CITY

Zac Martin, Pastor of Justice and Mercy at Next Step Community Church in Brooklyn, has been involved with the food pantry in various capacities for eight years and is in contact with many food banks in the surrounding area. Worn-out foldable tables topped with almost exclusively non-perishable food items line the church’s food pantry floor. But this isn’t how it used to be. In addition to a message and many goods, there used to be plenty of fresh produce and meat.

Hidden in the cacophony was a distinct sound of music. As you follow the music, you come across two musicians, Caleb Hickman, 23, who is from Brooklyn, and Shaheen Malick, 30, who hails from Manhattan, under the Washington Square Arch. The occasional tourist, photographer or child stops to watch the duo, mesmerized by Caleb’s ability to freely pick his acoustic guitar while Shaheem’s body sways instinctively with his bow as he plays the cello. 

The three New York City public library systems are facing budget cuts totaling nearly $53 million as the city looks to slash spending next year. Beyond the numbers, the struggle to keep libraries funded has become a major fight this spring between lawmakers and the many New Yorkers who depend on branches to take out books, study and use computers.

When touring colleges, The King’s College might have looked a little different from other colleges and universities. Instead of a campus built on a plot of land, King’s occupies three floors in a Lower Manhattan office building. If you were to look through some of the brochures, you would see the phrase, “New York City is your campus.” But is this really the case for all students?

(REVIEW) The Elevation Worship ministry organizes pop-up worship events throughout the United States. These events aim to bring people together in worship within their community. Gathering in one place creates a unique atmosphere of connection and community that encourages people to experience the presence of God. 

Although owning a coffee shop in New York City may be a luxury akin to owning a doodle or a rent-stabilized apartment, David Shama is living the caffeinated dreams of every New Yorker. Shama, a Swiss fashion photographer turned entrepreneur, opened a coffee shop and cocktail bar in the West Village. Named after his photography book, the coffee shop feeds his quest for celebrity or influencer status. Do Not Feed Alligators is his – and everyone else’s – dream.

(REVIEW) The lamb, combined with the sauce and rice, tastes warm and delicate yet also rich and vibrant. The flavor is savory and nutty, the texture is soothing to taste. The naan is soft and spongy, the lettuce is crisp. I finish my meal with a smile and a full stomach. It tasted as if the world were at my feet. At this humble food cart, I seemingly discovered a whole new universe of deliciously cheap lunches.

In the 20th century, New York City endeavored to make itself more car-friendly. Under the decades-long leadership of city planner and master builder Robert Moses, the city built new expressways, highways, bridges and tunnels, all with the aim of bringing more traffic into New York. Today, New York City is arguably choking on the success of Moses' road-building program. Traffic and congestion have become synonymous with New York City. To bring the problem under control, the city has for more than a decade been pushing to implement the nation's first congestion pricing scheme. 

(REVIEW) I’ve been a patron for several years, and I’m happy to say that Blue Ribbon Sushi has survived the coronavirus pandemic. While seating is plentiful and comfortable, the indoor booths are beginning to show their age. Wooden bench seats have minor cracks and other faults. Despite this, Blue Ribbon Sushi still maintains a SoHo bistro price point. The phrase “you get what you pay for” is much more meaningful when a dinner-for-two averages $60-80.

(OPINION) In February 2022, I attended a press conference where Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams and other key leaders in New York addressed the spike in subway crime and homelessness at the beginning of 2022. One year later, it’s time to see what has actually changed. Did our elected and appointed leaders do what they promised to do? If so, did it work? The short answer: barely. 

Anti-abortion demonstrators met counter-protestors from the organization NYC For Abortion Rights during their march from St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral to a Bleecker Street Planned Parenthood clinic on Saturday, Feb. 4. Recent legislation that legalizes the purchase of abortion-inducing pills from pharmacies like Walgreens and CVS fueled Witness for Life, the organization behind this protest.

Zac Martin, Pastor of Justice and Mercy at Next Step Community Church in Brooklyn, has been involved with the food pantry in various capacities for eight years and is in contact with many food banks in the surrounding area. Worn-out foldable tables topped with almost exclusively non-perishable food items line the church’s food pantry floor. But this isn’t how it used to be. In addition to a message and many goods, there used to be plenty of fresh produce and meat.

Owl’s Head Park is far from what Pardo, a Bedford-Stuyvesant Heights native and self-described “ghetto rat,” experienced as a child. Owl’s Head caps a string of green parks that runs along the Narrows Straight in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Bay Ridge is known as the setting for Saturday Night Fever, the home of Blue Bloods NYPD commissioner Frank Reagan and the last stop on the slowest subway line, the R. Unlike Saturday Night Fever and its grooves, Owl’s Head is tranquil.

The Hispanic Day Parade NYC 2022 took place up Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue on Oct. 9, 2022. The annual event featured a progression of marchers from a variety of Spanish-speaking countries, often accompanied by each country’s unique flags, music and dancing. The annual parade seeks to celebrate Spanish and Latin American culture and functions as a gathering place in New York City for Hispanic people of all nationalities.

Following decreases in COVID-19 infection rates and no recent hospitalization spikes since July, Gov. Kathy Hochul lifted the mask mandate, stating that it’s time to “restore some normalcy to our lives.”

Through the collage of accents and ages, it is clear that everyone from everywhere has come here to share in the memory of the tragedy that changed America forever. However, the atmosphere felt anything but defeated. Through every conversation, the theme was not sorrow but hope.

Many protestors wore green. Others held wire hangers. Some women wore tanks or bikini tops with “MY BODY MY CHOICE” painted across their chests and blood-red paint smeared down their legs.

Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Cout case that legalized abortion for nearly 50 years, was overturned that morning on June 24, 2022.

The anti-sex trafficking non-profit organization Exodus Cry hosted the demonstration to raise awareness of the dangers of juvenile exposure to digital pornography. The goal of the event was “to promote our campaign Protect Children Not Porn, along with our new documentary Raised on Porn,” according to a blog post on their website.

For five hours the lull of the subway cart rocked his tired soul to sleep.

He rode the line front to back before getting off at 42 St-Bryant Park Station. The cold park bench was the closest thing he could find to a bed and his coat became the only barrier between his body and the biting winter wind.

With no money and an incomplete college education, Smith spent eight months on New York City streets during the height of the pandemic.

Chick-Fil-A continues to lead the fast food industry through the pandemic in capturing the heart of the public with service and convenience, a new study says. According to MLBM’s annual brand intimacy survey, Chick-Fil-A has the highest customer loyalty of any company in the fast food industry.

On Monday afternoon, Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul hosted a press conference in the middle of Fulton Center discussing subway crime, homelessness and mental instability.