Thursday, April 7, 2011

New York City And The Melting Pot Myth

So newyorkers, does it come to a shock to hear that our beloved city, the world's city and the center of the known universe is not the true melting pot that it purports to be?

57 years after segregation was "officially" ended, New York City, Newark, NJ and Nassau and Suffolk counties of Long Island are the 3 areas in the region to place in the top ten major cities and areas that are the LEAST intergrated.  

The report, which was created using data from the 2010 Census, is called, "The Persistence of Segregation in Metropolis," and was written by two university professors.  

Walking through the various neighborhoods that comprise the five boroughs of the city, the report's veracity is quite evident.  Although the report speaks of the gulf between black and white America, being a global city, we newyorkers take it even to a completely different level.

From the largely Dominican population in the Heights (that's Washington Heights to you non-newyorkers) to the Chinese and Koreans in Flushing and the lily white neighborhoods of Riverdale in the Bronx and most of Manhattan below 96th street. Oh and let's not forget West Indian and African American strongholds of Wakefield in the Bronx and Bed-Stuy and the Puerto Rican South Bronx.

Sure you can hear the cacaphony of the world's languages. Yes you can savor cuisine from every corner of the globe and of course you can buy the latest fashions from far away lands, yet we are as separate as night is from day as the ocean is from the sky.  

As a native newyorker, I am thoroughly disgusted and disappointed (yet not surprised) at our beloved city receiving the dubious distinction of being the third LEAST segregated metropolis in America.

Let's hope that we can work together to be more of a fruit smoothie than the fruit salad.

NY & NJ Cities Rank Among America's Most Segregated : via HuffPost


Picture of the Day - 116th Street, Harlem

Shout out to Harlem!


Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Slum Lords - 50 Worst Landlords Watchlist

This is absolutely a brilliant list compiled by Public Advocate, Bill DiBlasio on the 50 worst landlords of New York City. They are the scum who give ournewyork a bad name and make lives miserable for thousands of our newyorkers.

With this tool, you can check them out, see their properties mapped and even view the worst of the worst by borough.

Hope no one reading this finds their landlord on the list but if you do, we want to know!

NYC's Worst Landlords Watchlist | NYC Public Advocate


Thursday, March 31, 2011

MTA PSA Subway Ads Piss Me Off

So as you have all probably noticed, gone are the poems and literary verses which took us to and fro our daily lives.  We used to be able to look up and read a few verses and perhaps even have our curiosity piqued so much so as to read some more. 

Now, instead, I find myself pissed off at the idiots who run the MTA. 

Do I really need to know that MTA "... apps are whiz kid certified or that "improvements don't just happen?"  It doesn't take a genius to figure out that it's "nice to know when your train will come," I mean come on now, we have all seen the digital time tables throughout the station slowly (glacially so) come online.

So I ask the turds that run the largest transportation network in the world, has your public image been torn to shreds so much that you now find yourselves tooting your own horn so loudly and obnoxiously? 

I think the wasted ad spaces could be better put to use making revenue as ADS for the "cash strapped" MTA. 

To correct one of their ads, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."


Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Landlords To Be Held Accountable For Bed Bug Infestations s

Effective immediately, NYC landlords must comply with stiffer rules as well as penalties from the Department of Health if they don't comply with new regulations regarding these dreaded pests.

Landlords must now inspect any apartment adjacent to an infected unit, including above and below said vector of our modern plague.

Make sure you read the link below and INFORM YOURSELF!

NEW SOLUTION?: via HuffPost


Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Pic of the Day - The Cousin It Lamp

You never know what you will see when walking the streets of mynewyork and that's why I love this great city of ours.

Now how awesome is this lamp?!


Monday, March 21, 2011

newyorkers Love Bike Lanes

Hate the bike lanes that have gobbled up New York City streets over the past few years? Well you are in the minority - and most likely a Republican, according to a new poll released on the matter. Tell us how you feel!

Survey Says: Republican New Yorkers Hate Bike Lanes : Gothamist: New York City News, Food, Arts & Events

Image Credit:  http://www.wfuv.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/article/news/photos/Bike%20Lane,%20Flickr%20Joe%20Shlabotnik.jpg


Saturday, March 19, 2011

Bridge And Tunnel Traps!

The traps have been set! If you are traveling from outside of Manhattan and into the city, don't say we didn't warn you!

(Image Credit: Jeff Greenspan)

Beware Of Bridge And Tunnel Traps!: via HuffPost


Thursday, March 17, 2011

Taking Back Our Waterfront

(Image: Mill Pond Park in the Bronx on the Harlem River@149th Street)

On Monday, the Bloomberg administration unveiled the most ambitious plan in city history to reclaim our waterfront.  From purchasing parcels of waterfront land that have blocked newyorkers from accessing the water to building and resorting parks the plan isn't without controversy.  Many critics argue that if there's money for this $3.3 billion plan then there should be money for our schools and other services threatened by budget cuts.
What do you think, my fellow newyorkers?

