman got her the bathroom key, and she rinsed the blood from her hair.
“It wasn’t so bad in there, actually,” she said when she got back into the car. “Gas station bathrooms are never that bad. I mean I wouldn’t eat sushi off the floor. But I think they make it worse in the movies, you know? They make it look worse than it really is.”
The power of this story is enhanced by us not knowing what happened before the story starts—why Emma’s dress and her hair are so bloody. I don’t really want you to tell me what happened, but I’m curious: Do you know the details or was that off-screen violence vague and troubling in your mind as well when you were writing this?
As I started writing the story I had a vague notion of what happened off-screen, but not a specific one. I knew that Emma was the one controlling the situation, that she was less disturbed by what had happened, while Roman was reeling from the incident. I like the idea that it could have been either one of them who committed the act of violence, but that Emma was the one in control of it all with the blood on her hands. It was troubling to me, even as the writer, and I liked that.
Published by Broadwayworld.com, June 2010
Academy Award-nominee Michael McKean is currently starring in the role of ‘The Stage Manager' in David Cromer's acclaimed production of Thornton Wilder's Our Town, at the Barrow Street Theatre.
Mr. McKean previously appeared on the New York stage in Superior Donuts, The Pajama Game, The Homecoming, Hairspray and Accomplice (Theatre World Award) on Broadway; and Woody Allen's A Second Hand Memory Off-Broadway.
Published by The New York Daily News
Hot diggity dog — the gourmet wiener craze is still going strong!
Unlike the pizza slice, the sandwich or even the hamburger, the hot dog has taken its time jumping onto the haute cuisine bandwagon.
Generally reserved for a summer backyard barbecue or the ballgame, this simple meat and bun meal is finally making a name for itself in the uber-trendy food scenes of the East Village and lower East Side.
The latest addition to the haute dog scene is Los Perros Locos, a South American joint adding new culinary flair to Allen St. Owner Alex Mitow takes cues from the South Beach post-bar scene.
Published by Broadwayworld.com
This past week actress Jennifer Carpenter sat down with Broadwayworld to discuss her role in the Off-Broadway show, Gruesome Playground Injuries.