You are currently viewing the stories for April, 2009

The Diner

by 04/09/2009
Neighborhood: Brooklyn, Williamsburg

The Diner in Williamsburg is a 21st century institution now, I guess (just celebrated its tenth anniversary)—you can get arugula there! And the rest of their food is good too. It’s pleasant at their sidewalk tables if the weather’s fine, though you have to watch your step if you don’t want to trip over two […]

Barred from Proselytizing in China, Mormons Try a Chinatown

by 04/08/2009
Neighborhood: Brooklyn, Sunset Park

Mormon Church in Sunset Park (Photo by Patty Lee) As people rush in and out of butcher shops and bakeries on Brooklyn’s Eighth Avenue, He Zhanglao tries to get their attention. He speaks in clear Mandarin, and listens carefully to their replies. But he’s tall and blond, and sticks out in this part of Sunset […]

The 1977 Blackout Hits Co-op City

by 04/08/2009
Neighborhood: Bronx, East Bronx

It was July 1977. I had gotten my master’s degree in journalism the year before, but I still hadn’t gotten a full-time job. Not that jobs in journalism were easy to find. At the present time, I was writing weekly news articles for the Eastside Courier, a neighborhood newspaper on the Upper East Side, and […]