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☆ A Cult ‘Hiding in Plain Sight’ Amid the New York Brownstones
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Alexandra Jacobs | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

THE SULLIVANIANS: Sex, Psychotherapy, and the Wild Life of an American Commune, by Alexander StilleLegal marijuana notwithstanding, true New Yorkers have long prided themselves on resisting certain Californish things. Denial: It’s not just a river in Egypt that’s much bigger than the Hudson. It’s also one of those slightly antiquated pop-psychology terms, like paranoia and transference, that used to get passed around cultured Manhattan living rooms along with glasses of Riunite and overchilled Brie on Triscuits. No one called it therapy, that soft millennial word. Like a hawk crouching on a grotesque at the fabled Apthorp building, which also makes a cameo in this tale, he gives us a keen bird’s-eye view.

Persons: Alexander Stille, Alexander Stille’s, isn’t, It’s, overchilled Brie Organizations: Columbia University Locations: American Commune, Manhattan, Egypt, Triscuits

☆ The Army Corps’s Flood Plan Could Ruin New York’s Waterfront. It Doesn’t Have To. - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +14 min

Mr. Gutman is an environmental planning consultant and a member of the New York-New Jersey Storm Surge Working Group. In terms of population at risk, New York City is the most vulnerable city in the country, according to Climate Central, a nonprofit research organization. These highly effective and reliable harborwide surge barriers can protect large areas while leaving shorelines free for recreation and other uses. Hudson River Park 12 feet 12 feetHudson River Park 12 feet 12 feetHudson River Park 12 feet 12 feetGantry Plaza State Park 12 feet 12 feetGantry Plaza State Park 12 feet 12 feetImagine bicycling up the Hudson River Greenway in Manhattan next to a concrete wall between you and Hudson River Park. It consists of walls, small storm surge barriers and other shoreline barriers.

Persons: Robert Yaro, Daniel Gutman, Quoctrung Bui, Taylor, John Lehr, Yaro, Gutman, Hurricane Sandy, Rohit Aggarwala, Aggarwala, Jeroen Aerts, “, Sandy Hook, Arthur, Sandy, David Ralston Organizations: The New York Times, Regional Plan Association, Metro Flood Defense, New Jersey Storm, U.S . Army Corps of Engineers, Corps, Hurricane, Climate Central, United Nations, New, LaGuardia Airport, Vrije University Amsterdam, New York City, Bronx Manhattan, Bronx Manhattan Jersey City Queens, Bronx Manhattan Jersey City Queens Brooklyn Jamaica Bay, U.S . Army Corps, Engineers, Oceanographic, Dade Locations: York, New, New York, New Jersey, floodwalls, New York City, Rotterdam, Netherlands, London, St, Petersburg, Russia, New York Harbor, Central, Greenpoint, Manhattan’s, Jersey City, Hudson, Greenway, Manhattan, United, Jersey, Bronx, Queensbridge, South Williamsburg, Yonkers, Ossining, Market, Newtown, New York State , New Jersey, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Arthur Kill, Jamaica, Bronx Manhattan Jersey, Bronx Manhattan Jersey City Queens Brooklyn, Bronx Manhattan Jersey City Queens Brooklyn Jamaica Bay Staten, Texas, Galveston, Houston, Hurricane, Miami

☆ ‘Based on a True Story’ Review: Only Murders on the TV
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( James Poniewozik | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“The great American art form isn’t music or film or television,” says a podcast host in “Based on a True Story,” a new dark comedy on Peacock. “The great American art form is murder. Forget the surfeit of murder podcasts that “Based on a True Story” satirizes, however fitfully. “Based on True Story” is not even the first TV comedy about a fictional murder podcast. (Steve Martin and Martin Short would like a word.)

