Urbanite

Give me some poptarts and crackerjacks ...

Thursday January 31, 2008 12:59 PM By Daisy Carrington

"I could really go for some dibbs right now."

This weekend, put whatever New Year’s resolution diet you’ve been trying to stick with on hold. It’s Super Bowl weekend and game-time snacking is a must. For the ultimate in football foods, we asked the championship-bound New York Giants for their favorites. (The players will be too busy on the field to enjoy these treats, but we didn’t hear them complaining.)

The cheese-and-salt seekers

David Tyree – Wide Receiver

"Potato chips, corn chips - just chips. I guess I developed some bad habits growing up and always bought lots of chips. I am not big on candy so I’d go with the chips."This weekend, put whatever New Year’s resolution diet you’ve been trying to stick with on hold. It’s Super Bowl weekend and game-time snacking is a must. For the ultimate in football foods, we asked the experts, the championship-bound New York Giants for their favorites. (The players will be too busy on the field to enjoy these treats, but we didn’t hear them complaining.)

The cheese-and-salt seekers

David Tyree – Wide Receiver

"Potato chips, corn chips - just chips. I guess I developed some bad habits growing up and always bought lots of chips. I am not big on candy so I’d go with the chips."

Chase Blackburn – Linebacker

"My fiancé’s taco dip with chips. I don’t really know what is in it but I know there are avocado, taco seasoning, cheese and refried beans."

Chris Snee – Offensive Line

"I am a big dip guy, so any type of cheese dip is good. Cheese dip, sour cream and onion dip - any type of chips and dip for a football game is probably my go-to snack."

The sweet tooths

Michael Johnson – Safety

"Popcorn. Caramel popcorn is my favorite kind."

Jerome Collins – Tight End

"Pop Tarts."

Rich Seubert – Offensive Line

"Cheeseburgers and beer."

Dave Tollefson – Defensive Line

Hot Tamales, the candy are my favorite.

Michael Matthews – Tight End

"Dibs [the ice cream nibbles] in either Cookies and Cream or Crunch."

The mindful munchers

Kevin Boss – Tight End

"Protein shakes because I really don’t eat any junk foods. If not a protein shake, then some baked Lays chips."

-- Written by Alina Soler

Tags: food

Nail polish sleuth to the rescue

Wednesday January 30, 2008 6:15 PM By Julie Gordon

Hidden gem (of sorts) alert! It’s Romies Nails (559 Second Ave., 212-213-8545) — a hub for hard-to-find nail polish colors.

A pal had been hopping from salon to beauty supply store to drugstore in search of OPI’s brand-new “Kreme de la Kremlin.” She was out of luck until the two of us entered Romy’s. We found that shade and a plethora of cool and trendy other ones.

The manager told us he searches high and low (AKA Pennsylvania) for new and tough-to-track-down colors. Nice!

Plus, the super-clean salon has a great $20 manicure/pedicure deal Monday-Wednesday.

— Julie Gordon

Tags: shopping, nail polish, murray hill, beauty, beauty supplies, zany, manhattan

Another jolly green idea

Wednesday January 30, 2008 4:06 PM By Rolando Pujol

A startling statistic out today from Bloomberg's green-minded City Hall. While almost every unsold magazine at newsstands is eventually recycled, less than 20 percent of the purchased magazines ever find their way to a recycling bin.

To encourage New Yorkers to save paper the way they (are supposed to) save water and electricity, the city is planning to introduce an advertising campaign, ReMix ­ Recycling Magazines is Excellent! Look for it at a bus stop or taxi cab near you. And yes, the ReMix ads will also appear in the very same magazines you are not supposed to be throwing in the trash. Talk about guilt!

-- Justin Rocket Silverman

Tags: bloomberg, environment, recycling

Austin Powers, we've found your lobby

Tuesday January 29, 2008 8:00 PM By Rolando Pujol

Ambling along East 46th Street one cold night recently, we were drawn in by the warm, bold look of the lobby at the Envoy

Towers apartment building between Second and First avenues. The lobby features a raised platform on which rest sleek leather sofas, a white orb lamp, a low-slung side table and polychromatic wall art. And yes, the place is dripping with marble. In other words, it's a mid-century modern masterpiece, and a thing that's increasingly rare, given the city's tear-down mentality.

The Envoy is among several stylish high-rises that sprouted in Turtle Bay after the arrival of the United Nations, which revitalized a neighborhood that had its share of rundown tenements and slaughterhouses by the East River. Many of these swank towers, like the Envoy, take their names from the lexicon of UN life.

-- Rolando Pujol

Tags: turtle bay, architecture, 1960s, pop, un, stuff that's cool

The most well-photographed dog in Brooklyn

Tuesday January 29, 2008 6:37 PM By David Freedlander

Every good downzone needs a good mascot. Looks like the residents of Carrol Gardens now have theirs. Today they held a spirited rally in the rain with their city councilman,

Bill DiBlasio, calling on the city to downzone their neighborhood so rapacious developers don't etc. etc.

Except that the Dept. of City Planning announced prior to the rally that they agreed, and were beginning the study of how to limit heights and density in the neighborhood. Still, how often do you go to a rally and see someone holding a sign that says, CONTEXTUAL REZONING NOW!!!"

Also, of interest: Gary Reilly of the local neighborhood association told the assembled throng, "We want to prevent Carroll Gardens from becoming the next Williamsburg."

We frankly think there is little chance of that.

-- David Freedlander

Tags: carrol gardens, development, brooklyn, real estate, endangered nyc

Where the Coliseum lives

Tuesday January 29, 2008 3:20 PM By Rolando Pujol

On East 58th Street, in the shadow of the gargantuan Time Warner towers, stands a restaurant that's been around since well before the center's gourmet food court was drawing expense-account types.

Indeed, this restaurant is a reminder of the New York Coliseum, the convention complex that stood across the street from 1954 to 2000, when it was finally cleared away for what would initially be called the AOL Time Warner Center. We all know how that merger went.

The Coliseum Bar and Restaurant proudly states on its facade that it was founded in 1978, and no doubt served many a car- and trade-show attendee over the years. Now, it's thriving in a part of town that has gone luxe overnight, precisely because of Time Warner. Gone, of course, is the Coliseum itself, and even Coliseum Books, which briefly resurfaced on 42nd Street before vanishing for good.

But the Coliseum restaurant remains, a name that is probably lost on many of the people who habituate the Time Warner Center, its restaurants and the gilded shops in its mall.

