Aztec Treat on the IRT
By Nancy J. Brandwein
Hop onto the subway at 96th street and Broadway, and you’ll witness the easy coexistence of 21st-century urban life and centuries-old Aztec tradition. A young man bops to the beat of his iPhone while plucking open a steaming cornhusk. Suddenly a whiff of hot corn masa issues from his perfectly formed tamale.
Tamales were invented by the Aztecs, and then the Spanish conquistadores spread the word. In NYC, we get ours via Mexican immigrants who set up impromptu tamale stands with nothing more than a wire grocery cart and a cooler. Read more
Prial, Part II
A conversation with the famed tastemaker and wine aficionado
By Josh Perilo
Last week’s column featured part one of my interview with Frank Prial, former wine columnist for the New York Times and author of the books Wine Talk and Decantations. His column, “Wine Talk,” which ended in 2005, was the go-to resource to learn about trends in wine making and to read travelogue accounts of his fantastical epicurean excursions.
This week, I pick up with Prial’s comments on the changes he’s seen in fine dining over the decades. Read more
It Takes Two
By Kevin Filipski
As a twin whose sister writes for the New York Times, Abigail Pogrebin seems uniquely qualified to author a book titled One and the Same: My Life as an Identical Twin and What I’ve Learned About Everyone’s Struggle to Be Singular. But she didn’t think so at first.
“It was percolating in a way I didn’t necessarily confront, and every time I considered exploring it, it got so personal that there was no way to separate approaching it as a journalist and as a twin,” said Pogrebin, an Upper West Side native and former 60 Minutes producer. “I finally decided to not be frightened by the fact that it would be personal.” Read more
Primary Day Is Over, But Races Continue
Big wins for Thompson, Vance; run-offs for public advocate and comptroller
By Dan Rivoli
The primary election was in some ways a sleepy affair, with only 10 percent of the city’s voters turning out. Comptroller Bill Thompson, as expected, won the Democratic Party’s nomination for mayor handily, with 70 percent of the vote, according to unofficial returns. But two citywide races will now have run-off elections between the top two candidates, and voters gave Cy Vance a decisive win in the hotly contested Manhattan district attorney race.
Moments after the polls closed, the general election between Thompson and Mayor Michael Bloomberg began, with both candidates lobbing blistering attacks at each other. Read more
Swine Flu Survival Guide
By Sarah Seltzer
Surgical masks may have almost entirely disappeared from the streets of Manhattan, but the H1N1 virus, a.k.a. swine flu, is still on the radar, particular for health and education officials.
Since it was classified as a “pandemic” last June, swine flu has been the target of a serious public information campaign, which seems to have gathered steam at the advent of the 2009-2010 school year. When kids entered the city’s public and private schools this month, they were greeted with meetings and pamphlets, most of which centered on the basics of disease prevention: wash your hands, sneeze into your arm and stay home from school if you are sick. Read more
Pet of the Month: September 2009
By David Schlegel
Little Bit, a rescued dog from an abusive household, wasn’t one to warm up to strangers. The first day that owner John Jerome welcomed her to his Upper East Side apartment, she ran under the sofa and hid.
“Over the weeks, things were not going well,” Jerome remembered. “She would just crawl under furniture and come out when it was time to go out.” But Little Bit did eventually come out for one person: Jerome’s friend Joseph Holladay, who earlier this year was severely beaten in a bias attack during Pride Week. After being discharged from the hospital, Holladay stayed with Jerome—and Little Bit’s behavior suddenly changed. Read more
Fashion Week Forever
The Pampered Pet
By David Schlegel
It’s often said that pets and owners look alike, and there’s nothing like a few choice accessories to make sure your animal companion reflects your personality and style.
Those who lean toward the preppy, conservative side ought to consider the crocodile polo from Canine Styles (830 Lexington Ave., 212-838-2064, www.caninestyles.com). This bright, short sleeve shirt or dress comes is embroidered with alligators, and comes in orange, turquoise and pink. It will nicely match your Ralph Lauren Polo—if you’re willing to pay the $35 price tag. Read more
TV and Internet Pet Pharmacies: Fact Check
Ask the Vet
By Ina Obernesser, DVM
Anyone who has a pet (or a TV, for that matter) is probably familiar with the ads for online pharmacies that offer discounted pet medicines. Betty White and others speak of the great savings, the convenience and the guilty pleasure of skipping a trip to your veterinarian if you order from an online store. While many of these firms deliver the goods and services advertised, many do not. The financial success of these Internet firms (and they are hugely profitable, with more than $1 billion in annual sales) rests on two claims usually made in their advertising: that they provide the same products as your veterinarian at a huge savings, and that they offer the convenience of online ordering without a costly trip to the vet. Read more
Shane the Wizard Healer
Gentle hands and a gentle spirit to soothe wide-ranging woes
By Susan Braudy
I don’t want to brag, gentle reader, but I’m on excellent terms with a great and happy wizard: Shane Hoffman, who runs Turning Point acupuncture at 60th and Broadway.
Shane knows things.
The man has two doctorates: one in divinity and the other in the ancient Asian practice of acupuncture. This gives you a hint of how tender a healer he is.
Let’s back up a little; acupuncture’s not just about temporary relief from pain. It opens channels in the body and heals and energizes us. The practitioner is critical. Read more
It Still Takes a Village
To remember 9/11, give elders support or save a post office
By Bette Dewing
How could I not begin with an account of the seventh annual 9/11 memorial service, held around a memorial tree opposite 530 E. 84th St.? Thankfully arranged since 2002 by former East 84th Street Block Association president Judith Cutler, more than a dozen people reverently gathered there one windy, rainy morning.
Assembly Member Micah Kellner was so grateful to see a printed notice on his way to work that morning so he could join us and remember especially, but not only, his friend Hubbell, who perished on that most tragic and horrific of days. Neighbors of a woman not present this year recalled how she not only lost her son on 9/11, but soon after her husband died—“It was believed from a broken heart.” Read more
