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Has The Pulitzer Prize Committee - Like the Corporate Media - Lost its Way?

Updated February 21, 2018 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Government & Politics / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

The following is an open letter that I sent to the Pultizer Prize Committee on January 25th, 2018 along with a journalistic series I had written in 2017 and sent to them in 2018 entitled Rupert Murdoch and the Rise of the 21st Century Propaganda Press. The series, which you can view by clicking the link, tells the story about how multi-billionaire Rupert Murdoch appears to use his media outlets as propaganda machines in order to promote pols who will grant him favorable tax legislation, favorable executive rulings and favorable industry regulatory legislation.

Murdoch also appears to be able to manipulate the course of governments and public policy. He appears to have done exactly this in the case of the Iraq War, whereby Murdoch appears to have sent three English-speaking democracies to war - not only for oil - but for his cable network TV ratings too. In Britain in 2016, regarding the Brexit referendum, Murdoch appears to have hijacked public policy in his favor - not the nation's - by pushing through a seismic policy change that enables Murdoch to have greater autonomy over how he conducts his multi-national media business - free from any meaningful government interference - and the Brexit referendum vote also gave Murdoch a huge purchase price discount, because of a devalued British currency.

While the Corporate Media obsesses over the Russian Collusion Investigation - they are distracted from putting in the spotlight what appears to be the REAL 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION STORY - which is Rupert Murdoch's election meddling to further empower and enrich himself at the expense of the republic and its institutions.

In Trump's first year, Murdoch was the recipient of numerous tax breaks, and breath-taking deregulatory actions in Murdoch's industry via FCC Rulings and telecommunications legislative changes. All of this has received scant news coverage, as the Pulitzer Prize Award winning corporate media, were too busy covering Donald Trump's Tweet distractions. By giving preferential treatment to Trump's tweets, which the American public is able to directly access on their own, the corporate media has failed the American public by regurgitating and hence amplifying the President's shock jock statements - instead of doing their job of providing the American public with context-based news reports about the important issues of the day.

• CLICK here to read my Opinion / Editorial about the Pulitzer Prize Committee & Journalism Awards.

Le Monde French Restaurant UWS

Le Monde is where 'the World' Meets on the Upper West Side

October 10, 2017 / Upper West Side Neighborhood UWS / Manhattan French Restaurants UWS / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

It was mid September and school had recently begun as I made my way toward Le Monde French restaurant on the Upper West Side. Le Monde is located along Broadway between 112th and 113th Streets - only a block away from the Samuel Tilden monument along Riverside Drive. Tilden was the first presidential candidate to win the popular vote and lose the electoral vote back in 1876. He had been the Governor of New York State. But I digress.

Le Monde is a classical French brasserie, with dark wood paneled booths; a small hexagonal piece, stone tile floor; high ceilings with fans and cafe style seating outside along the street. Given it was a near perfect night, we chose to sit outside.

After being seated, the sommelier was first to welcome us. We went with a Bordeaux. I skipped the appetizers and went straight to the Coq au Vin, while my dining companions ordered the Steak Frites and the Organic Chicken. The wine arrived shortly after we ordered it and our conversation turned to the new school year.

After the food arrived we all went silent for a bit as we savored our respective choices. The Coq au Vin had a mellow flavor to it. The small pieces of chicken were tender and likely had been marinated and were accompanied by vegetables including medium-sized mushrooms cooked al dente, as well as carrots, garlic and onions in a thin wine sauce. On top of the stew there was a portion of Dauphinoise gratin, which are thin cuts of potatoes cooked in a layered manner and brown atop.

The 12 oz steak and fries seemed to hit the spot as the young man who ordered it didn't come up for air until he was largely done. He said it was tender and flavorful and the fries slightly moist on the inside while crisp and salted on the outside.

The organic chicken had come with asparagus cooked al dente. The chicken was moist and served simply.

Meanwhile the street traffic seemed comprised of mostly coeds from Barnard heading down into town, while the people in the restaurant seemed a mix of neighborhood folks including several young couples, possibly from nearby Columbia.

The prices seemed reasonable for NYC, with the appetizers coming in around $10, while the main courses ranged between $16 and $30. Le Monde, where 'the world' meets on the Upper West Side.

