Uptown Collective

July 4th in the Heights – The Recap

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The Uptown Tweet of the Week

admin — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:08:44 +0000

Presenting the Uptown Tweet of the Week, our pick that represents the good, the bad, and the lovely in this week’s UC Twitterverse…

New B&W photograph: Love - Washington Heights - NYC - 2013. #Wahi #photography #streettogs #NYC http://t.co/fNv8FQioK5

May 15, 2013 2:09 pm via TweetDeck ReplyRetweetFavorite

@PaulLomaxPhoto

Paul Lomax

The Uptown Tweet of the Week – Hot As Balls

Summer in the Heights

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The Best of the Boogie Down: Artist Spotlight – Ohene Cornelius

admin — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:00:38 +0000

Ohene Cornelius – A movement and a force all on his own

The Best of the Boogie Down: Ceetay

The Boogie Down is known for revolutionary artists in Hip-Hop – but think about the most recent artists who’ve come from the Bronx and changed the face of music: Fat Joe, Swizz Beatz, Slick Rick, KRS One, Mary J. Blige. It’s not until recently has the borough started to pick back up again with its birthing of unique artists the way it used to. Ohene Cornelius, a movement and force, proves that nontraditional style and a strong building of one’s brand is all you need to get a little attention. With his signature experimental sounds and work [also an actor and writer], Cornelius is working on the debut of his album, “American Idle”, due June 6th.

Q. What part of the Bronx are you from?

A. I was born in Harlem, but grew up for a large amount of my time on Cypress Ave.

Q. When did you first realize you were meant to be an artist?

A. Meant to be an artist is a loaded statement. I am an artist. I don’t know if I was meant to be one. That gets into issues of destiny and fate, and for me, each person has, on a basic level, control over their destiny. I’ve made an active choice as an adult to stay in the arts, through the thick and thin.

I want my purpose in life to be an adjunct result of my commitment to the arts community at large. Some people have an amazing talent to do things and don’t pursue it. Were they any less meant to be an artist than me, no, but I am an artist because I choose to live through my creative work.

Q. Describe your art – both acting and music.

A. My acting is open. I’m about being transparent in whatever role I’m cast in. I’m terrible at auditions, this much I know. I’m great at recreating a moment, I have amazing comedic timing and I’m interesting to look at being still. I feel my acting can be described as truthful living, even in absurd circumstances. I use my knowledge for obscure facts and my high propensity for words and syllables to my advantage. And I’m all about fun on stage and in front of camera.

Musically I am the same acting wise, transparent, comedic and interesting to look at. I feel acting many times is music, it’s about beats, timing, and reactions. The only thing with my music is I make my best attempt at having my own voice. In acting I can slip away in the writer’s voice and perspective and sounds of the character, but in music I am the character, I am the writer, so I am telling the story. The story I want to tell is one that is of truth/lies, valor/cowardice, triumph, failure… the polar opposites, because somewhere in the middle of those opposites is me.

Q. Do you feel that the Bronx is making strides in the music and entertainment industries? What do you think will make it a greater presence with artists?

A. The Bronx has had already a large impact on the music industry. We think of Hip Hop, Jenny from the Block to indie artists today that rep the BX. The Bronx will have a greater presence with artists when there is a scene for the arts. When there are artists’ lofts. When there are local festivals that promote globally and pay. When the government subsidizes festivals for artists to perform and be relevant in their own town. Right now the only relevancy the Bronx has is its history and the artists that have risen from the area, but there’s no scene. There are a limited number of lounges, art galleries, and open spaces, and the one’s that are there are usually priced out of the range of the indie artist, geared to specific audiences which marginalize the artists of the community [i.e. a recent venue told me they didn't want to do hip hop because the crowds get rowdy]… Being in the Bronx and not catering to hip-hop is like being in Mecca and not catering to Muslims.

