Posts Tagged ‘New York City’
In which I reject Cairo to stay in New York
All my life, I have been a wannabe nomad.
Technically, I am not a nomad—I have moved and traveled because of opportunities rather than from necessity.
But I love the idea of wandering, never being rooted to a specific place. I’m the pretentious cosmopolitan who, when asked, “Where are you from?” will answer, “It’s complicated.”
For the past few months, Cairo was my post-grad plan. I wanted to apply to a job there and immerse myself with everything it would bring (yes, even Tahrir Square protests).
Two weeks ago, I decided that as cool as Cairo was, I wasn’t ready for it to steal my heart away. To be a post-grad newbie and live in a foreign country where you don’t know how the game works is double trouble.
So I’m staying in New York, bitches.
Whenever I feel the teensiest regret for my decision, I remind myself of all the amazing things it means to be in the heart of this city.
The New York they remember
In today’s paper, Thea Raymond-Sidel reports that elderly locals were treated to lunch and a show yesterday by local charity Morningside Village. Many of the seniors living in this area have been here for a long time—like Edith Taussig and Miriam Hurbitz, for example:
“I came here in 1949 as an immigrant, and some of my friends moved out of their apartment, and so I took it,” Taussig said. She lived in the same building until Columbia bought it.
Miriam Hurbitz, another guest at the luncheon, has lived in Morningside Heights for more than 60 years, and her husband taught at Columbia. She attended the luncheon with her volunteer, Charlotte, who “comes once a week and makes me go for a walk,” Hurbitz said.
These two, and many others in the area, have lived in the same New York neighborhood for more than half a century. What sort of changes would they have seen? We take a look at N.Y. life in 1949, after the jump! More »
Historic Morningside
This Tuesday, Spec published a piece about the growing effort in this neighborhood to get Morningside Heights recognized as a historic district by New York City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission. This is an issue that’s been on my mind for a while now, and not only because I’m in the middle of writing a Blue & White article on the subject. For the past few weeks, I’ve been delving into all sorts of information about the local drive to earn such recognition, partly out of duty and more so out of a budding personal interest.
The Morningside Heights Historic District Committee has been lobbying the city’s preservation for the better part of fifteen years now, though the efforts of its members have yet to bear fruit—which seems a bit strange to me, since the state’s Historic Preservation Office determined over two years ago that the neighborhood met both statewide and national criteria to be registered as a historic place. But New York City’s guidelines are far more nuanced. The LPC oversees all five boroughs, which makes prioritizing historic landmarks and districts a little complicated. More »
Cling on to your tan for dear life
Ah, Mr. Sun—that glorious ball of light that fills us with warmth all summer long. Where I’m from one could normally depend on good weather to brighten up his or her day, but New York City is fickle (I direct your attention to last week’s bipolar weather). Hell The transition during fall can be pretty disheartening, so consider this your time to blow off school and soak up some rays. Here’s a list of things you should do before winter swallows up the sun forever: More »
Probably better than Netflix in your dorm
One of the sadder things in the life of a college cinephile is having to watch film on a 13-inch computer screen—this, quite simply, is not how the medium was meant to be enjoyed, and I think I already need to see an optometrist about it. More »
Some smart SEAS person should design better street corner drains or something, because COME ON
This happens every winter: It snows a lot, some of the snow melts, and every street corner in New York becomes just completely ruined. I live way out in Harmony Hall, which means I’m climbing snow mountains and jumping over snow puddles—I’m literally jumping in the air—seven or eight times just to get to campus. Four times to get a bagel. I’m watching middle-aged business-type people in dress shoes ford snow rivers. I’m seeing school children trudge shin-deep through ice water. I feel for these people. And, you know, I feel for my feet, which are happiest when dry. More »
Columbia professor unveils the history of NYC in revised encyclopedia
Get to know the history of New York City with the help of Kenneth T. Jackson, Professor of History and the Social Sciences. Jackson will discuss his latest editorial work, the revised edition of “The Encyclopedia of New York City,” at Barnes & Noble Union Square Wednesday at 7:00 pm.
This comprehensive reference work on NYC covers a range of topics about the five boroughs. The revised and expanded edition contains new features: DUMBO, Chelsea Piers, and The High Line to name a few. If you love exploring the city, hop on the subway and head to Union Square – this is an event you won’t want to miss.
Casual Friday: Time out
The Editorial Board takes its position as the voice of Spectator very seriously. However, in keeping with the Spectator-wide effort to put the “college” back in college newspaper, the board members, who do not take themselves quite so seriously, submit to the consideration of the University population a different sort of editorial each Friday. A casual editorial. More »
How to ride the subway like a New Yorker
In the latest installment of our “How To” series, Maggie Astor explains how to get around New York without acting like a tourist.
If you’ve looked at a subway or bus map, the system probably seems very intimidating. Never fear, though—follow these 10 tips, and you’ll blend right in with the street-savvy New Yorkers. More »
The World Cup in New York, Part II
Only one minute in the game between the United States and Algeria mattered: the 91st, when Landon Donovan annulled atrocious calls from referees that stripped Team USA of two previous goals and coolly finished off Algeria to send the US atop of their group ahead of England and into the next stage of the World Cup. Donovan smartly followed a rebound from Clint Dempsey’s late shot, and buried the ball in the back of the net, generating an uproar in a city that otherwise rarely stops for anything at noon on a Wednesday.
Among the most fanatic were the fans who watched the game at the Lower East Side’s Nevada Smiths. The legendary soccer bar fit a few hundred American fans who took off work to watch their team win. This is how they reacted to the game, play by play.