City Unveils $3.3 Billion Waterfront Plan: via HuffPost


Monday, March 14, 2011

JapanNYC Will Go On

Cruel irony that a festival of Japanese culture and the arts had been planned for some time now at Carnegie Hall for this week.  Now the focus of the organizers is to see how they can use this 40 event celebration of Japan's culture to bring assistance to that country in their time of need. 
The devastating earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdowns have left frazzled nerves but now let us celebrate the Japanese people through the soul of the country: the arts.

READ MORE:
NYTimes: A Festival of Japan’s Culture Proceeds http://nyti.ms/ichq4J

Image courtesy of:
finnair.com/japan/static/images/japan_overview_2.jpg


Friday, March 11, 2011

Breast Feeding Under Attack

I never really understood what the big deal was about  breast feeding.  It's one of the most beautiful things that a woman and her child can experience and bond them together like nothing else can.
The Upper Breast Side has been recently targeted by the condo board in the building in which they operate out of.  It is a place of learning and community support that is not readily available in even the largest city in the country so why mess with something like it?
I really would love to hear from mynewyorkers on this, particularly our mothers.  Please share your stories and or concerns with us.  What are other resources available to your fellow newyorkers on breast feeding?

READ MORE:  NYTimes: Breast-Feeding Boutique in Feud With Condo Board http://nyti.ms/fKP0Xv


Thursday, March 10, 2011

Friday, March 4, 2011

Faces of newyork

It seems I'm not the only on interested in the faces of newyorkers. Brandon Stanton, a New York City based photographer, is out on a mission to photograph every face in our beloved city. 
Check out some of the faces behind his work as well as his story.

PHOTOS: Humans Of New York, One Photo At A Time: via HuffPost


Thursday, March 3, 2011

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

The 90 Year Young Fashionista

It's not every day that you get to read about such a vibrant and active senior newyorker. 
Ilona Royce Smithkin, at age 90, leads a busy and exciting life that would probably be more than average newyorker half her age could handle. 
Congratulations, Ilona for leading a full life!

WATCH: The Most Stylish 90-Year-Old In New York: via HuffPost


Tuesday, March 1, 2011

The State of Education

Just read an interesting article by George Lucas, of all people, on how to transform how students learn.

He says,
"Unfortunately, much of our system of education is locked in a time capsule that dates back to the Industrial Revolution, when learning became an exercise in pumping as much information into kids as possible. At the end of this education assembly line comes a diploma -- if the student can spit back the facts correctly. But in an era where technology can deliver most of the world's information on demand and knowledge is changing so rapidly, the model doesn't work. Why spend $150 on textbooks that students use for only 15 weeks with information that soon becomes obsolete?"
Read more: GEORGE LUCAS: Join the Movement to Transform Learning: via HuffPost



East Village Grit

Seems like the East Village is still alive and well with its graffiti and murals all over the place.  Even after years of gentrification the streets have retained a level of grime that calls out to newyorkers.





Friday, February 25, 2011

Public Display of Affection

PDAs are just gross...get a room!  What are YOUR PDA stories, newyorkers?


Thursday, February 24, 2011

Picture Of The Day

Museum of Natural History.


Homeless newyorkers Are Given A Voice Via Twitter

A couple of months ago mynewyork asked you to count your blessings because so many other newyorkers are without homes. 
Now, thanks to three college grads interning at a TriBeCa ad agency, four homeless newyorkers have been given prepaid cell phones to connect with the world via twitter. 

Read more:  NYTimes: A Life on the Streets, on Twitter http://nyti.ms/eoVLq1


Wednesday, February 23, 2011

The Death Of Little Italy



 In a not so shocking piece by The New York Times, it seems that Little Italy is no more, in terms of native born Italians.  Maybe they should check out Little Italy in the Bronx which is still alive and well even with the influx of Albanians in the last few decades?

Census Can't Find A Single Native Italian In Little Italy: via HuffPost

Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor, Your Huddled Masses



In a city and country built by immigrants, mynewyork is no stranger to those of distant and strange shores yearning to breathe free and begin working towards the  American Dream.  This article in the New York Times tells the tale of how the immigrant enclave of Chinatown has become the unofficial employment center for many other newcomers besides those from China. From Guatemala to Burma, these newyorkers come here to take their first steps towards achieving that dream. [READ MORE]

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

GET OUT OF MY WAY! Rage: It's Not Just For Roads

If you're a native newyorker then you know this feeling very well:  You're walking along the streets of Manhattan, zig zagging through the crowd as only an expert newyorker can.  Subconsciously, we map out the quickest way through the mass of people and then there is that inevitable STOP.  Usually a camera, toting tourist is blocking the sidewalk or a group of people walking five across (at a snail's pace no less) and blocking everyone's progress and then it hits you: RAGE.
What the fuck?  Yeah that's pretty much the three words that come to your mind right away.  Well if you think you are the only one, you're not.  Apparently it's real, alive and well in mynewyork.  [Read More]
Tell us your favorite Sidewalk Rage story...we want to know.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