-- Rolando Pujol

Tags: coliseum, manhattan, time warner center, restaurants, shopping, real estate, history, signs

22 years ago today

Monday January 28, 2008 8:40 PM By Rolando Pujol

Today was like any other day for most people, but exactly 22 years ago, the nation was in grief after the space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff, killing all seven astronauts aboard. Among them was Ronald McNair, an African-American physicist who spent part of his childhood in East Harlem and was only the second African-American to fly in space.

There are at least two places in the city you can go to pay tribute to McNair and the rest of the Challenger crew. Back in 2006, the city completed a playground in his honor, on Lexington Avenue between East 122nd and 123rd streets, built on a lot that was once a dumping ground not far from the auto shop his father ran for many years.

According to an AP story from the time:

The one-acre McNair Playground - whose opening was delayed apparently because of a lack of funding - revolves around a space theme.

Jupiter is represented by a 77-foot granite ring circling the park's green turf, and a climbing set is based on the spaceship in the film "2001: A Space Odyssey." Moonlike craters decorate a spray shower, and the phases of the moon are reflected in two spinning machines

The park was a long time coming, considering that Mayor Ed Koch attended its original groundbreaking 20 years earlier.

Back in 1994, McNair was honored with a monument and park in Brooklyn. Newsday reported then:

Several of McNair's colleagues at NASA, Borough President Howard Golden and parks officials attended the unveiling at the park, a 1.36-acre triangle bounded by Eastern Parkway and Washington and Classon Avenues. The memorial is a 9-foot tall, pyramid-shaped base of polished red granite with three bronze plaques inscribed with McNair's philosophies.

McNair was married with children. He would have been 57 years old.

-- Rolando Pujol

Photo from the Brooklyn park via the Bridge and Tunnel Club, which has more here.

Videos of news coverage from the day after the jump.The first 10 minutes of the CBS Evening News from Jan. 28, 1986:

Coverage from ABC:

Tags: brooklyn, manhattan, history, parks

Get your cereal on

Monday January 28, 2008 5:26 PM By Julie Gordon

On a recent trip to — of all places — the Newark Airport, I was reminded of one of my long-time obsessions: Cereality. Located at a handful of places throughout the country, the shop has every type of cereal and topping you could ever want to eat together (Pop Rocks and M&Ms on granola, woo hoo!).

Anyway, I’ve been hoping for years that one will pop up in NYC. It hasn’t.

BUT, my friend Stefanie (who knows about my Cereality lovin’) informed me that sandwich/salad shop Lenny’s recently opened cereal bars at a few of its locations! (9th Street and Sixth Ave., 212-353-0300; 74th Street and Columbus Ave., 212-580-8300). And it plans to expand soon.

Now, Lenny’s doesn’t have as creative toppings as Cereality, or as many cereal choices, but I’ll let them off the hook because they’re newbies to the breakfast food market.

— Julie

Cereality Express at the Newark Airport

Tags: upper west side, greenwich village, manhattan, shopping, cereal, restaurants, columbus avenue, airports, food, new jersey

Rising in the east

Monday January 28, 2008 3:44 PM By David Freedlander

The city's planning commission today approved major zoning changes to the area south of the United Nations, clearing the way for huge new towers that would become Manhattan's largest residential development project. Full story after jump.By David Freedlander

dfreedlander@am-ny.com

The land due south of the United Nations building today resembles an urban checkerboard, with some squares left blank as buildings have been removed, while in adjacent spaces high rises tower above like stacked kings.

With an overwhelming city Planning Commission vote yesterday to rezone the area over the objections of some elected officials and area residents, all the checkerboard squares may soon be filled in.

“We have enormous concerns about the potential impact of this development,” said Daniel Garodnick (D-Manhattan) who represents the area in the City Council. “This is a pro-development community, but we want to see residential buildings that work for our community.”

The plan by developer Sheldon Solow would be Manhattan’s largest residential development project, with 4,000 apartments spread over six large residential towers – one of which would reach more than 600 feet tall – as well as an office building and more than 500 public parking spaces. The plan approved yesterday also calls for adding 600 units of affordable housing and a 630-seat K-8 public school to the plan.

The commission scaled back the height and density by almost 20 percent from the developer’s original plan and added more retail space, but did not address public access to the East River, irking the president of the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, Roland Lewis.

“We are locked away in this city and don’t know how to relate to the waterfront,” Lewis said. “We can’t have the waterfront be a front yard to the condo owners there.”

Part of the new development will be on the site of the former Con Edison generating station, a beaux-arts structure built in 1901 and in use for a century, spewing smoke and soot over the neighborhood.

Long time residents of the area are happy to see those days over, but were nervous about what was to come.

“It’s going to be terrible,” said Josephine Zito, 56, a 20-year resident of a high-rise at 39th Street and First Avenue. “There are too many people here already and no place for them to go. I can’t imagine any more.”

The plan now heads to the City Council, which will have 50 days to accept, reject, or modify it.

Tags: manhattan, con ed, development, real estate

Sacred ground

Monday January 28, 2008 2:58 PM By Rolando Pujol

Glad Tidings Tabernacle church, under demolition last month, and below, during happier times. (Lane Johnson, above; newpennstation.org, below)

We were happy to see the New York Times story today on the challenges facing churches that were once synagogues. Here's the story and an interesting audio slideshow. The story has shot up to the top of the most-emailed list, and I'm not surprised.

We've had a tremendous response to our longtime coverage on preservation as part of our Endangered NYC series. I first wrote about churches in our 10 to Save report back in December 2006, and the threats against houses of worship only increased in 2007, so we made sacred spaces a category in our second annual survey last month.

The issues range from neglect to impoverished congregations to real-estate speculation, but houses of worship are sitting targets all around town. Here at our offices, were are reminded of it every day when we pass the sad spectacle of the slow demolition of Glad Tiding Tabernacle Church, just next door. It was only a few months ago a Romanesque Revival treasure from 1868, but it was sold for $31 million and is now facing a high-rise future.

Here's what we wrote on churches in December 2006:

The city's august houses of worship are suddenly a vanishing breed. Undermined by a range of factors, the churches are now seen as ripe for the picking by developers. The battles to save St. Brigid's in the East Village and St. Thomas the Apostle in Harlem have garnered headlines, but numerous other churches across the city are quietly facing similar struggles, such as the striking First Baptist Church in the City of New York on the Upper West Side. "Aside from losing beautiful buildings and an important part of our history, it's going to change the face of neighborhoods," Breen said. [St. Thomas: Address: 260 W. 118th St. Built: 1907; St. Brigid's: Address: Avenue B and East 8th Street, Built: Late 1840s; First Baptist Church of the City of New York Address: West 79th Street and Broadway, Built: 1894]

And a year later, Lana Bortolot told a similar sad tale, made only worse by the passage of time.

