The Saturday before Christmas, 1921, near Third Avenue and 12th Street, a truck struck and killed little Amelia Laredo, who was on her way to…
The Sip-In That ‘Legalized Gay Bars’ Before Stonewall
On the quiet corner of West 10th Street and Waverly Place, one of New York’s oldest watering holes has been operating since around 1864. It…
Our 36-Hour New Year’s Party Crawl
From the far reaches of Red Hook to downtown Manhattan and back again to Bushwick’s warehouses, our New Year’s was a 36-hour race against time…
A Tale of Two Evas: Marriage, Deceit and the Underground Baby Trade
Robert Ray Hamilton was 37 years old when he met his daughter for the first time. A year and a half later, he would die…
How Mariners’ Temple Survived Fire and Flux in Chinatown
On September 21, 1845, Rev. William R., Williams preached a sermon entitled “God’s presence in his sanctuary,” welcoming congregants back to their new edifice at…
After Peter Luger, a Chophouse With Stakes in the New Williamsburg
At the end of October, Pete Wells didn’t use his knife to cut through Peter Luger’s vaunted porterhouse— instead he drove it directly into the…
From Governor’s Mansion to Russian Anarchist Hotbed
On Nov. 7, 1919, the second anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution, US federal agents and New York City policemen, armed with clubs and blackjacks, raided…
A Firehouse Where Pioneering Feminists Have Carried the Torch
Eleanor Cooper was determined to keep 243 West 20th Street from turning into an icebox. This almost seemed like a joke, if she thought about…
The Dance Hall That Charmed Dickens in America’s First Slum
Charles Dickens toured Five Points for a day and found only two things he liked about it. One was the pigs. Dickens described the city…
How Spin Replaced Waitressing as the NYC Actor’s Side Gig of Choice
Sydney Sabean basically lives out of a spin studio bathroom. She teaches up to nine classes every week—constantly in a cycle of showering, getting ready…