Table of Silence Transcends 911

Lincoln Center Dance Commemoration Transcends Hate through Love

September 11, 2017 / Upper West Side Neighborhood / Modern Dance Manhattan / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

This morning at 8.15 am over one hundred dancers began a spiritual commemoration of the events of 911 with a modern dance performance in the main plaza at Lincoln Center on the Upper West Side. This was the seventh year of the performance, and its meaning seems to grow - rather than diminish - with time. It's about the classic and timeless struggle, between giving into hate, or striving to love.

The dancers were all dressed in white, and they created a resplendent symmetry mimicking nature's own. The performance was accompanied by a bit of minimalist music - originating from a beating drum, the air passing through a conch shell, and the human vocal cords.

The dancers transformed the plaza at Lincoln Center into a table, with the bountiful water fountain in the middle. Plates appeared, signifying the sharing of a feast ... a spiritual feast ... a prayer for all humanity.

We feel a heavenly sharing of being together, in a single place, at a single time. It's a solemn place, a sagely peace, a peace with each other, a peace within, and a peace with all the world ... even as the world continues to swirl around us, as does the NYC traffic ... but we remain centered ... as one.

At exactly 8.46 am the performance stops. All is still in Lincoln Center Plaza as we observe a minute of silence together. It's a silence within, as we are surrounded by the ambient noise of the city during rush hour. Sixteen years ago at 8.46 am the second of two planes struck the World Trade Center wreaking havoc. Taking lives. Creating chaos.

Cleansed of hate and vengeance - we depart to go on with our days. We have defeated the terrorists, by not giving into their desire for an endless cycle of violence and hate.

Old World Big Screen Theater Coming Back

The United Palace is a Big Screen Theater Built in the 1930's

May 16, 2017 / Upper West Side Neighborhood & Washington Heights / Film in Manhattan / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

Last month I had the opportunity to watch George Orwell's 1984 on the big screen at the United Palace theater in Washington Heights. I hopped aboard the subway at Times Square and made my way north into Washington Heights, bumping into a friend of a friend along the way.

I got off the A train at 175th Street and made the one block walk east to the the theater. The outside of the building is rectangular and made of stone, hiding an exquisite interior in an evolving neighborhood. When I stepped inside, I was nearly dazzled by the beauty and old world glamorous feel that the United Palace has managed to keep alive all these years.

More coming later this week.

NYC Crime Continues To Drop, Breaking Records

Mayor de Blasio & NYPD Discuss City Safety & Ongoing Improvements

February 7, 2017 / Manhattan Neighborhoods / Manhattan Government / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

This just came in on the heels of our coverage of the Public Safety discussion below. Mayor de Blasio and NY Police Commissioner O'Neill spoke in the Bronx regarding ongoing efforts and results in improving safety in the city. The following are some of the crime statistics noted in their meeting taken directly out of a press release sent by them.

Chief of Crime Control Strategies Dermot Shea, NYPD: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Good afternoon, everyone. As you’ve heard, we have begun a strong start to 2017 in terms of overall crime reduction. Strategies that have been put in place to address repeat offenders, illegal gun possession and gangs are having the desired effect. We’re building on the momentum of the last few years.

• So, some of the highlights for crime statistics from this January – overall index crime is down 0.2 percent for the month of January. When you carry it over to this morning, we are now down 2.7 percent in overall index crime in New York City.

• To note – with the overall index crime, January marks the tenth consecutive month of reduced index crime. That’s the momentum we’ve been talking about. Currently, four out of five boroughs in New York City – all but Queens – are down to start the year.

• Homicides – we recorded 20 homicides in January. That’s down two from 22. That 20, as the Mayor alluded to, is the lowest January that we have ever recorded going back a minimum into the 1960s.

• Shooting incidents – down 1.7 percent in January. Last January we hit the modern mark with 59 shooting incidents. We came in with 58 this January.

• Talking about momentum again – nine of the last 13 months we’ve had a reduction in shooting incidents. Nine of the last 13.

• Three months in a row we’ve had a reduction in shooting incidents in New York City. We have now, when you look at New York City as a whole, we now have 24-hour periods where we do not record a shooting incident in New York City. That kind of thinking was impossible in the not too distant past.

• This is the new normal. We want to build on it and we feel that we will build on it but there’s still plenty of work to do.

• Stabbings and slashings for January – down 7.2 percent.

• Robberies – down 7.5 percent. Lowest January robbery number we’ve seen.

• Felony assaults in New York City – down 5.4 percent.

• Burglaries tied the lowest mark set last year.

• Transit crime – down 1.4 percent.

• And housing crime – not to be outdone – down 1.9 percent.