Dwindling congregations and funds make religious buildings a particular target for demolition. The French Romanesque West-Park Presbyterian (1890) at 86th Street and Amsterdam Avenue has already agreed to sell its chapel in exchange for renovations to the main church. A 21-story condominium tower would be built where the chapel now stands.

In Maspeth, community advocacy groups are fighting to save St. Saviour's, a 1847 Richard Upjohn church, which is scheduled to be razed for a housing development --the parson's house is already gone, as are many old-growth trees that served as a de facto park for this area.

In Brooklyn, the 1899 Bay Ridge United Methodist--called the "Green Church" because of its distinctive stone facade--is in contract for $10 million with plans for a condominium in its place.

In the Penn Station area alone: St. John the Baptist (207 W. 30th St. ), Church of St. Michael (414 W. 34th St.), St. Francis of Assisi Church (136 W. 31st St.) and Beth Israel West Side Jewish Center (347 W. 34th St.). At press time, demolition was under way at the 1867 Glad Tidings Tabernacle (325 W. 33rd St.).

-- Rolando Pujol

Tags: juniper park civic association, st. saviour's, preservation, maspeth, queens, endangered nyc, real estate

This is Front Street?

Monday January 28, 2008 2:27 PM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

It had been a while since I'd traveled to the South Street Seaport.

The last trip I can recall was a spontaneous scavenger hunt to find Ryders Alley -- the cobbled strip that author Robert Sullivan staked out for a year to document urban rodent life for his book, "Rats."

Anyways - what happened to Front Street? It's still home to the controversial Bodies exhibit, but it's also now a revamped, totally chic-ed out tunnel of cool bars and cafes.

A quick Google search finds it's all part of the Historic Front Street Project -- a $43 million redevelopment plan that kicked off a Front Street makeover in ... um ... 2003. Check this site for cool historial information on what these posh spots were in their past lives: CLICK! And check out this Interactive Streetwork Map to zoom in on the details.

So anyway, this Tabloid Tours member may be a little late to the party -- but better late than never. We hit wine bar Bin No.220 for a small birthday party Saturday night and definitely recommend it and there were definitely way more Urbanites than rats trolling around.

So -- prediction time. Front Street the new Bedford Avenue? You tell us.

-- Lauren

Tags: south street seaport, front street, bars, manhattan, stuff that's cool

Flour power

Sunday January 27, 2008 7:49 PM By Rolando Pujol

Steve and Tyra Abrams, owners of Magnolia Bakery, opened a second

store on Columbus Avenue. Below, Momie Bangura frosts cupcakes

at the frosting station. (Photos: Kristen E. Olson)

amNY small-business columnist Farnoosh Torabi checks in with Magnolia Bakery as it settles into its new outpost on the Upper West Side. Business is, not surprisingly, brisk, but it's a very different experience than the scene downtown. Farnoosh writes:

“It’s been beyond expectations. Opening day, we ran out of product,” said owner Steve Abrams said. “I think the volumes are going to be very similar [to downtown] just the way they manifest will be different. Downtown is touristy ... they’re not buying a dozen cupcakes. Here it’s all families. People buy in bulk.”

At 1,725 square feet, the space is twice the size of the West Village bakery. “We weren’t looking for this much space…but it’s allowed us many more opportunities to expand and offer what the space commands,” says Abrams, for example a sitting area for customers and a separate room for private parties. Already 15 families have inquired about reserving the party room.

Magnolia has moved to a hood with some stiff competition, including Buttercup, just a few blocks away and itself a spin-off of Magnolia. But don't expect a heated rivalry.

Owners of both cupcake outlets are cheering each other on, at least publicly. “I wish them the best of success,” said Abrams. Kara Bolduc, general manager of Buttercup on 72nd responds, “there are many cupcake bakeries all throughout the city. We each do something different. Magnolia will bring their appeal from the Village to the Upper West Side. We will bring ours.”

Customers make selections from fresh cupcakes.

Tags: upper west side, cupcakes, food, magnolia, manhattan

Locked out

Sunday January 27, 2008 7:13 PM By David Freedlander

The saga of 475 Kent Ave. continues as authorities padlocked the certificate-of-occupancy-less-and-above-a-combustible-matzo-factory apartment building.

Authorities with the FDNY assured us that this was normal procedure that residents would still be permitted 1 hour each day to get their things as long as they filled out some pre-registration paperwork.

Still, residents ain't happy, many of whom have been living with friends and, if they use the building as a studio, unable to work.

"We just hope they don't try to make an example of us," said Lai Ling Jew, who works out of the building."Everybody wants to live in a safe and secure home but our whole lives are there."

Tags: real estate, 475 kent, brooklyn

Reach out and touch some history

Sunday January 27, 2008 1:58 PM By Rolando Pujol

Utility carts are common sights on city streets. They bear the company logo, usually Verizon or Con Edison, and also bear years of "contributions" -- graffiti, marker doodles, stickers of all manner (you'll often find an old Andre the Giant or a Tattoo from "Fantasy Island"), and of course, all manner of accumulated street grime. They are often overlooked, but make interesting subjects of study if you actually stop for a second and see what's there.

The one profiled here caught our eye in Manhattan this weekend because, deep behind the layers of gunk, lies a bit of telecommunication history. It says "New York Telephone, A NYNEX company." New York Telephone, of course, was the name used by the local phone company until 1994, when it adopted NYNEX, the name of its parent company that had been formed in 1984 when the old Bell System monopoly was broken up. NYNEX, which essentially stood for New York, New England, and the X for some undefined new territory or future, continued through 1997, when it merged with Bell Atlantic. We then had that name until 2000, when Bell merged with GTE to form Verizon, an invented name that sounded bizarre at its birth but is just a part of city life now.

Yet somehow, this little cart has survived in all its Bell System glory. The 1969 Bell logo is there, featured in the NYT logo, above, as well as alone on the cart's hood, right, where it's in even larger form. Furthermore, the old blue and yellow Bell System stripes survive as well. Those stripes were common once, used on the side of phone trucks as well as on hard hats.

-- Rolando Pujol

Bonus: A utility truck featuring the old Bell Atlantic logo recently spotted in Manhattan.