New York City Expands Smoking Ban to Parks, Plazas


So the battle against smokers continues in NYC when the City Council voted to ban smoking in public parks last week in the name of breathing easier for all newyorkers.  I don't necessarily agree with this ban happening in NYC to such extent but I do have to say that if most smokers were a little bit more considerate and conscious of their surroundings perhaps this wouldn't have gotten this far?
Countless times I have been sitting on a park bench or on the beach when some idiot decides to stand right next to me and light up.  You want to smoke and kill yourself, fine by me but don't invade my space with your smoke thank you very much.
Oh and don't think NYC is the first to enact such bans.  LA and Chi-town have similar laws as well as other cities across the nation.
What do you think, newyorkers?

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Monday, January 17, 2011

Bargain Basement Breasts In The Bronx



Whalesca Castillo of the Bronx was arrested last week for injecting women with silicone for  breast and butt enhancements out of her Bronx apartment.  Such illegal injections have led to death in some cases (you need a medical license to practice such things).

Whalesca had been illegally importing the silicone from the Dominican Republic and was charging as much as $1,000 a shot. What morons would go to someone's home to get cosmetic surgery?

I don't know who's the bigger idiot...Whalesca or her clients.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Close Your Legs!!



No...this isn't about NYC Schools Chancellor, Catherine P. Black's  off-handed remark that birth control might solve over crowding in our schools but rather a commentary on men who insist on taking 2 or more seats on the subway by spreading their legs wide open. 

Close your legs, fellas, cuz I'm sure it ain't that big...#justsayin


Thursday, January 13, 2011

Rat Riding The Subway - No It Wasn't The MTA Chairman

Whatever you do...DON'T FALL ASLEEP next time you're riding the subway.  Apparently the rats have gotten hip to the fact that they don't have to run around just on the tracks but can actually ride along on the train to the next station and beyond.

Snow Bride of Bay Ridge

"Snow Bride of Bay Ridge" photo: Alex Irrizari

Fellow newyorker, Alex Irizzari of Bay Ridge sent in this picture of the Snow Bride of Bay Ridge on 76th between 4th and 5th.  Very reminiscent of a past newyorker pic of "Scary Lady on 14th Street". Big THANKS to Alex for sharing this pic with us!

"Scary Lady on 14th Street" photo: mynewyork

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Snow Emergency Declared For NYC



Please note the following from NYC's Office of Emergency Management:


Weather Emergency DeclarationAt the direction of the Mayor, the public is hereby advised that significant snowfall has been forecast for January 11 and 12.
  1. The public is urged to avoid all unnecessary driving during the duration of the storm and until further directed, and to use public transportation wherever possible.  If you must drive, use extreme caution.  Information about any service changes to public transportation is available on the MTA website at http://www.mta.info/.
  2. Any vehicle found to be blocking roadways or impeding the ability to plow streets shall be subject to towing at the owner’s expense.
  3. Effective immediately, alternate side parking, payment at parking meters and garbage collections are suspended citywide until further notice.
  4. The Emergency Management, Fire, Police, Sanitation, and Transportation Commissioners will be taking all appropriate and necessary steps to preserve public safety and to render all required and available assistance to protect the security, well-being and health of the residents of the City.

Good Morning From Union Square Dog Run



Our four-legged friends need to socialize too and what better place than your local dog run?

Send in your pics of your pets...tell us your pet's name and the neighborhood you and your furry friend reside:   Citizennyc1@gmail.com

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Empire State of Mind - New York City Top Destination In USA In 2010


More tourists  have invaded New York City than any other American destination - proof, yet again, that we live in greatest city in the universe.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Train of Thought - The Z Train and WHAT IS IT?!

So one of the great things of being on Facebook is that I get to read thousands of posts a day especially by my fellow newyorkers.  Here's a piece from Derrick Kardos:
"i took the Z train today. freak train. i never take that train! i look around and its got all these weird freaky people on it. where are they going? are they even new yorkers? even the J train laughs at the Z train. smh."
The subway is really an amazing place...each line has its own "personality" if you will as evidenced by Derrick in the above musing.  What's your underground experience? What makes you tick-tock underground???

Underground NYC - Mole People and All


Ever since I could remember, I have always been fascinated with what lurks beneath this behemoth of a city.  NPR and the New York Times recently went on an (illegal) excursion to explore that world along with Steve Duncan who is currently working on his PhD in urban history at the University of California.
At first I thought I would have LOVED to have been in that group of explorers but then when I read that they treaded through raw sewage, rats and roaches, I quickly decided that I could live vicariously through the story...