• Clearly, a wide breath of crime across New York City – property and violent crime, down.
  
  But there is, I alluded to, there is still work to do – three categories we saw increases in January.

• Rape was up 8.9 percent.

• Grand larceny, specifically, credit card related skimming and forging of checks – those two drove grand larcenies. And grand larceny was up for the month of January 4.7 percent.

• And lastly, rounding out the crime totals – stolen vehicles which we have seen drop to unprecedented lows saw an increase of ten cars for January. So, that’s 480 versus 470 – a two percent increase.

Commissioner O’Neill: Okay, thanks, Dermot. We’ll take your questions.

Question: Do you think it’s possible, really to keep driving crime down further at this point? And how could you achieve that?

O'Neill's response was yes, with some added context.

Dining on the Banks at the Boathouse

Central Park Boathouse Provides Bucolic Ambiance in Big Apple

June 15, 2016 / Upper East Side Neighborhood UES / UWS Upper West Side Neighborhood / Manhattan Parks / Manhattan Restaurants / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

About a month ago, I met an out-of-town guest for breakfast at the Central Park Boathouse. The Central Park Boathouse is one of the few venues that has remains a consistent treat not just to visiting guests, but resident hosts as well.

The Boathouse is located in the center of Central Park, north of the Great Lawn, just beyond Bethesda Fountain, along the winding roadway on the eastern side of the park. You can access it from 72nd Street, 76th or 79th Streets off Fifth Avenue on the Upper East Side.

While I was there for brunch on this particular Sunday, my favorite time to visit the Central Park Boathouse is in the middle or late afternoon on a weekend for a glass or more of wine to wind down the day and the week with friends.

It's frequently crowded and takes a bit of patient waiting and strategic positioning, to get a seat to rest one's weary bones ... but once settled in ... it's an unbeatable venue for late afternoon relaxation. More later.

Nice Matin Restaurant in the Lucerne Hotel

Nice Matin is a Great Way to Start or Continue a 'Nice Morning'

May 16, 2016 / UWS Upper West Side Neighborhood / Upper West Side Restaurants / Manhattan Restaurants / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

The Lucerne Hotel was designed by Harry Mulliken and Edgar Moeller, and opened in 1904. The Lucerne Hotel exhibits the architects' trademark facade which is a rich, brownish-red and pink, brick and terra cotta facade. The architects designed a number of other well known New York City buildings, which still stand today.

The Nice Matin French restaurant is located on the ground floor of the beautiful, 12-story building housing the Lucerne Hotel, which is located at the corner of Amsterdam and West 79th Street on the Upper West Side.

The Lucerne Hotel closed for a while in the last half of the 20th century, and the building was temporarily converted into Columbia University housing. In 1995 the Lucerne Hotel reopened. And it's worth noting that the building was landmarked sometime in the last half of the 20th century.

But I digress, as it's Nice Matin, the French restaurant that we're about to explore. I have eaten at Nice Matin on numerous occasions, and within the past month enjoyed yet another fun outing. I arrived embedded with a large party of just under a dozen at around half past noon on a Sunday. We weren't allowed to make reservations for the party because of its size, but we had called ahead and within about 15 minutes we were seated.

The ambiance has always been festive, as the 20 foot high ceilings, and the floor-to-ceiling windows along both the southern and western walls allow in ample light and a great feeling of space. While the ambient conversations fill the background with sound, it's not noise, but rather part of a melodious rhythm.

The photo at right shows the Lamb Sausage and Scrambled Eggs at the Nice Matin French restaurant on the Upper West Side. You'll be able to click here late this week for the rest of our report.

Architectural Digest Design Show

Provides Vignettes of Living Lovely at Piers 92 & 94

March 21, 2016 / Midtown West Neighborhood /UWS Upper West Side Neighborhood / Fashion & Film Manhattan / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

I attended the Architectural Digest Design Show on Piers 92 & 94 on Thursday afternoon. The show ran through last weekend, providing the public with an opportunity to see the latest and greatest in urban living design and technology.

The show spanned both Piers and included sections dedicated to kitchen, bath, living and dining areas of the home and with a little imagination, possibly the office as well.

The show was well attended by designers, manufacturers, the media, salespeople, buyers and browsers. And the mood seemed buoyant.

Click here to read the rest of our report on the Architectural Digest Design Show incuding the DIFFA on Pier 92.