Q. What sets you apart from what’s currently out there?

A. I call myself the Steve Jobs of music. The Frederick Douglass of Rap. I am an innovator with technology; the people whom I work with are usually smarter than me and in a different circle, I serve the purpose of the community without having to be the center of attention, but still know when to take the center stage and be apart of the happenings. I’ve spent the first years of my career, just getting my talent in order. I know I’m not a child protégé so, I don’t act like I know everything. I listen and speak with dignity and want to see the world changed for the better. And that is the forefront of my mission statement. Some artists want change, but are not willing to move or speak about it in a public venue. I’m not afraid to be silly, incorrect, straight to the point, or foul-mouthed. I feel if they blended the genes of Eddie Murphy and Will Smith and that person had a baby with Chuck Berry and Madame CJ’s Walker baby, that would be me.

Q. If you could change the focus of the arts in the Bronx, what would you do specifically?

A. If I could change the focus of the Bronx arts community, I would create more festivals sponsored by legit venues and brands and start to bring in local and national acts to perform. I would create more arts grants for older people wanting to learn about the present technology. I would do a meet and greet program between indie filmmakers and governmental officials [in the past we've understood that who you are attached to in trying and successful political times has a direct effect on your success rate and following]. I would create low income/free housing lofts for artists, and they’d have to produce a certain amount of work and present to do so, so there is already a built in audience.

Q: Any final words for Uptown Collective readers? This is a great place to promote your upcoming shows!

A. Ohene Cornelius is currently working on an ALBUM “AMERICAN IDLE” due out 6.6.6. (June 6th 2013) Click here to Tweet your support for #AmericanIdle http://clicktotweet.com/lp9u1.

Ohene’s next show is MAY 24th @ Public Assembly. The facebook invitation is here: https://www.facebook.com/events/614568325237822.

Ohene also asks for your support by voting for him as your suggested artist for the AfroPunk Battle of the Bands: http://offerpop.com/FacebookContestEntry.psp?c=359010&u=18152&a=255558194495800&p=47016231622&rest=0&id=1497044&rest2=0.

Find out more about Bronx contributor, Jenni Ruiza, at http://www.jenniruiza.com/. Follow her on Twitter @RuizaJenni.

The Best of the Boogie Down: The Kingsbridge National Ice Center (KNIC)

The Best of the Boogie Down: Artist Spotlight – Sofia Rodriguez

The Best of the Boogie Down: Artist Spotlight – Hezues R

The Best of the Boogie Down: Artist Spotlight – Christopher Estrada

The Best of the Boogie Down: The Bronx Documentary Center

The Best of the Boogie Down: Artist Spotlight – Jesenia

Honoring Juan Rodriguez, a Settler of New York | NYTimes

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Uptown Video: I am Ivan (most of the time)

admin — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:26:56 +0000

Video by Arlene Schulman (@ArleneSchulman)

Meet 27 year old Ivan Perez, a guidance counselor by day and a drag queen by night. I am Ivan (most of the time) is a shorter version of a work in progress. The longer version expects to include Ivan in performance at Mamajuana Dyckman on Monday, June 3, 20132 as well as a candid look at growing up and living in Washington Heights.

Check out: http://arlenesscratchpaper.com/

We invite you to subscribe to the Uptown Love newsletter, like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter, or e-mail us at UptownCollective@gmail.com.

In Washington Heights, 4 Mayoral Candidates Woo Hispanics | NY Times

admin — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:54:50 +0000

By KATE TAYLOR

Mayoral candidates attended a ceremony on Wednesday in Washington Heights to name a portion of Broadway after a Dominican man who is believed to be the first non-Indian New Yorker. (Photo: Ozier Muhammad | The NY Times)

Bill de Blasio, the public advocate, ventured a few sentences of Spanish. Christine C. Quinn, the City Council speaker, called on Congress to pass immigration legislation. William C. Thompson Jr., a former comptroller, reminded the audience that his grandparents immigrated from the Caribbean. Adolfo Carrión Jr., a former Bronx borough president, simply urged Hispanics to vote.

In a sign of the critical role Hispanic voters are expected to play in the mayoral race this year, four candidates for the office went to the Washington Heights section of Manhattan on Wednesday to attend a ceremony to name a section of Broadway after a Dominican man who is thought to have been New York’s first non-Indian settler.