Persons: ”, “, Steve Martin, Martin, Craig Rosenberg, Kaley, Nathan, Chris Messina, sleuths, Matt, Tom Bateman, Peacock, it’s Locations: Los Angeles

☆ A Pier Deal Is Full of Developer Perks, but Is It Good for the City?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Matthew Haag | Dana Rubinstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“From an economic development standpoint, it’s a giveaway,” said Jeffrey LeFrancois, the chair of Manhattan Community Board 4, which covers a stretch of the West Side that includes the pier. “Given that Vornado has already had the ability to do this the past 13 years and done nothing, it’s outrageous that they are taking this pier from taxpayers for pennies on the dollar.”Mr. LeFrancois said the terms were particularly friendly because Vornado, which primarily operates office buildings in New York City, has been eager to find new revenue sources as companies jettison physical offices. The relationship is mutually beneficial: Developers get to build on city land, and the mayor gets to point to new projects as evidence that he is leading New York out of the pandemic. In Queens, the mayor has touted a plan to redevelop a swath of the borough that will include the new soccer stadium and what officials have described as the largest construction of entirely affordable housing since the Mitchell-Lama developments of the 1970s. Like other stadiums in the city, the new one will not pay property taxes, although the team that will play there, the New York City Football Club, will pay some rent.

Persons: ”, Jeffrey LeFrancois, Vornado, Mr, LeFrancois, ” Mr, Adams, Mitchell Organizations: Manhattan Community, New York City Football Club Locations: New York City, New York, Queens

☆ How to Watch the Tony Awards
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Michael Paulson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Lea Michele is going to lead a number from the revival of “Funny Girl” that opened a year ago. And Joaquina Kalukango, one of last year’s Tony winners, will sing a song to accompany the In Memoriam segment. Broadway is still struggling to recover from the lengthy coronavirus shutdown — attendance remains 17 percent below prepandemic levels — and producers view the Tony Awards as an important way to introduce a large audience to the newest shows. Also, the Tonys are a way to lift up theater as an art form, often boosting the careers of the artists involved. Wins and nominations help plays get staged at regional theaters and taught in colleges, and telecast performances help musicals sell tickets and tour.

Persons: Ariana DeBose, Steven Spielberg’s “, Donna Summer, Julianne Hough, Skylar Astin, “, ” “ Kimberly Akimbo, ”, “ Sweeney Todd, Lea Michele, Neil Diamond, Tony Locations: ” “ New York , New York

☆ Seeking an Upper West Side Home That the Children Want to Visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Joyce Cohen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Her two oldest children were living in New York, while her two youngest were still in college. As the pandemic raged, Ms. Snyder and her daughter shared a two-bedroom in a high-rise on Riverside Boulevard. But “the process of looking teaches you what you want,” Ms. Snyder said. “Or instead of a 10-by-12 living room, it was a 14-by-12 living-and-dining room,” with little room for a table. “It is a draw for my kids,” Ms. Snyder said.

Persons: Barbara Snyder, Snyder, Joe Pigott, “ Joe, ” Ms, “, . Pigott, Ms, Mr, Pigott, ”, Jenny Bryant, Keller, Bryant Organizations: Upper, Riverside, Youth Sports Foundation, Keller Williams NYC Locations: Princeton, N.J, New York, Stamford, Conn, New York City

☆ A Tony Nominee Shows Off Her Snug Upper West Side Rental
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Joanne Kaufman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Bonnie Milligan, an actress known for her vocal range and belting voice, shares a snug rental on the Upper West Side with a college friend who is also a performer. Ms. Milligan’s bedroom is sufficiently small that she has to leave to change her mind. But the 30-something Ms. Milligan, a Tony nominee for her performance as the shifty, shiftless Aunt Debra in the musical “Kimberly Akimbo” (the awards ceremony is scheduled for June 11), isn’t much for trafficking in discouraging words. There’s a washer and dryer in the basement, and workout equipment in the courtyard. “Over the course of the 15 years I’ve been here, it has gone up $550 in total,” Ms. Milligan said.

Persons: Bonnie Milligan, Milligan, Aunt Debra, Kimberly Akimbo ”, I’ve, ” Ms Organizations: Lincoln Center

☆ Miriam Silverman Is ‘Unafraid of Embracing the Darkness’
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Rachel Sherman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Isaac recalled an experience one evening of “utter alienation” as he sat next to Silverman onstage. He felt as if he had been pulled out of the orchestra seats as an observer, and momentarily wondered if he’d be able to remember his lines. “I feel like I am a lucky member of the audience,” he said. (Alongside stage acting, Silverman has also had small parts in TV shows like “Blue Bloods,” “The Black List,” “Fleishman Is in Trouble” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”)“I’ve always felt like there were so many different paths that I could have taken, or maybe still could take,” Silverman said. “But to me that’s related to what I love about acting, which is an endless curiosity for different things.”