And here are two old NYNEX Yellow Pages ads from the cleverly punning campaign of the late 1980s. Plus: A look at the state of the pay phone business, and the demise of the possibly last rotary pay phone.

Tags: verizon, graffiti, old school, manhattan, signs

What's in your wallet?

Thursday January 24, 2008 9:15 PM By Rolando Pujol

A Capital One ATM card will be, if you happen to be a North Fork customer. Those mysterious shrouds that read "North Fork" at branches around town are concealing new signs with the Capital One logo. Many branches are still only part way through the conversion. Capital One scooped up Melville-based North Fork in December 2006, and Newsday reports the branches will start displaying the new name beginning in March.

-- Rolando Pujol

Tags: manhattan, banks, signs, real estate

Will the real reporter, please stand up?

Thursday January 24, 2008 6:46 PM By Daisy Carrington

The e-mail looked like spam in my work inbox, so it was several days before I thought to open it. What it was was a piece of marketing brilliance: An invite to be an extra on ABC’s “All My Children.” The idea: Flatter the egos of several journalists and get a little publicity for the new book the show is pushing.

Hook, line, sinker, I took the bait. (As an aside, I’ve noticed several journalists wanted to be actors at one time or another. Not me. I’ve always wanted to be a model, but seeing as I’m 5’2, I just don’t think it’s in the cards). Since I didn’t want to be alone, I brought along my co-worker, Julie.

On set, the “real press,” (which included journalists from New York, Star and OK! Magazine) were mixed up with actor-reporters. Below is a little game I put together for you. Who in these pictures is a real reporter, and who is an actor?

Hmm… tough call. If you guessed the real reporters were the two dashing divas at the bar, you get an A++. If you thought the guy with the press pass next two the two dashing divas was a reporter, you get an F. Few real reporters wander around parties wearing press passes. In fact, few reporters even have them. And if you guessed the man with a pocket handkerchief was one, you get an F-. The lady with the very convincing reporter's notebook? Also an actor.

For those not familiar with All My Children, here's what's happened. The character Kendall Hart has written a book. ABC's publishing wing, Hyperion, has published it in real life, under the character's name. In the episode we were in, Kendall mentioned that the name of the book was inspired by her charm bracelet. She is also considering launching a new perfume to coincide with the book. Bottom line, ABC knows how to milk the soap biz for all it's worth.

Tags: stuff that's cool

Operatic showdown

Thursday January 24, 2008 6:36 PM By Rolando Pujol

A choir sings “Jesus is gay” and that the Virgin Mary was “raped by angels.” Jesus is introduced as “the hypocrite son of the fascist tyrant on high.”

These are just a few moments in the comedic musical “Jerry Springer: The Opera,” which will run next Wednesday and Thursday at Carnegie Hall. But a Catholic civil rights organization isn’t laughing, crying blasphemy over a show that has been stirring controversy for several years.

“It’s an all-out assault on Christianity,” said William Donohue, president of the Catholic League. “The way Jesus and our blessed mother are talked about is completely unconscionable. It’s mind-boggling that this would pass at humor.”

The real Jerry Springer is the inspiration for the main character but has no official connection to the production.

Donohue said he is just as outraged by the content in “Jerry Springer,” which stars Harvey Keitel as the famous TV talk-show host, as he is that Carnegie Hall, a New York cultural icon, is allowing the show on its stage.

Carnegie Hall spokeswoman Synneve Carlino said the venue was “standing by the booking.”

“This is a show that has been produced in London and elsewhere in the U.S.,” she said. “It’s been well received by critics and audiences, won prestigious awards and has been broadcast nationally on BBC television in the U.K.”

The show made headlines in Britain last year when a Christian group sought criminal prosecution of a theater producer and an executive for the British Broadcasting Corp., which telecast the musical in 2005. The High Court ruled last month that the show did not violate blasphemy laws.

“It’s a very funny show, and it’s a shame to put in this perspective entirely,” said David J. Foster, a producer for the musical. “Certainly, the show does have things to say about the nature of chat shows and what they do in our culture. … No one’s setting out to criticize religion.”

Donohue said he doesn’t expect to halt next week’s performances and isn’t calling for government censorship — he recognizes the producers have a First Amendment right to stage the musical. But he said he fears that if he doesn’t call attention to the show’s racy subject matter now, “Jerry Springer: The Opera” might eventually seek a home on Broadway, just as it did unsuccessfully in 2004 before financial problems killed the show’s chances. Foster denied that “Jerry Springer” was using Carnegie Hall as a stepping stone to Broadway.

Said Donohue: “This kind of art is nothing but hate speech and has no legitimate role to play in any venue in New York City.”

Joseph Davis, a Catholic who works in Manhattan and lives in New Jersey, agreed.

“I just think even if you’re not Christian, if you’re Jewish or Muslim, you shouldn’t accept this type of religious bigotry because it certainly wouldn’t be accepted if it was a play or production that was offending Jews or Muslims.”

-- Ryan Chatelain

The opening segment of the opera, via YouTube.

Tags: arts, manhattan

Take The A Train

Thursday January 24, 2008 6:22 PM By David Freedlander

At least that's what we did this morning to attend a morning presser announcing community opposition to the city's River-to-River rezone which would make the neighborhood denser, livelier, and more of a cultural hub, but also, probably, richer, whiter, and more full of tourists.

Harlem has been undergoing crazy changes over the last few years, starting in the 90's with the creation of Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone and up to today when big box retailers are crowding out old mom and pop record stores

"Our dream of what Harlem couyld become is turning into a nightmare because we're not going to be here," said Harlem historian and amNY fave Michael Henry Adams.

Now some are ready to draw a line in the sand across 125th Street. They better make it a big one. These things almost always go on the side of the Planning Commission. They hold an open hearing next week. Stay tuned

Tags: harlem, manhattan

A sculptor and his horses

Thursday January 24, 2008 1:55 PM By Rolando Pujol

From the artist who brought the world a life-size sculpture of Britney Spears giving birth, comes a new equine-themed work depicting two horses that met a tragic end.

The first, shown on the left, is Barbaro, the 2006 Kentucky Derby winner who was euthanized last January because of deteriorating health. The other horse is Smoothie, a Central Park carriage horse who died last September after running into a tree. Smoothie had been spooked by the drum of a street musician.

"Racing horses live a painful existence that has no good end,"sculptor Daniel Edwards amNewYork on the phone today. "People buying horse tickets are essentially contributing to this painful life, and the same goes for those who ride in horse drawn carriages."

