Winter in the City
In case you missed it, winter descended on New York City last week. Freezing temperatures (the coldest in two years), snow, and wind made many New Yorkers remember why they … Continue reading
Remembering the New York World’s Fair of 1939
“Designing Tomorrow: America’s World Fairs of the 1930’s” opened at the Museum of the City of New York December 5, featuring a core traveling exhibition organized by the National Building … Continue reading
Brooklyn’s Boweries
A few months ago I attended the Wyckoff House’s country fair, held on the grounds of New York City’s oldest surviving building. The house is an anachronism among the car … Continue reading
Forbidden Broadway circa 1900: a look back at lampooning.
Forbidden Broadway is back again this Fall with a new “Alive and Kicking” addition gleefully lampooning the current offerings of the Great White Way. A revue show first conceived in … Continue reading
The Broadway-Lafayette Transfer and the Evolution of the City’s Subway
By the time you read this, there will have been a major improvement in the subways of New York City. If you don’t ride the B, D, F, or M … Continue reading
The Beach Pneumatic Transit Company – just a bunch of hot air?
My alarm didn’t go off this morning, meaning I overslept and I did not have enough time to ride my bicycle into work as I often do, and instead would … Continue reading
The Curse of the Roeblings? The Construction of the Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the most iconic symbols of New York. Try imagining the skyline without the looming Gothic towers. Now try to imagine no bridges over the … Continue reading
Hidden in Plain Sight
New York is home to many humble cemeteries right on the beaten path, their presence unannounced by towering monuments. Many of the city’s parks, such as Madison Square and Bryant … Continue reading
A Fine Line: The Art of the Clothesline
Living in New York City, one becomes accustomed to the grey area between public and private space. Intimate details are exposed through the most mundane daily tasks. Laundry is one … Continue reading
The Bowery
Walk the Bowery under the El at night and all you feel is a sort of cold guilt. Touched for a dime, you try to drop the coin and not … Continue reading
Officer Stanley Kronzak, North Brooklyn Beat from 1936-1954
Like most of New York City, the Williamsburg and Greenpoint neighborhoods of north Brooklyn have changed considerably in the last 75 years. I obtained a unique glimpse into these neighborhoods’ … Continue reading
Summer in the City
Now that summer is in full swing, we look back at the ways New Yorkers have either escaped or embraced the heat. The Drive in Central Park was a place … Continue reading
Walt Whitman’s New York
Walt Whitman, one of America’s most celebrated writers, was born into a working-class Long Island family on May 31, 1819. Four years later, the family moved to Brooklyn. Whitman cherished … Continue reading
MCNY Blog: New York Stories 