Writer. Editor. Speaker. Imaginaut.
Coney Island is a vital part of what makes me me. As a young’un, my mother would trek my cousins and I down to the seaside amusement area to ride the Cyclone, pump dollars into arcade machines, and stuff our faces with cotton candy. In my adolescent years, my moms and I moved to Coney, …
There are a handful of events that signal springtime in New York City, such as Astroland’s opening or the Tribeca Film Festival, but none are as wonderfully sudsy as the New York City Craft Beer Festival. The recent hops showcase didn’t feature my two favorite breweries, DuClaw and Southern Tier, but there were still plenty …
Continue reading “Getting sudsy at the New York City Craft Beer Festival (Spring 2018)”
Amazing how life comes full circle. From ages 12 to roughly 30, I lived in Coney Island, a neighborhood that was a far cry its heyday preserved in black-and-white photos and newsreels. I lived in the projects, surrounded by empty, junk-filled lots, rabid dogs, and the shadows of a once-cherished seaside destination. I left after …
Continue reading “Spinning old Brooklyn tales for Coney Island History Project”
The NYC Craft Beer Festival has proven itself one of New York City’s most consistently enjoyable events, as it encourages beer fans, both novices and die hards, to step outside of their malted comfort zones to sample new beverages—even those that appear unappealing on the surface. I’m a prime example of this of this idea. …
Continue reading “The 5 best beers at NYC Craft Beer Festival (Fall 2016)”
Chicago vs. New York is one of the nation’s greatest rivalries. I’m not talking Bulls-Knicks , Bears-Giants, or Cubs-Mets. The true battlefront, the place where the mid-west and east square off in dirty slobberknockers, is in cheese, sauce, and dough. Pizza. But you knew this from the title. New York City is my home, but I’m …
Continue reading “New York City pizza is a bland concoction of disappointment”
Hipsters are the one demographic who New Yorkers publicly shame and ridicule without remorse, but I give my bearded, tight-pants-wearing friends credit for delivering the five boroughs from beer hell. The Big Apple once suffered the plague of Budweiser, Michelob, Colt 45, and the like, but it now drifts in a sea of tasty beverages …
Continue reading “The Pumking rules at NYC Craft Beer Festival (Fall 2015)”
What is history? A musket shot during America’s colonial era? The Moors’ march into Europe? The construction of Giza’s first awe-inspiring pyramid? Yes, yes, and yes. But history isn’t simply large, globe-changing brushstrokes; its many smaller moments, too. I, of course, knew that, but The Tenement Museum gave new life to those more intimate happenings. …
Continue reading “NYC’s Tenement Museum shows that we’re all history in the making”
April Fools Day is, without question, one of the most-annoying days of the year. An entire 24-hour period based on lies—or more lies than usual—doesn’t make for a particularly good time unless the pranks are skillfully executed (Note: The majority are not). That said, this April Fools Day was a completely different experience for me, …
Continue reading “I lucked into seeing Letterman before he leaves ‘The Late Show’”
Wu-Tang Clan dropped the seminal Enter the Wu-Tang 36 Chambers in 1993, fusing the New York City-style underground sound with intelligent lyrics, street knowledge, Five Percent Nation teachings, and philosophies ripped straight from old school Asian martial arts flicks. Shortly after the classic album transformed the hip hop landscape, the crew—nearly a dozen deep—announced that …
Continue reading “The night Wu-Tang Clan and Castlevania conquered New York City”
There are few video games that I’ll defend until breathless, and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, a game originally released on November 12, 2001, is at the top of the list. Series creator Hideo Kojima proved himself a genius/world-class troll when he delivered an exquisite piece of postmodern storytelling that simultaneously pissed off …
Continue reading “How Metal Gear Solid 2 helped me cope with 9-11”
