Destination: New York
Images From the End of the (New York City Subway) Lines
by Michael Yessis | 08.22.08 | 2:12 PM ET
The New York Times just posted an interactive and incredibly absorbing photo and video chronicle of the “mystery, lonesomeness and beauty” to be found at the end of New York City subway lines. Andy Newman’s accompanying essay is a great read, too.
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Yahoo! BuzzRock and Roll Hall of Fame to Go Global
by Valerie Conners | 08.13.08 | 3:58 PM ET
After forgoing my chance at pseudo-rock stardom when I realized I was a dud at Rock Band, I’m pleased to learn all hope of exploring my inner Dylan may not be lost: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is hitting the road—first stop, New York City.
Waterboarding: Torture and ... Tourist Attraction?
by Valerie Conners | 08.06.08 | 4:33 PM ET
As if Christopher Hitchens’ delving into the matter firsthand wasn’t enough for the commoner’s curiosity, now visitors to New York’s Coney Island can drop a dollar in a slot and watch animatronic figures simulate a Guantanamo-esque waterboarding scenario—complete with a figure convulsing for 15 seconds and a sign that reads, “It don’t Gitmo better!”
Q&A with David Farley: The Restless Legs Reading Series
by Jim Benning | 07.09.08 | 12:10 PM ET
World Hum contributing editor David Farley recently announced the creation of the Restless Legs reading series in New York City, which will be devoted to travel writing. Farley knows just about every travel writer who passes through town, so he would seem the right person for the task. The first reading, which will feature travel writers Tony Perrottet and Cullen Thomas, is scheduled for Wednesday, July 23 at Lolita bar on the Lower East Side. I asked Farley a few questions about the series.
World Hum: How’d this come about?
R.I.P. Florent
by Eva Holland | 07.03.08 | 10:41 AM ET
The longstanding New York City diner shut its doors last weekend. Its owner, Florent Morellet, watched the Meatpacking District undergo an extreme gentrification makeover during his 23 years in business, before finally closing due to rent increases. The Times has a good story about what Florent meant to its patrons. Elsewhere, New York Magazine has the details on the restaurant’s final night of service, and on its private friends-and-family farewell.
Photo by Jeff Tidwell via Flickr (Creative Commons)
A Cartoonist’s Take on Life in New York City
by Eva Holland | 06.12.08 | 12:53 PM ET
Photo by alcebal2002 via Flickr (Creative Commons)
This month’s Cartoonist of the Month blogger at the New Yorker is Michael Crawford. So far, his blog entries—a collection of sketches, paintings and candid shots of New Yorkers out on the town—provide not only a behind-the-scenes look at the origins of the magazine’s famous cartoons, but also an unusual take on life in the city itself. Try Sketchbook: Central Park or Sketchbook: Why They Call It A Hell Of A Town for a start.
Are New York’s Skyscrapers Outdated?
by Julia Ross | 06.11.08 | 10:32 AM ET
That’s the argument this Der Spiegel piece makes, pondering the architectural clash of civilizations between East and West. I, for one, can live without a Burj Dubai in the middle of Manhattan.
Back to the Garden: Woodstock Museum Opens Today
by Eva Holland | 06.02.08 | 4:14 PM ET
From time to time in high school, I used to throw my dad’s old vinyl copy of the Woodstock album (complete with crowd chants and warnings about the brown acid) on the record player, crank the volume, sit back and try to pretend that I, too, was at Max Yasgur’s farm (pictured) on a wet August weekend in 1969. Seems I’m not the only one keen to re-create the event. The Museum at Bethel Woods opens today on the site of the original concert in upstate New York, and it sounds groovy.
Move Over, Frodo: ‘Sex and the City’ Tourism Takes Off
by Eva Holland | 05.30.08 | 11:49 AM ET
If you’ve opened a newspaper travel section lately, chances are good you’ve spotted an article about “Sex and the City” tours on offer in New York City. Of course, they’ve been around for a few years now, but with today’s release of the long-awaited Sex and the City movie, the fan craze has never been at a more fevered pitch—and the tours have never gotten more ink. Curious to learn more about how you, too, can follow in the high-heeled footsteps of Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte? The Independent has the details on the deluxe $24,000 themed mini-break offered by one travel company.
Finding NYC in Grand Theft Auto’s ‘Liberty City’
by Eva Holland | 05.09.08 | 9:15 AM ET
I’m no gamer, but I loved reading Dave Itzkoff’s New York Times piece about his search for his hometown in the Grand Theft Auto IV’s fictional “Liberty City.” Liberty City, Itzkoff notes, “is New York City, and it is not.” In his tour of the game, he finds familiar sights and sounds—pedestrians shouting into cell phones, saxophone players in Times Square—but also, inevitably, discovers the digital world’s limitations.
The BoltBus: Cheap Rides, Free Wi-Fi, a Little Lonely
by Jim Benning | 04.30.08 | 10:03 AM ET
We’ve written occasionally about the cult appeal of Chinatown buses, which offer dirt-cheap rides between Chinatowns in a number of Eastern U.S. cities. To compete, Greyhound has launched its own budget option, BoltBus, which features online booking, power outlets and, perhaps coolest of all, free Wi-Fi. So how’s the ride? Daniel Sorid bought a round-trip ticket from New York to Philadelphia for all of $2.50 and found himself the lone passenger on the journey.
Why I CouchSurf
by Kristin Luna | 04.29.08 | 4:00 PM ET
The first time she crashed at a stranger's home, Kristin Luna feared she'd wind up an Agence France-Presse headline. Now she looks forward to sleeping on others' furniture -- and not just to save money.
Proper Use of Semicolon in New York Subways Hailed by Riders, Writers
by Michael Yessis | 02.20.08 | 11:55 AM ET
One sentence on a public service ad in the New York Subway has turned Neil Neches, a writer in the New York City Transit agency’s marketing and service information department, into an unlikely hero. In an effort to get riders to not leave newspapers strewn about subway cars, Neches wrote: “Please put it in a trash can; that’s good news for everyone.” The tale of his properly-placed semicolon is currently the No. 1 most e-mailed story at the New York Times.
JetBlue to Launch LAX-JFK Service
by Jim Benning | 02.12.08 | 1:25 PM ET
It’s about time JetBlue began operating out of Los Angeles International. Starting in May, the budget carrier with excellent entertainment options will offer three daily flights from LAX to John F. Kennedy International and one daily flight to Logan International in Boston. Even if you’re not as big of a fan of JetBlue as I am, it’s good news: It could lead to a fare war among other airlines at LAX. JetBlue is expanding service at other Southern California airports, too.
NYC Shops to Visitors: Give us Your Huddled Euros Yearning to be Free
by Jim Benning | 02.06.08 | 1:24 PM ET
In what Reuters reports is a sign that the U.S. dollar “just ain’t what it used to be,” some New York City businesses are now accepting euros and other foreign currency—and they’re finding plenty of takers: “The increasingly weak U.S. dollar, once considered the king among currencies, has brought waves of European tourists to New York with money to burn.”