Monday, June 8, was one of the busiest days of The Mysterious Bookshop’s history. Ironically, though, the 3,000-square-foot room, with its high shelves holding the largest variety of crime books in America, was almost entirely empty save for employees preparing books and other mystery-related products for shipping and pickup. More →
On Sunday, 17 young Chinese people divided into eight teams and walked through the Chinatowns of Manhattan and Flushing, Queens. They visited Chinese vendors, inquired about their businesses in the midst of the pandemic and protests, and encouraged them to display Chinese For Black Lives posters in their storefronts. More →
Three weeks ago, Anna Dejesus’ water started leaking. It was two months before her due date, so she was rushed to the nearest hospital. Her medical team immediately began trying to halt her premature labor, with hopes of keeping it on pause until it was safe to give birth. Her hospital stay was expected to stretch up to a month, and with the Covid-19 crisis restricting visitors, she was told it would be a solitary one. In search of solace, support, and skills for braving the weeks to come, she decided to call her birth doula, Melissa Murphy. More →
Greenwich Village, which is usually bustling with people in every corner, has been much quieter since New York City went on pause in late March and non-essential businesses were forced to temporarily shut down. But local stores are finally able to slowly – and carefully – open their doors again. More →
“You’ll think everything is going to be great one day and then two days later you’re writing an Instagram post saying you’re closing down,” says Honey Moon, owner of 1 of A Find Vintage in Prospect Heights. “But you don’t post it. You think… Maybe I won’t close down.” More →
March 7 was the last time Will Baker went out to dinner. It was the weekend of the International Antiquarian Book Fair, which went off just before the city’s official “pause” order on March 20. The owner of W.C. Baker Books and Ephemera recalled an off feeling in the air. “There was this sort of unease,” Baker said. “People didn’t really realize what was about to happen.” More →
As thousands protest in the streets against the police killing of George Floyd, sex workers in New York rose in solidarity during a livestream to mark International Whores’ Day. The virtual rally came this afternoon, hours before they were to head to Stonewall Inn to speak out against police violence against black transgender people. More →
Soho was a veritable Santa’s Workshop this morning, as dozens of crews hammered away at wooden boards in a neighborhood-wide effort to cover up windows shattered by late-night and early-morning looting. More →
With the weather warming and restaurant owners becoming increasingly desperate for guidance on reopening, the City Council introduced new legislation Thursday requiring the Department of Transportation to identify streets, sidewalks, and other public spaces suitable for outdoor dining. During a virtual roundtable discussion Friday, council members discussed the measure with over 200 small business owners and concerned citizens. More →
After a high-profile crackdown last summer, nutcracker has made a return. But not necessarily on city beaches, where crowds have been sparse due to poor weather, a swimming ban, and concerns about public transportation. Instead, the highly potent fruit punches– sold in 8-ounce or 16-ounce bottles– have crept onto the menus of local drinking establishments. With restaurants now allowed to serve booze to-go, several licensed establishments have started appropriating a drink usually sold illicilty out of coolers on the beach, in the subway, or on street corners. To find out whether bar-bought nutcrackers and their frozen counterparts, phrosties, pack the same punch, we uncapped a few. More →