In 1613, 12 years before the Dutch founded New Amsterdam, Juan Rodriguez is believed to have arrived in what is now New York City, according to a report published last year by the Dominican Studies Institute at City College of the City University of New York. A free black man, he sailed from San Domingo, now Santo Domingo, with a Dutch sea captain, then remained here, most likely mastering the Indian language and setting up a trading post.

Prompted by the report’s publication, the City Council last year passed legislation to honor him with a section of Broadway, from 159th Street in Washington Heights to 218th Street in Inwood. (The renaming legislation was sponsored by another Rodriguez, Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, apparently no relation.)

Led Black: Un Pie Aqui y Uno Alla | Huffington Post

Op-Led: The Dominican Spring

Signs of the Times: No Ala Reforma Protest NYC

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New Music: Eckz – Memoirs of the Meek & Famous Mixtape

admin — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:07:40 +0000

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Uptown Tonight: UPTNY X 40 Oz NYC Tee Release Party @ Uptown Social

admin — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:51:30 +0000

For more info: http://darkisdope.com/

Check out:

The UPTNY Release Bash @ Dyckman Bar – The Recap

Open For Business: Uptown Social

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Uptown Artists Mobilize to Return Film to United Palace | DNAinfo

admin — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:57:59 +0000

By Nigel Chiwaya @seenigel

The United Palace last served at a theater in 1969. (Photo: Nigel Chiwaya | DNAinfo)

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — Theater critic George Robinson couldn’t help but marvel as he looked around the inside of the United Palace on a recent visit.

Despite living in Washington Heights for more than 30 years, Robinson made his first trip to the West 175th Street building Monday.

“This is absolutely a gem. It’s a fantastic theater,” said Robinson, who pointed out the space’s sight-lines and raved about the building’s intricate carvings.

But Robinson, who works for “The Jewish Week” and hosts a Washington Heights film class, was doing more than just taking in the building’s grandeur — he was looking toward the future, and envisioning the possibility of watching a movie at the Palace and even hosting a film class there.

“To be able to give this back to the community as a movie theater would be a huge thrill,” he said.

Catching a film at the Palace may become a reality for Robinson and other movie and arts lovers. Later this month, the Palace will begin an ambitious effort to return film to the 83-year-old building.

“We’re going to try to raise $40,000 in 40 days to return film to Palace for the first time in 40 years,” said Mike Fitelson, director of programming for the United Palace of Cultural Arts (UPCA), the theater’s arts non-profit arm.

Spa For The Soul: A Q&A With Xavier Eikerenkoetter

The significance of “In the Heights” at the United Palace

Icarus at the Edge of Time @ the United Palace

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Herstory Unplugged – The Recap

admin — Wed, 15 May 2013 17:41:05 +0000

We came, we saw, we conquered! The WHIN By Any Means movement touched down yesterday at Altus Café (4325 Broadway & 184th street) for a little Herstory unplugged love courtesy of a bevy of talented ladies that included Cynthia La Cruz, Camille Safiya, Arinn Aldo, Karen Rodriguez and Tess. Backed by the dynamic duo of Will Glass and Alexis Marcelo, on the drums and keyboard respectively, the females proved beyond the shadow of a doubt whose world this is.

The night began with the incredible voice of Cynthia La Cruz belting out a stirring rendition of La Lupe’s Se Acabo. From there, Camille Safiya took the stage and rocked out hard with her inimitable style. Arinn Aldo’s cover of Aretha Franklin’s One Step Ahead was simply sublime. Then it was time for Karen “The Siren” Rodriguez to completely blow everyone away, as usual, with her beautiful voice. The pièce de résistance was Tess’ awesome performance of her latest single, the infectious and poignant song, Whore. If you weren’t in attendance last night, you missed a truly special moment. Uptown girls rock – the rest is Herstory!

