When Paolo Tagatac-Chan and Rose Chan took over a former hair salon space in the Two Bridges neighborhood six years ago, they knew of only one other brewery in Manhattan. By the time the husband and wife finally opened their quaint nanobrewery, That Witch Ales You, in October of last year, a few more had popped up. But Manhattan breweries are still a rarity. More →
The COVID era has familiarized us with two unwelcome feelings: anxiety and monotony. A good art show, like dinner with friends, has the power to dispel both. Luckily, around the Lower East Side this April, gallerists have slated a number of wonderfully ambitious and provocative exhibitions, guaranteed to invigorate even the most sluggish-feeling New Yorker. The shows listed below require no appointment, are free to attend, and present a great opportunity to witness springtime bloom across the city. Just don’t forget to bring a mask. More →
Growing up, Fernando Ortiz used to travel from his home in the South Bronx to his parents’ bodega in Harlem. His native borough is bordered by highways that create an urban heat island: the nonstop, circling traffic traps hot, smoggy air in the community. The environment causes health issues for the borough, like asthma and skin irritations. To reach Harlem, Ortiz would traverse mostly-treeless sidewalks to then cross a bridge: “And I remember [being] like, ‘Oh, my God—there’s a river so close to me!’ I had never seen it, and I couldn’t even get to it,” he recalled. More →
“Now, this is gonna be a very long interview,” Crystal Field informs me. She’s spent the past five minutes answering one question. Her black and brown spaniel, Fanny, runs back and forth between us asking for pets. More →
“Do you like live comedy?”
You’ll soon be hearing those words on MacDougal Street again. After a year in the dark, comedy clubs are reopening this week, providing some much needed laughs. More →
Here’s a scoop: Oddfellows is open again in Williamsburg.
“We’re right on Domino Park this time,” said Andy Mullins. “I’m staring at the Empire State building.” The new shop is a few blocks south of the original, at the intersection of Grand Street and River Street. Like before, patrons can sit by the window and take in the Manhattan skyline. And instead of tables and chairs there are now booths opposite the L-shaped counter for groups. More →
New York City’s local pizzaiolos (Italian for “dude who slings pizzas”) have a lot in common. Although they each have their own recipes and twists, they’re all on a mission to source the freshest ingredients and make their pie stand out among the rest, a somewhat difficult task when working with the same simple ingredients. Another stark similarity: they’re almost all men. More →
“I need 400 points more,” says the small boy on the couch. “And I need to go to more tournaments.”
The strange thing is, everyone is taking Tanitoluwa (“Tani”) Adewumi seriously. He’s not talking about beating his friends at Fortnite or becoming a state sports champion. This 10-year-old is inches away from becoming the youngest chess Grandmaster in history. More →
Caracas Arepa Bar and Rippers are aiming to return to the Rockaway Beach boardwalk for an 11th summer, even as controversy lingers over the New York City Parks Department’s decision to turn Rockaway’s boardwalk concessions over to a new operator. More →
There have been a few trends on social media since quarantine began: banana bread. Whipped coffee. Tie-dye sweatsuits. One that you can’t escape on any Explore page recently? Knitting and tufting. Knitting is more commonly known, but tufting is a more artisanal craft; it’s the art of creating rugs with a tufting gun. And it’s suddenly huge, with a hashtag that has over 206.5 million views on TikTok.
Leti Ruiz, who has worked at Downtown Yarns for 10 years, says last year was unprecedented. “It’s always up and down, especially because it’s seasonal,” she said of business at the East Village textiles shop. “2020 was kind of unique because that’s when people were knitting the most, all year. There’s always been an interest in knitting and crochet, but I feel like what I saw this year was interest in other crafts, like weaving, tufting, or embroidery.” More →