On any given day you enter the world that is Ellen’s Stardust Diner, a Times Square staple since 1987 and the “Home of the Original World-Famous Singing Waitstaff,” you can feel the chaos. You can feel the hunger of diner-goers after waiting in a line that wraps around the side of the building, and of […]
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How These Second-Generation Asian Americans Are Revitalizing Chinatown
Despite its robust history spanning over a century, Chinatown faces ongoing sustainability struggles as store owners age. According to a 2023 report by NYC Small Business Services, created in collaboration with Chinatown BID and Think!Chinatown, Chinatown storefront vacancy rate reached 21.4% from 2021 to 2022, surpassing the citywide average of 13% in 2021. But these […]
Ezras Nashim’s Chief Operating Officer on personal life, work and balancing it all
It was a gloomy Friday in April and, for the first time, I entered the Borough Park neighborhood of Brooklyn. I was dressed in typical journalist fashion, wearing black trousers, a modest top and brown blazer — a contrast to the traditional garments worn in this tight-knit ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. I was there to meet […]
Harmony Amidst Hustle: A Monk’s Story from Manhattan’s Chinatown
This video provides a glimpse into the life and philosophy of Ven. Kuo Ming, a monk residing at Zheng-Jue Temple in New York’s Chinatown. Viewers are introduced to Buddhism’s core teachings of liberation from suffering through the overcoming of desire and attachment. Ven. Kuo Ming shares his daily routine, which includes meditation, studying Buddhist scriptures, […]
Dancing into the Year of the Dragon
New York University sophomore Megan Nguyen lets out a delighted gasp as she locks eyes with a seven foot purple creature made up of layers of patterned fabrics, embellished with sequins and fur, bouncing its huge head up, down and side-to-side. A circle of onlookers brandish their phones and let out astonished giggles as the […]
Aspiring Author – Nandini Gupta
Nandini Gupta, whose path to publishing began at an early age, has already penned two captivating novels by the tender age of 21. The budding literary sensation is currently enriching her creative prowess as a student at New York University. Gupta’s novels, celebrated for their intricate plots, reflect a maturity and insight well beyond her […]
Ballet & Balance: Jasmine’s Journey
Jasmine, a 21-year-old NYU student and devoted lover of dance, temporarily found her dreams sidelined due to environmental constraints before discovering a new chapter in her journey by joining the NYU Ballet Club. Through her podcast, she shares her experiences of returning to ballet, which has has reignited her passion for the arts and provided […]
The Conversationalist – Meet Sophie Beren
How the social media platform The Conversationalist is changing the tenor of online discussion. Founder Sophie Beren talks about why it’s important to have real conversations with real people.
What They’re Buying at Buffalo Exchange
Young thrift shop enthusiasts enjoy spending their afternoons at Buffalo Exchange to support sustainable, low-cost fashion, and be a part of the hunting process. The first time you step into Buffalo Exchange on Broadway Avenue in Manhattan, you are welcomed by the sound of pop music and young, hip people. Colorful, vintage garments fill the […]
A Prayer for Magdalena, and Our Block: This is not a journey to the Balkans. But Astoria is the next-best-thing.
We are playing “the Balkan game.” It’s 7 p.m. and Selo has Oliver Dragojević on, musical hero of the Balkans, while bottles of moonshine rakija clink as they pour. And yet, the restaurant Selo is quiet enough that our presence in Astoria, Queens, is, with a few stares, decidedly announced. My friend Šime Luznik, a […]