Check out:

The Ford Mustang: Celebrating 50 Years of Automotive Excellence

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Picture of the Week

admin — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:44:43 +0000

Photography by Paul Lomax (@PaulLomaxPhoto)

The 2012 Uptown Arts Stroll Closing Reception @ Arka Lounge – The Recap

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Northern Manhattan Restaurant Week Kicks Off Today

admin — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:18:38 +0000

Uptown Gem – The Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Center

That’s right folks; Northern Manhattan Restaurant Week kicks off today and that means a bunch of great deals at some of your favorite restaurants. The promotion also gives you a reason to try some of the spots you haven’t patronized yet. So from an Uptown institution like Coogan’s, to the lighter fare of Pick And Eat, to the flair and fusion of Mamajuana, there is a host of great deals to get you to keep those Uptown dollars Uptown. By now you already know the motto, “Spread Love It’s The Uptown Way!” But hurry, Northern Manhattan Restaurant Week ends on Sunday, May 26^th.

For more: http://exploranyc.com/Restaurant-week/

Check out: The Elixir Eats – Washington Heights Gets Its Healthy On

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Finding Classical Music’s Best-Kept Secret in Washington Heights | WSJ.com

admin — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:22:11 +0000

By CORINNE RAMEY

The 730-seat auditorium at the American Academy of Arts and Letters. (Photo: Gretchen Robinette | The Wall Street Journal)

On Wednesday, the American Academy of Arts and Letters will induct three new members into its 250-member society of architects, composers, artists and writers, hosting the annual ceremony in its partially underground auditorium on West 156th Street in Washington Heights.

New Yorkers familiar with the Academy—whose members include Mark Twain, William S. Burroughs, Duke Ellington and, as of this week, artists Richard Tuttle and Terry Winters and writer Ward Just—may agree that election to the academy is “considered the highest formal recognition of artistic merit in the United States,” as the society states. But in the classical-music industry, the auditorium is almost universally recognized as a hidden gem, the best place in the city—some say the East Coast, others say the entire world—to record solo and chamber music. With its warm, velvety sound and near-perfect acoustics, the auditorium has been the site of nearly 1,000 recordings, according to the academy’s auditorium manager, Ardith Holmgrain, and has become firmly entrenched in classical-music history.

“It is one of the truly great concert halls in the world,” said violist Larry Dutton, who has frequently recorded at the Academy with the Emerson Quartet. “Take that hall down 90 blocks and it’d be like Carnegie Hall.”

Uptown Gem – Inwood Hill Park

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Time Travel Tuesdays: Crack’s Destructive Sprint Across America | NY Times

admin — Tue, 14 May 2013 19:26:08 +0000

By Michael Massing
Published: October 01, 1989

AS BROADWAY CUTS UP through the Upper West Side of Manhattan and into Washington Heights, it gradually turns into a giant Caribbean bazaar. The avenue abounds with bodegas, farmacias, unisex beauty salons, bargain clothing outlets, restaurants serving pollo and platanos, and travel agencies offering bargains to the Dominican Republic. Women squeeze mangoes, children lick flavored ices, men play hard at dominoes, all to the accompaniment of a hundred different radios blaring salsa music. Long a magnet for immigrants, Washington Heights today is home to large colonies of Irish, Jews and, most numerous of all, Dominicans. As the ever-present crowds make their way up and down the street, the Heights seems a living embodiment of the American Dream – a vibrant, energetic urban melting pot.

Wander off Broadway, though, and the neighborhood quickly seems like an American nightmare. On side streets in the 150′s and 160′s, clusters of tough teen-agers wearing beepers, four-finger gold rings and $95 Nikes offer $3 vials of crack, the high-octane, smokable derivative of cocaine. On every block there are four or five different ”crews,” or gangs, each touting its own brand of the drug, known to aficionados as ”Scotty” (as in ”Beam me up”). Some blocks are ”hotter” than others, depending on the availability of the crack. On the hottest blocks Scotty is available ”24/7” – 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So much business is transacted on these streets that Washington Heights has gained a reputation as the crack capital of America.