Although not quite as controversial as a naked Britney, show below, or some of his other work, like an autopsy scene of Paris Hilton and the bust of Hillary Clinton, also below, Edward's "The Barbaro Memorial" should generate some buzz when it is unveiled in Central Park this April.

After all, a local law to ban horse-drawn carriages is currently in a City Council committee, and a federal law in Congress would require all racetracks to post information about every horse deaths or injury that occurs there.

-- Justin Rocket Silverman

Tags: arts, manhattan

No more lovin' at Levitz

Wednesday January 23, 2008 8:43 PM By Rolando Pujol

The demise of the Levitz furniture store chain, which is now in the frenzy of its post-Chapter 11 final-clearance sales, didn't come as a surprise. In an era of more fashionable (and sometimes less expensive) furniture options from the likes of Ikea and Crate and Barrel, coupled with the worsening economy and subprime lending meltdown, Levitz, which had emerged twice before from bankruptcy, seemed doomed. Indeed, the similar Seaman's furniture (remember, "See Seaman's First," the jingle went) met its demise years ago.

Levitz was founded in Lebanon, Pa. in 1910, and eventually had locations around the country. (For years, we thought this was only a New York chain.) But we'll miss Levitz mostly because it was another retail fixture that worked its way into our everyday vocabulary -- it was just always there. And we knew it was there because of that memorable jingle. It was simple and catchy: "You'll love it at Levitz." The Levitz name won't altogether disappear. Some non-affiliated Levitz shops also originated by the same family, called Sam Levitz, will carry on, but you'll have to visit Tucson, Ariz., where members of the Levitz family moved decades ago, to see them.

Still, it's not an entirely bad time in the furniture business, despite the housing-market decline. Raymour & Flanigan, which entered the city market just a few years ago, will scoop up Levitz locations. Raymour did the same with old Huffman Koos stores.

As a proper send-off to Levitz, here are some interesting examples of the "Love It" campaign, including the earliest we could find, from 1978.

-- Rolando Pujol

Photo: From pbo31's Flicker stream

Tags: retail, levitz, department stores, tv, jingles, history, old school, real estate, shopping

Knowing Where The Bodies Are Buried

Wednesday January 23, 2008 7:07 PM By David Freedlander

We were thrilled to find out about the accidental discovery of skeletons beneath the

Washington Square Park.

Once upon a time, back before when rents spiked above $3,000 month in the area, the park was the site of public hangings, and, because of the convenience factor, a potter's field for cheap burials.

It's so cool to live some place and having no idea of what lies beneath your trampling feet.

And good lord, with the fight over the park's renovation getting increasingly ugly the last few years, we're just grateful those bones aren't of a more recent vintage

Photo from Heather Cross

Tags: washington square, history, manhattan, real estate

New Art City

Wednesday January 23, 2008 11:33 AM By David Freedlander

Man, be glad you don't (like amNY sports editor Max)

live at 475 Kent. Residents stood out in the cold today waiting to get the last of their things after the Fire Dept. discovered they were living above a matzo factory.

I, by chance interviewed Eve Sussman, who lives in the building and is a fabulous artist who was the darling of the Whitney Biennial a few years back. She was super-nice, though reeaallly angry about all that had happened in the last few days. She said you can’t make art and live in New York City any more. “All the artists I know are moving to Berlin,” she said. “This city is using artists like it has for the last 30 years, to clean up neighborhoods so that the developers can move in.”

We wrote about this here

And for more on Sussman here:

Eve Sussman's The Rape of the Sabine Women Trailer from creativetime on Vimeo.

Photo from I'm Just Sayin'

Tags: art, real estate, brooklyn, arts

Introducing Tabloid Tours: This stop, Staten Island

Tuesday January 22, 2008 6:29 PM By Rolando Pujol

For a couple of years now, a bunch of us from amNewYork and Newsday have made a tradition of going on extensive, well-researched walking tours of city neighborhoods every few months. We've taken to calling them Tabloid Tours, given our respective editorial homes and our fascination with sordid tidbits we learn along the way. (Every time we're outside a Stanford White building, we think about this.) The deal usually involves one of us researching the neighborhoods, with that person serving as the tour guide. But inevitably, we find we've all done some research and we share our passions, and explore spots we didn't expect to encounter. We've hit up Harlem/Hamilton Heights, Murray Hill, Elmhurst, the Lower East Side, and have even piled into a car and looked for traces of New York City history upstate in the Catskills.

Our most recent sojourn was to Staten Island, where we had a whirlwind day that took us from St. George ferry terminal to Tottenville, the southern tip of the island, and, for that matter, of New York state.

Here are some tour highlights:

St. George

The World Trade Center memorial near the St. George terminal is a stirring tribute to the 270 residents of the boroughs who died in the Twin Towers. It perfectly frames the World Trade Center site.

St. George Historic District

If what you know of St. George is just the ferry terminal, you're missing one of the most architecturally fascinating neighborhoods in the city, the landmarked St. George district. St. Marks Place is particularly special with its Shingle-style gems, but wander around several streets back there, including Westervelt Avenue and Phelps Place.

For sale? We'll take this Westervelt gem ...

Shingle-syle delights on Phelps Place ...

And this Art Deco treat -- the Ambassador Apartments -- is not to be missed, at 30 Daniel Lowe Terrace ...

We were pleased to run into Kevin Walsh of Forgotten NY, definitely one of our walking-tour heroes. Here's his superb report on the apartments.

Nearby, a statue of St. Paul holds court outside the Pauline Books and Media ...

Snack time! Time to eat the donuts at Country Donuts near the ferry

Port Richmond

Port Richmond's downtown is being revived by Mexican immigrants, even as old-school places stand guard. You must come here, no questions asked, to enjoy a pie at Denino's. Here's more in our recent City Living entry.

Lunch at Denino's

The calamari was so good, our intrepid photographer Andrew Wong didn't have time to snap a full plate ...

And now down to business. Two beautiful pies that were promptly inhaled ...

And it's closed this time of year, but Ralph's Italian Ices would have been perfect for dessert, and it's just across the street ...

So we decided to try some wonderful, fresh-baked bread at Melone Bakery. The aroma from blocks away sold us before even taking a bite. Here's Lauren Johnston's take on the visit ....

The Mexican presence is unmistakable ...

Tottenville

A bus ride and transfer later, we were in Tottenville, the southernmost point in New York state. We didn't really fully appreciate this Victorian, former oyster-trade town, as it was already dark and quite cold, but we got a sense for the place and plan to come back. For one, we missed The Conference House, where colonists, including Ben Franklin, on Sept.11, 1776 famously decided to keep the fight going against the Brits. Get the lowdown in our City Living profile.

