Urbanite
Goodman: Seek best of both worlds with the QueensWay
Photo credit: Craig Ruttle
Lately there's been talk about the QueensWay project, which would convert the inactive right of way of the Long Island Rail Road Rockaway Beach Branch to a pedestrian and bicycle trail. Advocates compare the idea to the High Line in Manhattan, complete with food stands along the way.
Both QueensWay and the High Line involve former rail rights of way but, functionally, they are very different....
Read more »Editorial: Justice Department's targeting of Associated Press is over the top
Photo credit: U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder
The Obama administration's extreme focus on secrecy may have gone too far. In its frenzy to find a leaker in its midst, the Department of Justice has targeted The Associated Press, obtaining two months of telephone calls on 20 lines used by reporters and editors, at work and at home.
Attorney General Eric Holder, who himself was interviewed by the FBI, has recused himself from the case. Still,...
Read more »Americans sort of hate hipsters, says a new poll
Photo credit: Bar-goers exit a bar on Bedford Ave. in Williamsburg. (Yana Paskova)
Nearly a third of Americans think hipsters should have to pay a special tax just "because they are so annoying," according to a new poll -- but some New Yorkers think the lifestyle is just fine.
Even worse, only 16% of Americans have a favorable opinion of the tight pants-wearing, PBR-swilling, indie music-listening folks, according to Public Policy Polling.
When questioned...
Read more »Learning from the Great Googa Mooga festival
Photo credit: Great Googa Mooga (Adam Macchia)
Last year, the new Great Googa Mooga festival brought 75 top restaurants and more than a dozen bands to Prospect Park. Yet all anyone remembers is what went wrong: long lines, bad cell service and a shortage of food. By the second day of the two-day fest, most of the problems had been resolved. This year, the organizers are promising a smoother — and bigger — experience. The 2013 edition includes...
Read more »Judging 'American Idol' judges
Photo credit: Nicki Minaj (Getty Images)
Wednesday night, Kree Harrison and Candace Glover will square off to see who will be crowned American Idol for the 2013 season. If past is prologue, the judges will fall over each other to praise their performances; no one, after all, wants to ruin future album sales of the eventual winner.
But how would current and past judges do on the “Idol” stage? Here, with (pretend) added commentary...
Read more »New on DVD & Blu-ray: 'Cloud Atlas,' 'Liz and Dick' and more
‘Cloud Atlas’ The Wachowski siblings and Tom Tykwer team up for this time-spanning epic that follows six interconnected stories. Starring Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Jim Sturgess. (DVD, $28.98; Blu-ray/DVD combo, $35.99)
‘Liz & Dick’ Lindsay Lohan stars as Elizabeth Taylor in this Lifetime biopic. We’re too tired to make a Lindsay joke today, so come up with your own meltdown...
Read more »Angelina Jolie: NYC women praise her for shining light on cancer risks
Photo credit: Angelina Jolie (Getty Images)
New York cancer survivors are praising Angelina Jolie for telling the world that she had a mastectomy to avoid getting breast cancer, while other women are giving new thought to their risks and family history.
"She took the power away from cancer," said Jamie Pleva-Nickerson, 33, a brokerage service manager in Manhattan who lives in Somers, N.Y.
Pleva-Nickerson discovered she...
Read more »Column: Big retail numbers due out this week
Photo credit: Macys New York (Getty Images)
We’re nearing the end of this quarterly corporate earnings season, but there are still some key reports to look out for, especially from some of the biggest U.S. retailers.
Bellwether retailers set to report fiscal first-quarter earnings this week include Macy’s, J.C. Penney’s, Kohl’s, Nordstrom and Wal-Mart.
The results are unlikely to be pretty, at least according to Wall Street projections....
Read more »Spotted: Alec Baldwin and wife Hilaria at Cafe Tallulah, more
Photo credit: Alec Baldwin and wife Hilaria (Getty Images)
Alec Baldwin and pregnant wife Hilaria stopping by Café Tallulah on the Upper West Side to celebrate a friend’s birthday
Camila Alves, Matthew McConaughey’s wife, shopping with the the glamorous pair’s daughter Vida at the Satya Jewelry boutique store on Bleecker Street
Spotted a celeb around town? Email the details to Julie.Gordon@am-ny.com. ...
Read more »Leonardo DiCaprio raises $38.8 million for charity at Christie's
Photo credit: Leonardo DiCaprio gives a speech at the start of the 11th Hour auction at Christie's. (Getty)
Leonardo DiCaprio and Christie's auction house raised $38.8 million through a charity art auction and donations, Christie’s said on Monday, with proceeds to benefit environmental and conservation causes.
The 33 works in The 11th Hour Auction organized by the star of the new film “The Great Gatsby” sold for $31.74 million on Monday evening and set 13 records for artists including Carol Bove,...
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