1348

Man in Profile: Joseph Mitchell of The New Yorker

Columbia School of Journalism Dean Coll Moderates Conversation with Authors Gay Talese & Thomas Kunkel

January 18, 2016 / Upper West Side Neighborhood / Manhattan History / News Analysis & Opinion / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

I received an invitation to attend a conversation at the Columbia School of Journalism about a new book covering the professional life of one of the most prominent writers of The New Yorker magazine. The Columbia University School of Journalism is easily one of the most prestigious journalism schools in the nation; and Columbia also hosts the judging for the Pulitzer Prize, which is considered one of the highest awards a journalist or author can receive.

It was a fairly warm October evening as I made my way north on the subway along the Upper West Side. I got off at 116th Street and walked east through the main campus to the Faculty House. The Faculty House sits atop the Morningside Heights ridge overlooking Harlem, the Upper West Side and the rest of Manhattan.

The entrance into the Faculty House was from an interior courtyard where Columbia University students were hanging around in casual conversations. Once inside, I was directed to an upper floor where the event was being held.

Seated at the head of the room was Gay Talese, a Pulitzer Prize winner and author of numerous books including The Kingdom & The Power. He was in the company of the Dean of the Columbia School of Journalism, Steve Coll, who is also a Pulitzer Prize-winning author having penned several tomes about issues in Asia, most notably the Middle East. And of course, there was the guest author of the evening, Thomas Kunkel, who is the President of St. Norbert College in Wisconsin and who had penned the book being discussed this evening entitled Man in Profile: Joseph Mitchell of The New Yorker.

Click here to read the rest of our report regarding a conversation about the recently published book Man in Profile: Joseph Mitchell of The New Yorker at the Columbia School of Journalism.

1327

Off Broadway Theater: Mourning Sun

West End Theatre Hosts New Work by Theatre 167

November 16, 2015 / Upper West Side Neighborhood / Manhattan Off Broadway Theater NYC / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

I disembarked from the subway at West 86th Street on the Upper West Side. It was a relatively warm November evening as I got my bearings before heading west to the West End Theatre at 263 West 86th Street.

West End Theatre is not just the name of the locale, but it’s also a phrase taken from the London theatre district, that is similar in essence, to what Broadway means in New York City. A West End Theatre production in London means you’re attending one of the highest level of commercially produced shows. So the West End Theatre is a ‘play’ on words - but appropriate here - as in addition to the name of the theater it also communicates the quality of the new play entitled ‘Mourning Sun’.

West End Theatre on the Upper West Side UWS

The West End Theatre is located on the second floor of St. Paul & St. Andrew Methodist Church. The church is a large building, which was erected in 1897, at a time when the Upper West Side was being developed in great earnest.

I walked into the building, which had a spacious ambiance. I was directed to walk up the wide, worn, white marble steps that led up the antique wooden staircase to the second floor. There’s a karmic feel to the place that allows one to breathe freely, not knowing whether it’s attributable to an ancient, ample, allowance for space; or because its inhabitants’ free flowing energy silently and insidiously infects its welcomed wandering guests with their buoyant enjoyment of life.

I met Director Ari Laura Kreith and Jenny Lyn Bader upon my arrival. After a brief exchange of pleasantries I was escorted to the balcony where I had a box seat overlooking the stage so I could take photographs without disturbing the theater-goers.

It wasn’t long before Director Kreith came on stage to introduce the production, and after speaking a few short sentences, she let the show go on. Director Kreith is shown in the photos above.

Click here to read the rest of our report including a photo slide show of Mourning Sun, and off Broadway theater nyc produced by Theatre 167.

Century Bike Ride Manhattan

September 14, 2015 / UWS Upper West Side Neighborhood / Biking Manhattan / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

The Sunday forecast included a high probability of scattered thunderstorms, but fortunately for the Century bike riders the weather appeared to favor them.

The Century Bike Ride is organized by Transportation Alternatives, an environmentally-friendly group that promotes non-carbon and low carbon 'transportation alternatives' to NYC residents. This is the bike ride they sponsor and the receipts go toward their efforts to ensure the various levels of government do what they can to help promote a safe and regenerative urban transportation environment.

The Century Bike Ride offers four biking alternatives that individuals and / or groups can pursue on their own during the most-of-the-day event. The first start time was at 5.30 am in Central Park [Manhattan] and at 6 am for a Prospect Park [Brooklyn] start and the last rest stops at the two parks closed at 6 pm.