The view of New Jersey, a short boat ride away across the Arthur Kill ...

The historic Biddle House. A curious local grilled us to no end, seemingly not understanding why we were taking photos of this house at night. We were on the up and up, as this photo proves.

We stopped for some good pastries at Silverio's on Amboy Street ...

And went back in time at Egger's, an ice cream shop on Amboy Street ...

The Staten Island Railway

For most of us, it was our first time on the Staten Island Railway, which looks like an "F" train that lost its way.

It was interesting to see a Staten Island map in the slot normally reserved for a map of the subway system ...

The seats have become canvas boards for scratchiti enthusiasts ...

Manahatta!

We boarded the infamous Andrew J. Barberi for our return trip. We knew the ferry that was involved in the deadly crash in 2003 had been returned to service, but glimpsing the big letters as we boarded was a chilling, unexpected sight.

Approaching Manhattan ...

Our day was capped by a fine midnight meal at Harry's Cafe in the Financial District ...

We were awed by this beautiful wine-rack display ...

Photos: Andrew Wong, Elisabeth Stuveras and Rolando Pujol

Text: Rolando Pujol

Tags: staten island, stuff that's cool, pizza, food, tabloid tours, signs, old school, history

The R word

Tuesday January 22, 2008 3:28 PM By Rolando Pujol

Recession. For many New York City residents, it feels like we're already in one. Is Manhattan insulated, in part because of the continued real estate boom? How about the other boroughs, where the subprime mortage crisis has been keenly felt? Here's what some New Yorkers are saying, according to interviews by our Justin Rocket Silverman:

Do you believe the economy is in trouble? Are you taking any steps to protect yourself?

"I don't think it’s going to crash. It’ll be more like a steady slide for the next two or three years, then it will come back. I have my job, so I’m not too worried. But I am waiting for the housing market to really come down so I can afford to buy a place.”

Modechai Spolter, 30, Midwood

***

“The whole sub prime crisis is worrying. But I’m hopeful the Democrats will take back the White House and do something to turn the economy around.”

Jennifer Park, 25, Rego Park

***

“I’m currently living in a temporary residence for women and have held off on leasing my own place in the city because I’m concerned about how the economy is going to get. I just don’t know if I’ll be able to afford to live here.”

Katie Doherty, 22, midtown Manhattan

Tags: economy

A funky Flatbush fixture

Tuesday January 22, 2008 1:22 AM By Rolando Pujol

We're intrigued with this sculpture, a somewhat pop-artish cluster of puffy trees on Flatbush Avenue across from Prospect Park. The work, which we'd guess dates to the 1970s or early 1980s, certainly denotes the sylvan wonders that lie nearby. But it's also a reminder of the woodsy origins of Flatbush. We must tip our hats to our Dutch forebears, to whom we can trace this word. As explained by the Parks Department, the Dutch "vlacke bos," or flat woodland, eventually morphed into our English-sounding Flatbush. More here and here on the origins.

-- Rolando Pujol

Tags: brooklyn, prospect park, flatbush avenue, sculpture, old school, history, signs

Don't Walk? Walk? Help!

Tuesday January 22, 2008 12:48 AM By Rolando Pujol

Sometimes, the man and the hand feel compelled to simultaneously compete for our attention. This annoying defect, spotted January 21 at Dean Street and Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn, seems to occur with some regularity with the new generation of Don't Walk/Walk signs. Better look twice before crossing.

Note the bonus defect, also fairly common: Darkened LEDs.

-- Rolando Pujol

Tags: brooklyn, don't walk/walk signs, transportation

Chicken noodle, Chinese style

Monday January 21, 2008 5:46 PM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

They say that every culture's cuisine includes some form of dumplings (whether ravioli or jiaozi or gyoza or samosa or pierogi or tamale).

I'm guessing, since we all get sick, just about every country also has their own version of chicken noodle soup.

Having fought off an attempted recurrence of the flu recently, I've had four opportunities in the span of a week to order CNS from one of my favorite work standbys, Chef Yu, 520 8th Avenue and 36th Street.

So just a shout out to their Shredded Chicken Noodle Soup, a great deal at just $5.75. Its fresh vegetables (including bean sprouts), clean-tasting chicken and appropriately-salty broth make you feel better instantly.

I generally get the soup with a side order of their pan-fried pork dumplings.

(When you're not sick, I also highly recommend their authentic Spicy Stewed Beef Noodle Soup).

It all even stays hot after a 25-minute subway ride home.

Generic AP photo of Chinese-style chicken noodle soup by Larry Crowe

Tags: midtown, chinese, food, manhattan

Houseware shopping in the BK

Friday January 18, 2008 10:49 AM By Julie Gordon

Living in a new apartment sans furniture can be kind of creepy. So this weekend, in an attempt to fill up my new place, I hit the shops.

Now, some of you Manhattan-centrics out there get sweaty just thinking about leaving the borough (I live in Manhattan but am not one of those people). So, for you, here are a few fantastic apartment shopping spots along and near Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. (Note: Take the F train to Atlantic Avenue/Pacific Street).

Better Carpet Warehouse

443 Atlantic Ave.

Tons of carpets and rugs at discount prices.

Home & Haven

177 Smith St.

Set up like an apartment, the store has cute, girly accessories for every room.

Trade Winds Imports (take the F one stop further down or walk)

62 Seventh Ave.

Simple, affordable pieces of furniture. I bought a “space-saver” table that stores its four chairs when they're not being used.

Rico

384 Atlantic Ave.

Modern pieces of furniture. It’s pretty pricey, though right now there’s a sale. There’s also a new line of rugs that’s really cool.

Sterling Place

363 Atlantic Ave.

Sturdy pieces of wooden furniture, plus placemats, coasters and other accessories.

Plus, stop in all the antique shops along Atlantic.

— Julie

Tags: shopping, housewares, apartment, atlantic avenue, brooklyn

Models partying in NYC

Thursday January 17, 2008 5:50 PM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

Just because it's (nearly) Friday, here's some exclusive video from the Ford Supermodel of World fashion show at Terminal 5 on the West Side.

You can get the full details on the show from uber-blogger Mark LaMonica and our pal Joe Fernandez, over at our Pet Rock sister blog.

Guess my invitation got lost in the mail.