Persons: Isaac, Silverman, he’d, ”, “, ” Silverman, Rizzo, Tom Stoppard’s, Annie ”, “ Electra, Maisel, “ I’ve Organizations: Brown Locations: Manhattan, Providence, R.I

☆ Crumbs Cupcake Shop Owners Say They Don't Regret Selling the Business
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The couple behind Crumbs Bake Shop said they don't regret selling it even though it eventually failed. The couple bought the Crumbs brand back again seven years after it went bankrupt. Gus Lubin / Business Insider"We watched from the sidelines as the business suffered," Jason told Insider. After Crumb's collapse, Jason started a real estate brokerage that he operated for three years. Jason said he enjoyed his WeWork stint, but their cupcake business was always at the back of the couple's minds.

Persons: —, Jason, Mia Bauer, Gus Lubin, Mia, WeWork Organizations: Service, New, Girls Scouts, Fischer Enterprises Locations: New York, WeWork

☆ NYC woman indicted on hate crime charges after string of anti-Asian attacks, district attorney's office says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Rob Frehse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A New York City woman was indicted on seven felony hate crime charges in connection with a string of anti-Asian attacks on the city’s Upper West Side, the Manhattan district attorney’s office said Wednesday. The six attacks took place from March 16 to May 11, all within blocks of one another, prosecutors said. Rodriguez allegedly continued to punch the victim after the two fell to the ground, the district attorney’s office said. One of the friends pushed Rodriguez off the person whose hair was pulled, and Rodriguez allegedly pushed her electric scooter into that friend’s leg, bruising it, prosecutors said. The friend who’d earlier pushed Rodriguez pushed her again, and Rodriguez struck him with a semi-closed fist, according to prosecutors.

Persons: Camila Rodriguez, Rodriguez, –, who’d, “, Alvin Bragg Organizations: CNN, New York, Legal Aid Society, Street, West 106th, West 104th Street, Broadway Locations: York City, Manhattan, Amsterdam, West, New

☆ For Lorna Courtney of ‘& Juliet,’ New York Has Always Been Her Stage
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Elisabeth Vincentelli | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“It was then that I decided that I could see myself doing musical theater instead of opera, which I studied in high school,” Courtney said. She was off to the races, and proved to be not just gifted, but also enterprising. This was a bracing time for Courtney, who said she relished working with van Hove and the avant-garde choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker on their boldly staged revival, even when they tested her comfort zone. “That particular process was challenging only because in the ensemble, dancing isn’t my forte,” Courtney said. “Particularly, Anne Teresa’s style is very specific, and I had no idea how to move in that way.”

☆ New York City teachers say students are increasingly coming to school high: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

New York City teachers say children are increasingly coming to school high, per The New York Times. But the proliferation of unlicensed smoke shops has become a major issue among city officials. Gale Brewer, a New York City council member, pointed to the growing number of unregulated vape shops in the city — using her own Upper West Side district as a barometer. New York City Eric Adams has pledged to go after unlicensed smoke shops, but he has not yet taken broad steps do so, per The Times. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr. has also taken a firm stance against unlicensed shops by floating evictions, but his office has not yet gone through with such actions.

On a warm Friday at noon, the Upper West Side, Manhattan, location of Janie's Life-Changing Baked Goods sees a steady stream of customers. Tucked below street level, the bakery's small but inviting, greeting patrons with the rich smell of butter and a colorful display of some of its signature cookies: triple berry pie crust cookie, chocolate pie crust cookie, pecan pie crust cookie, apple pie crust cookie … In the back, CEO and founder Janie Deegan is running around and putting the final touches on some other pie crust cookies. The pie crust cookie is 'my honor roll student'Even as she sold favorites like fancy cakes, Deegan experimented. She brought her pie crust cookie. CNBC Make It"I took cakes off the menu and really just concentrated on pie crust cookies and our other cookies," she says.