The four bike routes included a 35 mile, 55 mile, 75 mile and 100 mile [hence the name century] loop.The 35 mile loop is called the East River Ride, which runs along the East River primarily in Brooklyn and Queens. The ride started at 7.30 am and was expected to last between 3.5 and 7.5 hours. The 55 mile loop is called the Waterfront Ride which includes the East River loop, but also the Verrazzanno Bridge, Coney Island and part of the Brooklyn Greenway. This ride started at 7 am / 7.30 am and was expected to take about 3.5 to 8.5 hours. The 75 mile loop is called the Rockaways Ride and it excludes the north / south run along the East River in Brooklyn / Queens in exchange for a haul out to the Fort Tilden Beach in the Rockaways then north through a number of Queens Greenways [parks] before turning westward back toward Manhattan. The Century Bike Ride, the 100 miler, starts at 6 am / 6.30 am and is expected to take between six and twelve hours.

The Century Bike Ride started in 1989 and is celebrating its 26th year.

Check It Dance Festival

5th Annual Dance Festival Moves To The Waterfront

July 20, 2015 / UWS Upper West Side Neighborhood & Midtown Manhattan Neighborhood / Manhattan Dance / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

Last year I stumbled upon the Check It Dance Festival on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The festival was performed at Summit Rock in Central Park. Summit Rock is hidden behind the greenery that one encounters when entering Central Park at West 82nd Street and Central Park West.

It was an idyllic location for the festival and both the dancers and the audience were surrounded by nature, surrounded by the dense concrete urban jungle. I sat for a while and enjoyed the performances which were a mix of aesthetic human form and beauty, and storytelling.

This year the Check It Dance Festival moved south to Solar One along the East River, just east of Stuyvesant Town. The cool openess of the East River helps mitigate the heat, which on Sunday was in the low 90's. The festival included pieces created by eleven choreographers and in which over 40 dancers performed.

This year they held the performance on Sunday due to inclement weather earlier on Saturday, as there were predictions of more inclement weather to come. Since its inception, the Check It Dance Festival has showcased local dancers and choreographers, as well as visiting choreographers from the Netherlands and Dominican Republic.

I had an opportunity to speak with Allison Brzezinski, Founder and Artistic Director of Check It Dance Company. Allison is originally from Connecticut and holds a degree in both dance and theatre from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Shortly after she arrived in New York City, Allison set out to form Check It Out Dance Company and only a year later, she organized the first Check It Dance Festival at Summit Rock on the Upper West Side. She told me that the mission of Check It Dance Company and the Check It Dance Festival was to:

"... crack the stereotypical infrastructure of how women are seen in society today, by creating new works that seek to empower women ..."

One of the premier choreographed works that have come from Check It Dance is entitled, Is My Body?. Allison told me that this work is about taking care of a woman's body in a healthy way, instead of trying to attain the ideal of female beauty that is depicted in the media but that doesn't exist in reality. The work was a collaboration between Allison & Kendra Dushac who performed it at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland; as well as at several locations in the NYC metropolitan area.

The photo to your right shows the Check It Dance Festival at Solar One along the East River in Manhattan in 2015. The photo was taken by Allison Brzezinski.

To learn more about Check It Dance and future events, visit their website at www.checkitdance.com [cut & paste into your browser].

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West Side Community Garden Tulip Festival

Upper West Side Festival Celebrates Tulips

May 4, 2015 / Upper West Side Neighborhood UWS / Manhattan Parks / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

I attended the West Side Community Garden annual Tulip Festival this past weekend. The weather was near perfect with highs around 70 and no rain.

The West Side Community Garden is located on 89th Street between Columbus and Amsterdam and provides a throughway to 90th Street and green space for the surrounding area. The West Side Community Garden was legally recognized in the late 1980's, although the effort to transform it from a vacant lot / dumping ground began in the mid 1970's. According to the West Side Community Garden website this is their 41st year of operation, which means they started in some fashion in 1974.

It was hard to find any information about when the Tulip Festival actually began, but given the garden itself is only a few decades old, it probably wasn't too long ago. Anyhow, there were roughly about 12,000 tulips at the Tulip Festival. The festival is a two consecutive weekend affair.

Although no specific mention was made of this, it is worth noting that New York was first settled by the Dutch as New Amsterdam. The Dutch homeland, Holland, is the European home of the tulip. The Dutch began settling the Upper West Side in the mid 1600's and they called the area Bloemendaal, likely after a town located in the tulip region of the Netherlands [see map].

