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!

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

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."

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

Elizabeth Taylor's newyork

Elizabeth Taylor's New York - NYTimes.com

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?!

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

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

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

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

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

The Early Bird Gets The Worm

Pigeons feeding at 4:30 AM

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

Picture of the Day

Living for the silver-haired mannequins...

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

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.

Public Display of Affection

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

Picture Of The Day

Museum of Natural History.