☆ The ‘Succession’ Finale Is Almost Here. Will They Get It Right? - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Theresa Rebeck | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Do they shoot forward in time, stealing a page from the legendary finale of “Six Feet Under”? Maybe offer a glimpse of the future with that handsome sociopath and potential president they have put in power? While I usually have a vague idea of an ending when I start writing a play, I don’t want everything set in stone. A great ending can be about transformation, in which our central character escapes, or finds true love, or discovers a profound truth and achieves inner wisdom (as in “Mad Men,” except the profound truth was about Coca-Cola). Or it can be about justice, which rains down on those who deserve it and ruins those who don’t.

☆ This 15-mile, $6.7B bridge is a symbol of China’s ambitions, and its problems
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The Greater Bay Area is home to 68 million people, covers 21,800 square miles and encompasses 11 cities: Hong Kong, Macao and nine others including Zhongshan and Shenzhen. The Shenzhen-Zhongshan bridge project features artificial islands and an undersea tunnel. That bridge connects the mainland Chinese city of Zhuhai with gambling hub Macao and leading financial center Hong Kong. An aerial view of the world's longest cross-sea bridge, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, in Zhuhai city, south China's Guangdong province, 19 March 2019. The latest bridge would connect two mainland Chinese cities that were already under the same regulations, he pointed out.

☆ The Rev. Timothy Keller, Pioneering Manhattan Evangelist, Dies at 72
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Sam Roberts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“Nevertheless,” he continued, “we launched Redeemer Presbyterian Church, and by the end of 2007 it had grown to more than 5,000 attendees and had spawned more than a dozen daughter congregations in the immediate metropolitan area.”Today the church has several locations in Manhattan, though the main one is on West 83rd Street near Amsterdam Avenue; the others are on the Lower West Side, on the West Side at Lincoln Square, on the Upper East Side and in East Harlem. In addition to those who heard him preach in person at any one of those churches, thousands downloaded Mr. Keller’s weekly sermons from the Redeemer website. His dozens of books have been translated into 25 languages and sold an estimated 25 million copies. “Fifty years from now,” the journal Christianity Today wrote in 2006, “if evangelical Christians are widely known for their love of cities, their commitment to mercy and justice, and their love of their neighbors, Tim Keller will be remembered as a pioneer of the new urban Christians.”

[1/2] Sayfullo Saipov, the suspect in the New York City truck attack is seen in this handout photo released November 1, 2017. Saipov used a Home Depot rental truck to mow down people on a path along the Hudson River on Manhattan's West Side, according to prosecutors. He had hoped to the attack would help him gain membership in Islamic State, or ISIS, they said. Most of the people scheduled to speak at the hearing are traveling from Argentina and Belgium. Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York and Brendan O'Brien in Chicago; Editing by Will DunhamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ BlackRock is mandating 4 days in the office, starting in September. Read the memo on the firm's plans.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

BlackRock is calling employees back to the office four days per week, starting in September. BlackRock told employees last fall that they had to work in the office at least three days per week. In a Fox Business interview last September, Fink linked a return to in-office work to a more productive workforce and lower inflation. "We are going to ask our employees to be much more mindful about their responsibilities in the office. This new approach begins on the 11th of September, and we encourage you to transition into this model by increasing your in-office days, as your schedule permits, over the next few months.

The priciest New York City residential real estate as ranked by median listing price is in downtown Manhattan’s 10013 ZIP Code, according to Realtor.com. ( News Corp , owner of The Wall Street Journal, also operates Realtor.com under license from the National Association of Realtors.) While the 0.55 square mile ZIP Code covers several neighborhoods—it touches parts of SoHo and Chinatown and encompasses Little Italy—it’s largely synonymous with Tribeca, located on the city’s west side along the Hudson River. Tribeca, characterized by cobblestone streets, is known for its old industrial buildings that have been converted into large, hip residential lofts that can accommodate growing families. The enclave’s appeal rests not only in its mellow neighborhood vibe but also in its access to waterfront living, green spaces and great schools in the area.