Bloemendaal was later Anglicized to Bloomingdale which was a name given to the Upper West Side on either side of 96th Street. The department store Bloomingdales likely got its name from here, and although as yet unconfirmed, we believe this is the connection to this Upper West Side Tulip Festival.

It's not difficult to figure out where Harlem got its name by looking at the map at right, which shows a section of the Netherlands just west of Amsterdam, near the North Sea: Haarlem.

On the Saturday of the last weekend of the festival, waves of bystanders and enthusiasts attended the event. There were a couple of speakers scheduled over the two weekends, to talk about gardening, horticulture, photography and flower arrangement. Admission to the event was free and sponsored by the Greenacre Foundation, the Lily Auchincloss Foundation and through the generosity of Upper West Side residents.

The West Side Community Garden has an open area where they plant flowers, an enclosed area where they plant vegetables, and they have a relationship with St. John The Divine which enables them access to the St. John Divine Greenhouse, and to which they donate the tulip bulbs after the season is over.

Over the course of the warm weather months, gardeners at the West Side Community Garden meet and work on various projects. To learn more about how to participate, visit their website at www.westsidecommunitygarden.org. Photos and story by Danveen.

Winter Ice Festival In Central Park

Valentine's Day Ice Carving & Silent Disco At Naumburg Bandshell

February 17, 2015 / Upper East Side Neighborhood & Upper West Side Neighborhood UWS / Manhattan Parks / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

It was a cold Saturday afternoon as I made my way to Central Park to join the hundreds or more who came out to enjoy the annual Central Park Ice Festival at the Naumburg Bandshell.

The festival began with demonstrations of how to create ice sculptures like the one shown in the photo at right and was followed by a silent disco. The DJ also played the music at an audible level [but not loud] for the rest of us who didn't go through the trouble of using the free the headsets. A deposit for each headset was required in case they were not returned.

There were tents set up to provide information about the Central Park Conservancy which sponsored the event. And I believe, but can't confirm, that there was also at least one food truck. But that said, it was mostly a non-food, artistic, communal dance and theatrical event.

As it was also Valentine's Day, there were many couples who came to disco silently in the park as the sun set and the temperatures dropped. Just like the ice ice man and woman in the photo, as it got colder the couples leaned in closer together. I hope you had a Happy Valentine's Day Weekend.

Snow Storm Skirts Manhattan & NYC

January 29, 2015 /Upper West Side Neighborhood UWS / Manhattan Neighborhoods / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

On Monday evening NYC's mass transit system was shut down. It was announced that NYC public schools would be closed. And everyone was advised to prepare for a snowstorm that might bring 24 to 36 inches of snow to the city.

On Tuesday morning, things looked quite a bit brighter. The city received far less than a foot of snow. In most places the inches of snowfall didn't even break the single digits. And so it was, a snow day without too much snow.

NYC has a long history of under reacting and over reacting to weather conditions. When government officials under react they generally lose some face. When they over react, the proverbial political storm blows over.

And so it was on Tuesday, January 27, 2015 that NYC enjoyed an unscheduled day off, with all the shopping done. The photo to your right was taken around noontime Tuesday looking south on Broadway Street around 90th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

Thanksgiving Day Parade Manhattan

88th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade NYC

December 1, 2014 / Upper West Side Neighborhood UWS / Manhattan Parades NYC / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

On Thursday November 27, 2014 the 88th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade began at 9 am. The hydrogen-filled balloons are inflated and held along Central Park West around the Museum of Natural History on Wednesday evening. You can view them the night before Thanksgiving, as they are fastened securely to the ground, for free.

Sometime in the wee hours of Thanksgiving morning, folks from around the nation begin to camp out along the Thanksgiving Day Parade route to secure a good viewing location in advance of the parade. These intrepid members of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade audience braved the cold temperatures and precipitation. When I arrived between 7 and 8 am it was in the mid 30's.

I asked a few of them why they did this and they told me that they had traveled from distant states and may never see the parade in person again. Some of them also had friends or family marching in the parade and they didn't want to miss seeing and photographing them marching in the nationally televised parade.

The story and photo by Michael Wood.

Fashion Week Manhattan NYC

Beauty & Style on the Runway At Couture Fashion Week

September 8, 2014 / Manhattan Fashion Shows NYC / Midtown Neighborhood NYC / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

I attended a bathing suit and bridal gown runway show at Couture Fashion Week at the Crowne Plaza Sunday evening. It was one of many fashion programs going on around NYC during NYC Fashion Week.