Time Travel Tuesdays: Washington Heights Journal – The 191st Street Tunnel | NY Times

The Washington Heights Riots of 1992 Remembered – Part 1

The Washington Heights Riots of 1992 Remembered – Part 2

Historic Inwood: “Goodbye to Glocamorra” (1968)

Postcards from the Edge | My Inwood

Historic Inwood – The Dyckman Oval

Historic Inwood – The Seaman Drake Arch

Heights History – Hilltop Park

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Uptown Video: Talk Of The Town Recap

admin — Tue, 14 May 2013 18:50:02 +0000

Video by Productive Ray (@ProductiveRay09)

By the way folks, WHIN By Any Means is throwing a special unplugged version of Herstory tonight at Altus (4325 Broadway & 184th street). This is going to be another one for the history books so if I were you I would reserve a table to catch all the action by contacting WHIN Committee member Ms. Euricidis Bonilla at 646-249-2827 or shooting her an email before it’s too late at euridicis.bonilla@gmail.com. Gracing the stage tonight will be none other than Tess, Karen Rodriguez, Cynthia La Cruz, Camille Safiya and Arinn Aldo. How’s that for a line up? Don’t say we didn’t give you the heads up. Doors open at 6 pm and the show begins shortly thereafter.

A View From the Heights: Hobby Land – Where A Barrio Kid Can Be A Kid

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The 14th Annual Carnaval Del Boulevard Goes Down On Saturday, June 1st

admin — Tue, 14 May 2013 17:57:03 +0000

The always incredible Carnaval Del Boulevard goes down on Saturday, June 1st from 11am to 6 pm on St. Nicholas Avenue from 181st to 188th Streets. This event is fun for the entire family and this year artists from the WHIN By Any Means movement will be doing their thing on stage. Make sure your there for one of the most important events of an Uptown summer.

For more: http://.jpdfoundation.org/

Check out pics of the event from year’s past courtesy of Paul Lomax.

We invite you to subscribe to the Uptown Love newsletter, like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter, or e-mail us at UptownCollective@gmail.com.

Uptown Poetry: City, I Am

admin — Mon, 13 May 2013 19:31:39 +0000

By The Native

(Photo: @VaSeXy)

I am

buildings
bridges
tunnels
highways
traffic lights
hip-hop
rock
cops
crooks
mayors
movies
hoods
hi-rise
low-income
haves
have nots
9-11
AIDS
Broadway
I Love New York
Times Square
Uptown
Downtown
Westside
Eastside
New York, New York, Big city of Dreams, but everything in New York ain’t always
what it seems
Platano City
Domini-York
All-American Latino
African
Spanish
Taino
Americano
I am
Native New Yorker
my parents left their home, but not their land
they brought Quisqueya in their hearts and minds
they flew here on the wings of a dream
and landed on the island of possibilities
so their children could one day be
the embodiment of that dream
I stand here
their dream
realized

Check out:

A View From The Heights: The Old Philosophers of McDonald’s

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Monday Mood Music: Perrion – Get A Job

admin — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:57:32 +0000

Check out: Mira CoNYo: A Skate Scene Blossoms Uptown

We invite you to subscribe to the Uptown Love newsletter, like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter, or e-mail us at UptownCollective@gmail.com.

Uptown Restaurant Owners Say They’re Treated Like Criminals | DNAinfo

admin — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:28:02 +0000

By Nigel Chiwaya @seenigel

Hundreds of residents and restaurant owners packed Isabella Geriatric Center for a special community board 12 meeting on May 9, 2012. (Photo: Nigel Chiwaya | DNAinfo)

UPPER MANHATTAN — Dyckman Street restaurant owners say they are tired of being painted as nuisances by residents and community board members and want to be treated like part of the neighborhood.

Speaking Thursday night at a special public forum held by Community Board 12′s Licensing Committee, hundreds of restaurant owners, employees and patrons spoke about the controversial stretch of Upper Manhattan dubbed “Alcohol Alley.”