☆ ‘Don Giovanni’ Review: Ivo van Hove’s Grim Mozart at the Met
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Heidi Waleson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Peter Mattei and Adam Plachetka Photo: Karen Almond / Met OperaNew YorkThis final month of the Metropolitan Opera season features two Mozart production premieres with some high-profile debuts. On Friday, director Ivo van Hove and conductor Nathalie Stutzmann bowed with the first one, a blistering “ Don Giovanni .” Directors accustomed to the theater world are often stymied by the demands of opera, but Mr. Van Hove, best known in New York for Broadway productions including the recent dark, video-heavy “West Side Story,” reveled in them, and Ms. Stutzmann, a singer before she turned to conducting (she is currently the music director of the Atlanta Symphony), paced the evening for maximum dramatic effect. (She will also conduct the new “Die Zauberflöte,” directed by Simon McBurney , which opens on May 19.)

☆ Roman and Kendall Roy’s ‘Succession’ Pads Hit the Market — for Real
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Ronda Kaysen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

If Roman Roy were a real person, he wouldn’t live on the Upper West Side. So said a real-life real estate broker recently. Fans of the show were there with Roman (played by Kieran Culkin) during a recent episode when he solemnly brushed his teeth the morning after a devastating plot twist. Daniella G. Schlisser, the real-life associate broker with Brown Harris Stevens and a listing agent for the apartment, said that if Roman were a real person, she would redirect him south, probably to TriBeCa, where he might receiver a warmer welcome. Given his winning personality, she’d advise him: “No one’s going to talk to you here — you won’t make any friends” in the family-oriented Upper West Side.

☆ 'Couples Therapy' psychoanalyst Orna Guralnik wants us to get more honest about our finances
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Orna Guralnik Source: ShowtimeNot long after I began working as a personal finance reporter at CNBC in 2018, I started psychoanalysis. When I first saw Guralnik's documentary series "Couples Therapy" on Showtime, in which she provides therapy to real patients in a room with hidden cameras, I couldn't look away. I wanted to ask her about relationships and money, and got the chance to do so at the end of April, just when the new episodes of Season three of "Couples Therapy" premiered. OG: Money is a very important point of contact with reality. For couples, often, 'the breakup is not about money'AN: What are the biggest differences around money for couples?

☆ Born of Grief, a Couple’s Off Broadway Incubator Marks 20 Years
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Robin Pogrebin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In 2002, Jenny and Jon Steingart founded the Off Broadway incubator Ars Nova as a way of honoring Jenny’s brother, Gabriel Wiener, who in 1997 died of a brain aneurysm at the age of 26. Now, as the nonprofit theater is marking its 20th anniversary, the couple is facing another wrenching struggle: Jon has A.L.S., the severe neurological disorder also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. “Every painful experience in my life — if I have to live through it, I am going to come out on the other side with a lesson and a way to give back in some way,” Jenny Steingart said in a recent interview at their home on the Upper West Side. “Because a loss without some meaning behind it is really hard to live with.”So this anniversary, to be celebrated with a gala on Monday, also finds the Steingarts feeling great satisfaction, having created an institution that — in the wake of the 9/11 attacks — has played a crucial role in the professional development of so many artists. Among those who have worked at Ars Nova are Lin-Manuel Miranda, Thomas Kail, Christopher Jackson and Phillipa Soo of “Hamilton” fame; Bridget Everett, the actress and cabaret performer of the acclaimed HBO series “Somebody Somewhere”; and Dave Malloy, who created “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812” at Ars Nova.

☆ ‘Like He Was Going to Live Forever’: Making Jerome Robbins’s Last Ballet
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Roslyn Sulcas | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Jerome Robbins wasn’t feeling well in winter 1995. He had created “West Side Story Suite” — a condensed adaptation of his 1957 hit Broadway musical — for New York City Ballet earlier that year and started work on a new pas de deux with two principal dancers, Lourdes Lopez and Nikolaj Hübbe. Nonetheless, he continued to work with City Ballet on a new dance over the next two years. The 40-minute dance offered a bucolic idyll — a playful, youthful group, sporting with charm and what looks like spontaneity. The reviews were enthusiastic — “Choreographically, he has outdone himself here,” Anna Kisselgoff wrote in The New York Times — as were audiences.

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