The runway show was held on the fourth floor in the Crowne Plaza located at Broadway between 48th and 49th Streets near Times Square. About a half dozen designers were featured in the show which included a beautiful vocal performance by Maryann Connolly and a dance performance by Battle For Your Life Tour Dancers and In Da Clutch and the Hood Lockers.

The show was fully attended with a standing room only crowd. And it was a visual feast of the voluptuous vogue. In the photo at right are the models coming out for a bow at the end of the Maty Machado Swimwear segment of the show.

Fashion Week In Manhattan

September 2, 2014 / Manhattan Neighborhoods / Fashion NYC / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

The summer has unofficially ended, school has started and Fall Fashion Week has arrived in NYC. There will be fashion events all over the city beginning Wednesday and running until Thursday September 11th.

New York Fashion Week is a collection of many independent events, but the showcase venue is at Lincoln Center where the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week occurs. The Mercedes Benz Fashion Week moved to Lincoln Center from Bryant Park in 2010. It had been held in tents in Bryant Park beginning in 1994.

So look around you this week at what folks are wearing. Temperatures will be in the mid to low 80's and the lows will be in the 60's, so you're not likely to see many fur coats.

Events start mid morning and run into the evening. You can buy tickets at mbfashionweek.com or by searching for the designers you wish to see. Several of them have begun to branch out onto their own, sponsoring their own events.

There will also be a number of parties and social gatherings. So wear your best for Manhattan's fashionista fest. Enjoy.

Lincoln Center Out Of Doors Ends

Free Summer Music Events Featured Depth & Breadth Of Talented Artists

August 11, 2014 / Upper West Side Neighborhood UWS / Live Music NYC / Manhattan Things To Do / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

On August 2nd, I ventured over to Lincoln Center in the early evening. There were a number of people sitting along the fountain, resplendent in its cool wetness, enjoying a warm August day [see photo to right].

I headed into the plaza and veered off to the right into Hearst Plaza. I found an audience of several dozen, relaxing and waiting patiently as Lincoln Center Outdoors was setting up for the evening performance. There were three groups scheduled to perform: The Devil Makes Three, Old 97's and John Fullbright. In the photo below right, you can see the stage being prepared for the Lincoln Center Outdoors performances.

For about a month, in the depths of summer, Lincoln Center Outdoors provides free musical entertainment at various venues throughout Lincoln Center in the afternoon and evening. The exact dates this year spanned Sunday, July 20th and ended this past weekend on Sunday, August 10th.

The venues include Damrosch Park which is off to the left behind the New York City Ballet Theater, Hearst Plaza - the location of which is described above, the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center along 65th Street, the David Rubenstein Atrium between 62nd & 63rd Streets on Broadway, the Walter Reade Theatre [also along 65th Street just west of the Julliard School], and Josie Robertson Plaza, which is the main plaza with the fountain surrounded by the New York City Ballet Theatre, the Metropolitan Opera House and the Avery Fisher Concert Hall.

In the photo on your left is the Josie Robertson Plaza at Lincoln Center.

Check It Out Dance Festival Wins Audience

Female Choreographers Show Their Works In Central Park

July 20, 2014 / Upper West Side Neighborhood UWS / Dance Performances NYC / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

I went to Summit Rock in Central Park late Saturday afternoon to watch several performances of the Check Us Out Dance Festival in Manhattan. This is the fourth year of the festival which is organized by ChEckiTDance of Manhattan.

The weather and locale were ideal. It was sunny, in the seventies and not humid. And Summit Rock is at about 83rd Street just inside the stone wall surrounding Central Park [enter at 81st and follow the pathways along the wall to your left up / north] in an elevated, generally shaded and secluded setting.

There was easy seating along a wall facing a stone stage with a green grass backdrop. And when I arrived one of the performances was already in session with dancers in costume accompanied by live music.

We'll post more at a later date including a photo slide show. The photo above was taken of one of the dance performances at ChEckiTDance Festival in Central Park on July 20th.

5 Boro Bike Ride In Manhattan

Next Sunday 32,000 Bikers Descend On Manhattan

April 28, 2014 / Manhattan Neighborhoods / Biking Manhattan / Things To Do In Manhattan / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

Next weekend the 5 Boro Bike Ride will come streaming through all five boroughs of NYC. It's a fun bike ride with about 32,000 bikers who come from all around the nation and some from other parts of the world.

The ride goes all day long, so if you're planning on doing any travel on the roadways, you'd best plan ahead and avoid the crowds and blocked streets. We'll post more about the event, including maps, times and viewing locations later this week.