Tags: fashion, arts, manhattan

Endangered NYC: Farewell, Academy Hardware

Wednesday January 16, 2008 1:43 PM By Rolando Pujol

Academy Hardware in Morningside Heights was among the last of the old shops in the neighborhood that predated the area's gentrification. Having attended Columbia University between 1991 and 1995 -- and bought a nail or two at the shop -- I always glanced with dread toward Academy Hardware during my recent visits to the neighborhood. Would the store still be there? And until recently, there was always relief that the place had hung on.

No more.

The store's fate is explained in a touching note left in the window. Academy Hardware decided not to renew its lease -- but the story doesn't end there, as most of these do. Academy's owner purchased Schall's Paints and Hardware in Yonkers, near Riverdale, and most of the staff will make the move north. The window sign ends with a fond "thank you" to the neighborhood that supported it for 32 years.

No word on what will come next, but it will most certainly not be a hardware store and will most definitely cater to upscale tastes, perhaps housing a business of no local origin whatsoever. Perhaps what's next will surprise me, but Morningside Heights just got a little less interesting.

Our special correspondent Farnoosh Torabi visits the new Yonkers store location and gets more on the move in her weekly Small Business feature, complete with photos.

Click here to read more about Endangered NYC. Here's a Columbia Spectator story from last month.

-- Rolando Pujol

Tags: endangered nyc, real estate, manhattan, signs

You too can fly through the air ...

Tuesday January 15, 2008 1:55 PM By Lauren Johnston

New York is the city of stars and experts -- the best and brightest in just about every field come here. And -- added bonus! -- a lot of them give classes and lessons in their craft on the side. Urbanite's latest great find is the trapeze school at Espana-Streb Trapeze Academy in Williamsburg.

After just one two-hour class, the high-flying instructors have you swinging by your knees on the bar, and if you get that down, you progress to the catch. We offer this demonstration of our first circus lesson:

-- Lauren

Tags: williamsburg, brooklyn, trapeze, stuff that's cool

A tiki treasure in Fresh Meadows

Monday January 14, 2008 5:32 PM By Rolando Pujol

We were saddened to learn last week of the passing of Jimmy Eng, the founder of King Yum, the Cantonese restaurant in Queens. The Fresh Meadows restaurant is a treasure, said to be the oldest Chinese restaurant in the borough -- it opened in 1953. The place is also a rare example of a mid-century Polynesian restaurant. New York once had a Trader Vic's, for example, but these days, King Yum and the Jade Island in Staten Island are among the last survivors in the region.

We haven't been to the Staten Island location, but we visited King Yum in late December. Visitors are struck immediately by how remarkable a place it is the minute they walk in, with the colorful tiki statue beside a waterfall and the gracious greeting by the attentive staff. We were seated in the Polynesian room, a treasure trove of tiki masks and lanterns, as well as huts that enclose tables for more intimate gatherings. One of the huts is set aside for karaoke. Service was stupendous, and the food and drink was solid: the pu pu platter, the fantastic Polynesian drinks, and the main dishes were right on the money.

What's great about these places is the sense of history and community. It's a true living link to another era in American dining, yet it does not feel fusty and forgotten, like some older places that have managed to hang on. And it wouldn't be so crowded if the food wasn't worth savoring. The tables are full of students from nearby St. John's University and long-time patrons who can't get enough of the place. The staff is friendly, and our departure was accompanied by a mini-tour, including the area beside the bar that is a tribute to King Yum's, including photos from King Yum's first anniversary party featuring a young Uncle Jimmy, and notables who have made the visit over the years. We even received a few gifts, including a fancy King Yum pen and wall calendar. We were sold, and will happily come back.

It's difficult to think of the place, though, without Uncle Jimmy holding court. We're grateful to have visited before his passing. That wall display now serves as a fine tribute to a man who was a New York institution.

Get there: By public transportation, take the E or F to Union Turnpike-Kew Gardens, and then take the Q46 bus to the restaurant, a 10-minute ride. It's at 181-08 Union Turnpike.

Read more about it: Gothamist recently swung by; here are two interesting takes on King Yum.

-- Rolando Pujol

Tags: food, queens, fresh meadows, restaurants, tiki, king yum, tabloid tours, bars, quick bite, urban archaeology

Classic NYC pizza

Monday January 14, 2008 4:36 PM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

On the list of 'easiest ways to start an argument with a New Yorker', saying something like "yeah, obviously the best pizza place is XX" has got to be in the top five.

(Others, to be explored at later dates: best bagel, most annoying NYC celeb, quickest way to spot a tourist, most underrated cupcake).

The great pizza debate reveals things like how frou frou you are, and whether you actually know your way around the outer boroughs.

It's also the kind of 'discussion' that easily leads to comments like "you're an idiot", "you don't know what you're talking about", or "go back to Kansas"!

So here's my list of the best pizza places in the city, not in any particular order.

If you don't see your favorite listed, it's either because I haven't tried it yet; or because you don't know what you're talking about.

Di Fara

1424 Avenue J, Brooklyn; Ave J stop on Q line

This is one of the rare cases where the facts actually match the legend. Yes, there really is a place in the hinterlands of Brooklyn where an old man slowly makes every pie fresh by hand while hungry hipsters wait humbly in an hour-long line to chomp into a slice that will forever redefine the way you measure pizza excellence.

The funny thing is owner Dom DeMarco has a son who's apparently on some sort of extended apprenticeship program--the times I've been there he hasn't been allowed to help make pizzas, just answer phones and fold pizza boxes.

Denino's Pizzeria Taverna

524 Port Richmond Ave, Staten Island; Bus from ferry terminal

After hearing for years about the fabled SI pizza joints, I went here for the first time this past weekend as part of our latest Tabloid Tours excursion. It's the kind of family-friendly place where you run into people in the bathroom who say they've been coming here for 24 years.

I recommend just getting a plain pie, the better to savor the thin, crispy pizza crust that's just about the best I've had. Although come today, an SI native tells us we should've ordered their trademark clam pizza.

And, if it's your thing, Ralph's Ices across the street reportedly has the coolest shaved ices ever.

John's Pizzeria

278 Bleecker Street, West Village; West 4th Street stop on A/C/E/F lines

You can't go wrong with John's if you're looking for an easy-to-get-to restaurant with quintessentially great NYC pizza--or if you're looking to study the uneasy interaction between tourists and locals.

And I think it's West Village law that after John's, you have to stop by next-door Cones for the gelato.

