Real Journalism written by people
Eager to learn more about Mayan culture and history, my friend Eddie Deleon arranged a meeting with his friend Joel, a practicing Maya from Guatemala, at Ix Restaurant (pronounced eesh) on a Sunday afternoon. Eddie is a Guatemalan born photographer who now lives in Brooklyn. I met Eddie through my friend Juan Carlos Pinto, a Brooklyn based artist, who is […]
I first met Roman Perez through a mutual friend, Juan Carlos Pinto, a local Brooklyn artist. Juan Carlos invited me to the blessing ceremony of a mural he made in Newkirk Plaza. The mural decorates the inside of a tunnel connecting Newkirk Plaza to a pedestrian street. “Come to my showing of the mural. And I want to introduce you […]
I’ve been going to Vincent’s Barber Shop on Cortelyou Road in Brooklyn since I moved to the Ditmas Park area in 2003. Until recently, there has always been a packed crowd waiting for haircuts and shaves. And now, since COVID, when I walk into the shop, I wear a mask. Everyone who enters the shop has to wear a mask, […]
Many New York City residents, especially those of us who are from New York City, think we know everything about our beloved hometown. But the fact is, we do not. I joined the Victorian Flatbush Tour, which includes parts of Ditmas Park, Prospect Park South, and the historic Albemarle-Kenmore Terraces, on a Sunday afternoon. The tour wound around a small […]
I’ve been going to Vincent’s Barber Shop on Cortelyou Road in Brooklyn since I moved to the Ditmas Park area in 2003. Until recently, there has always been a packed crowd waiting for haircuts and shaves. And now, since COVID, when I walk into the shop, I wear a mask. Everyone who enters the shop has to wear a mask, […]
Located in the middle of Grand Street, just one store down from Ferrara’s Pastry Shop, E. Rossi & Company, opened in 1910. It is one of the last remaining authentic stores in Little Italy. “Initially,” says Ernie Rossi, grandson of the owner, “we sold newspapers and magazines. Then we began publishing translation books, enabling native Neapolitans to translate their dialect […]
Founded in 1890, Frankel’s began by selling clothes and goods to union workmen, such as longshoremen and ironworkers on the corner of Third Avenue and 40th Street. “My father, Marty, named me Erik to sound more Norwegian,” chuckles Erik, great-grandson of the founder. Erik, who spent years living in Hanoi, now lives above the store. “Many people don’t know it, […]
A few weeks ago, I went shopping at Caputo’s Bakery Shop, and Court Street Pastry in my old Carroll Gardens neighbourhood. During these hard times, there is nothing like ciabatta bread and sweet delicious pastries to bite back on that locked-in feeling. Thankfully, bakeries are considered essential businesses. Stopping in at Caputo’s first, I recognized a neighbour, Lorraine, who had […]
There are a few genuine Italian speciality food stores left in New York City. One of them is D. Coluccio & Sons. In what used to be the centre of Little Italy in Brooklyn, D. Coluccio & Sons is sandwiched between Borough Park, Bensonhurst and Bay Ridge. Founded by Domenico Coluccio in 1962, D. Coluccio & Sons has the finest […]
There are a few genuine Italian specialty food stores left in New York City. One of them is D. Coluccio & Sons. In what used to be the center of Little Italy in Brooklyn, D. Coluccio & Sons is sandwiched between Borough Park, Bensonhurst and Bay Ridge. Founded by Domenico Coluccio in 1962, D. Coluccio & Sons has the finest […]
Of course, everything’s different now due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So instead of walking over to the shop, I called Farhad Soheili, owner and founder of F.S. Lutherie in Brooklyn. F.S. Lutherie is a custom guitar maker and guitar repair workshop started by Farhad. Originally from Los Angeles, he has spent the past two decades repairing, restoring, and building custom-made […]
25 years ago, Ibrahima Diokhane opened Keur Djembe, an African drum shop, on Union Street. When I stopped in to talk to Ibrahima last month, he was sitting on a stool, as if waiting for me. “Ibrahima?” “Yes, that’s me.” The store was about as big as my living room. I told him that I wanted to write an article […]
Like most of us, Ethan Fiks has had to respond creatively to the new reality of the Coronavirus. Ethan has been teaching my nine-year-old-son, Travis, guitar for the past year and a half. Travis went from not being able to play guitar to now playing songs like “Stray Cat Strut” and “Wonderwall.” We go to Ethan’s house on East 16th […]