Upper West Side Things To Do In NYC

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Cyclists Rights In Manhattan NYC

Knowing Your Rights & Responsibilities As An NYC Cyclist

November 7, 2013 / NYC Cylists Rights In Manhattan / Manhattan Buzz NYC. By Philip Papas.

The introduction to the Cyclists' Rights Forum was given by Christina Vassallo, Executive Director, Flux Factory. She told us that the event came about after she and a friend were stopped for cycling violations, which they thought were not illegal, or had erroneously been applied as violation points to their motor vehicle driver’s license. As a result she saw the need for a forum to clarify laws, rights and proper procedures for cyclists to follow.

Click here to read our full report about NYC Bike Laws / NYC Biking Rules Forum in Queens at the Flux Factory across from Midtown Manhattan in LIC.

Upper West Side Things To Do - Parks - TBD

TBD - are plenty of other things to do besides go to the movies and eat out at restaurants on the Upper East Side of NYC. The upper east side is near Central Park from 59th Street to 110th Street. Central Park has the Great Lawn where folks go to sunbath and people watch. There's also the Central Park Zoo located in the southeast corner of the park, as well as Wollman Skating Rink which is just across from it.

There are also several Upper West Side Farmers Markets in NYC.

Upper West Side NYC Restaurants & Diners

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Upper West Side Italian Restaurants: Cesca

Cesca Italian Restaurant On UWS Manhattan

Upper West Side UWS Neighborhood / UWS Restaurants / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

It was a clear, cool Sunday evening as I made my way up Amsterdam Avenue to 75th Street. The sun was setting and the shadows had begun settling into the nooks and crannies of the cavernous streets, only to be whisked away by street lights and the lights of small businesses.

One member of our party had made reservations online through the Cesca website, and as it happens, this party member was also the last to arrive. But it was no wait and no big deal, as Cesca has a full sized bar in the front of the restaurant [capacity 40], that’s separate from the dining area. And while the bar was populated with soon-to-be diners, it wasn’t crowded. So I found myself a seat and shortly thereafter, the rest of my party arrived.

Casual, Comfortable Italian Restaurants: UWS

The maitre d' escorted us into the back of the spacious upper west side Italian restaurant [capacity 175]. We walked past the open grill into the main dining area where we were seated. The restaurant was full this evening, as it has been the times I've dined here, but generally comfortably so. The staff is equipped to handle the pre-theater rush crowds prior to performances at the nearby Beacon Theatre, as well as for the folks heading south to Lincoln Center [although the latter is a ten block walk or taxi ride away], so tonight was a walk in the park for them.

The crowd generally appeared to reflect the surrounding UWS neighborhood. I spotted a Sunday night date couple or possibly young romance nestled along one of the walls, a family with twenty-somethings and their friends hosted by one of their parents, and a middle-aged couple with their teenage kids. Everyone seemed relaxed and comfortably seated.

Click here to read our review of one of the leading Italian restaurants on the UWS of Manhattan NYC.

Manhattan Farmers Markets & Street Fairs in Manhattan

March 6, 2014 / Manhattan Farmers Markets / Manhattan Street Fairs / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

Many Manhattan farmers markets are open year round, but there are also a number of them that are seasonal. Some of the seasonal Manhattan farmers markets begin opening in the Spring, with the rest of them opening no later than the first couple of weeks in July.

Click here to view the schedules of many of the farmers markets in Manhattan. Manhattan street fairs are entirely seasonal, with some of them hitting the streets as early as March. Manhattan street fairs rise markedly during the spring and lighten up during the dog days of summer [July / August], returning in the fall. Click here to view a full schedule of Manhattan street fairs.

The Upper West Side is home to a number of fine restaurants, ranging in scope from the high end restaurants to the more casual and comfortable diners open 24 hours per day in NYC. Click here to view our emerging section on the Upper West Side restaurants - coming at a later date.

Along Broadway, particularly as you head north, there are selections of restaurants of varied cuisines. Ditto along Columbus.

Down on Third Avenue at the corner of 55th Street you'll find P. J. Clarke's which has been around about a century. It's still a popular after work bar and in the back they have a dining area.

Upper West Side Shops & Shopping

Coming at a later date. Along Columbus and Broadway there are many brand name and boutique retailers selling clothing and food. Fairway Market and Citarella. The Gap, Banana Republic, a bookstore kiddy corner from Lincoln Center.