Grimaldi's Pizzeria

19 Old Fulton Street under the Brooklyn Bridge; A/C to High Street

Ah, the line... I've never seen this place without a huge line, probably because it's right on a major tour bus line and gets all the hype in travel guides for Europeans/Asians. The line does move quickly, and generally your coal oven pizza will be on your table 20 minutes after you sit down.

And I think it's Brooklyn waterfront law that after Grimaldi's, you have to stop by the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory.

Lombardis

32 Spring Street, Little Italy; Spring Street on the 6 or Bowery on the J/M/Z

The 'first pizzeria in America' opened in 1905, and they're still packing them into the cramped restaurant. I've only gone once, but I remember an unusually fresh pie, with a good crust--they're on this list mainly because of the testimony of trustworthy fellow pizza-lovers. And all that history....

Nick's Pizza

108-26 Ascan Ave, Forest Hills, Queens; E/F/V/R to Continental Ave

The first time I walked into this place I thought I might've had the address wrong--there's nothing to suggest that the shiny, almost-fancy restaurant was anything more than your standard overpriced/overproduced pizza rip-off.

But then, you get the pizza--and it's good, and fresh, and chewy, and definitely worth telling your friends about. Be warned: they don't deliver, so you either have to go there or do carry-out.

Photo of a Grimaldi's pizza by Karen Wiles Stabile for Newsday

Tags: dumbo, pizza, little italy, west village, forest hills, kensington, queens, manhattan, food, brooklyn, bronx, zany, staten island

Staten Island is for carb lovers!

Monday January 14, 2008 4:30 PM By Lauren Johnston

Calling all carb-a-holics! Among the many things you've likely never heard of on Staten Island -- generally the metro area's least explored borough -- is Melone Brothers bakery.

Well, it's time to get wise, hop on the ferry and head to Port Richmond because this place boasts some of the best Italian loaves around (plus rolls, bagels, heros, the works). The Tabloid Tours team sampled a a classic Italian loaf fresh from the oven and -- after just barely avoiding a fist fight over the last crumbs -- gave it a unanimous thumbs up.

Added bonus: It's steps away from Denino's pizza -- home of the five-borough famous clam pie.

If you go: Staten Island Ferry to the s44 bus takes you to Port Richmond Avenue. Melone's is just off the avenue at 17 Hooker Place; (718) 816-5111. So .. now, mange!

-- Lauren

Tags: staten island, food, old school, tabloid tours

Unearthed: A bit of radio history

Monday January 14, 2008 4:14 PM By Rolando Pujol

One of the joys of living in a city with so many layers of history is that you never know what might unexpectedly resurface the next time some building is torn down or a subway station is rehabbed. This discovery is hardly historic by a mile, considering recent finds at this subway station, the Columbus Circle stop, but this old ad caught our eye. It's a partial remnant of an ad for Hot 97 from at least a decade ago, by the looks of the logo, perhaps longer. It simply touts the station's very red logo, with a tag, "soooo hot!" and the station call letters on the bottom right. A nifty little find, and one that won't last for long.

-- Rolando Pujol

Tags: manhattan, old school, signs

Meet David Freedlander

Sunday January 13, 2008 8:17 PM By Admin

David Freedlander can't even enjoy a blade of grass unless he knows there's a subway handy, or a record store, or some other sign that people do not totally regret life. He moved to New York to attend graduate school and to avoid ever having a still, quiet moment again.

Meet Daisy Carrington

Sunday January 13, 2008 8:16 PM By Admin

Daisy Carrington is a native New Yorker (yes, they do exist). She spends her free time hunting for delicious bargain cuisine (ideally, the kind that doesn't give you heartburn), and conjuring up ways to cook gourmet meals on the cheap (be warned: Her culinary skills are still a work in progress). Join her on her journey as she tries (sometimes successfully) to unearth the best deals this city has to offer its burgeoning, impoverished foodie population.

Meet Rolando Pujol

Sunday January 13, 2008 8:15 PM By Admin

Rolando Pujol is a managing editor at amNewYork and a co-founder of Urbanite. Previously, he was an assistant city editor for Newsday's city edition. He regularly writes about New York City history and culture for Urbanite. His projects at amNewYork have included an ongoing series on preservation, Endangered NYC, an examination of the New York accent, and coverage of Ground Zero among other development and neighborhood issues.

Meet Lauren Johnston

Sunday January 13, 2008 8:14 PM By Admin

Lauren Johnston likes to know what's going on. Open door? She peeks in. Crowd assembled? She'll see what's in the middle. In addition to charting unexplored territory throughout the city's nabes and nooks, and meeting the people who give them life (see: Eak the Geek, Anton the pigeon fancier and Phil the Giglio capo) she also likes trying on new careers for a day. Most recent: Trapeze artist.

Meet Julie Gordon

Sunday January 13, 2008 8:14 PM By Admin

Julie Gordon is arts and entertainment editor at amNewYork, where she covers celebrity news and fashion/beauty. Prior to amNY, Julie worked as a reporter at BusinessWeek.com, where she wrote about education, retail news, fashion and luxury living. Julie holds a degree in journalism from The George Washington University, and is author of the guidebook "The George Washington University: Off the Record."

Meet Jamshid Mousavinezhad

Sunday January 13, 2008 8:10 PM By Admin

Jamshid Mousavinezhad likes walking, looking at things, and eating. He has high hopes that by 2030 the city will have installed moving sidewalks, allowing him to do all three simultaneously without tripping.

Meet Garett Sloane

Sunday January 13, 2008 11:17 AM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

Garett Sloane is the business editor at amNewYork. His section covers everything from global finance to small business, real estate to retail and technology to personal finance. He came to amNewYork from the Times Union in Albany. Prior to that, he worked in New England for The Bennington Banner and The Berkshire Eagle. His adventures include a reporting stint in Costa Rica at A.M. Costa Rica (no relation).

About amNewYork

Sunday January 13, 2008 8:36 AM By System Administrator

Contact amNewYork

Back copies of the newspaper

Mission statement

Submitting Letters to the Editor

Privacy Policy

amNewYork Advertising and Conditions

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

-amNewYork's special events and promotions

-Tell us: Who's amNewYork's best sidewalk promoter?

-Jobs at amNewYork

Contact amNewYork

Meet Emily Ngo

Sunday January 13, 2008 6:15 AM By Admin

Emily Ngo serves as nation/world editor at amNewYork. While her main focus in recent months (going on years) has been the U.S. presidential election and the Obama presidency, she remains deeply interested in international news. Ngo has also worked at the (Ill.) Daily Herald, the Chicago Sun-Times and the (Syracuse) Post-Standard.