“We deal with a Community Board that literally targets us—comes in and videos us—and basically treats us as if we’re criminals,” said Eddie Santos, the general manager of Papasito Mexican Grill and Agave Bar; a controversial Dyckman Street eatery that nearly lost its liquor license last year after receiving numerous complaints of loud music and unsanctioned dancing.

“We’re part of the community. We’re the heart and soul,” Santos added. “We give people jobs.”

Check out: Op-Led: Stand Up and Be Counted

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Politicking With The People: Vince Morgan – NYC Council 9th District

admin — Fri, 10 May 2013 20:15:26 +0000

If you take a look around at the political landscape around the country today, especially at the local level, what is immediately obvious is the marked leadership deficit that exists. Trustworthy, intelligent and accountable leaders are always needed but especially in these tough economic and uncertain times. This pronounced leadership deficit does not bode well for our democracy. With that said, we here at the Uptown Collective have taken it upon ourselves to introduce you to the folks running for office in our neck of the woods.

First up to bat is Vince Morgan who is running for City Council in District 9 in Harlem. Just from reading his bio I was impressed, this man went from dropping out of high school on the rough Southside of Chicago, to getting his GED, to getting a master’s degree from Columbia University. In person, he was approachable, expansive, knowledgeable and was as conversant talking about Geo-politics as he was talking about the bread and butter issues that matter in our neighborhoods. While I don’t vote in the 9^th District, Vince is the epitome of the new generation of leaders that our communities and our country desperately needs if America is to be competitive in the 21^st Century. With that said, please take a gander at our sit down interview.

Site: http://vincemorgan.com/

FB: http://facebook.com/vincemorgannyc

Twitter: @VincentMorgan

IG: @vincemorgannyc

We invite you to subscribe to the Uptown Love newsletter, like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter, or e-mail us at UptownCollective@gmail.com.

The Best of the Boogie Down: Mother’s Day Edition

admin — Fri, 10 May 2013 19:10:48 +0000

Special treats for the Moms in your Life in the Boogie Down

The Best of the Boogie Down: Ceetay

Mother’s day is this Sunday folks – crept on us way too soon and it is personally NOT hitting me on a pay day, but no one deserves better treatment than the person who gave birth to us, right? But in the case you are still looking for ideas on what to do for that special woman in your life, here’s a lineup of all things Boogie Down for your mom on Mother’s day!

FOOD:

· 900 Park Restaurant – Italian – 900 Morris Park Avenue. Celebrate Mother’s Day with 900 Park as they will be having a pre-fixed 3-course menu for $44.95 per person plus tax and gratuity.

· Ice House Café & Restaurant – Italian – 140 Reynolds Avenue. Mother’s Day four course meal for $33 per person with waterfront dining. (perfect for this weekend’s forecast!)

· The Clock Bar and Bistro – American – 112 Lincoln Avenue. An entire weekend dedicated to celebration of not only mother’s day but the 1^st year anniversary of this gorgeous establishment. Friday night is an open house bar and karaoke, Saturday includes an open rum bar and a pride party, and they wind things down on Sunday with a Mother’s Day Brunch with NYC’s most well known Big Band group, The Stomp Society.

· Babalu – Latin – 3233 E. Tremont Avenue. celebrate mother’s day with a pre-fixed 2-course brunch at $24 per person and one hour of unlimited cocktails! The brunch runs from 11am-3pm featuring bistec, arepa, torta Mexicana, and an assortment of champagne cocktails. To make reservations, click here: http://www.babalubx.com/reservations.html.

SPECIAL EVENTS:

· The New York Botanical Garden –2900 Southern Boulevard. Take your special lady to tour the beauty of the Botanical Gardens. The last time I went here was when I was a small child, so this is bound to bring back fun memories. The NYBG has an entire weekend lined up with special events for moms like the Birds & Butterflies Walk, food samplings, gardening demonstration, watercolor painting, and a super special picnic on Daffodil Hill. For more information on the happenings, click here: http://www.nybg.org/exhibitions/2013/native-plant-garden/#slide5.

· Silouhette Lounge – Saturday, May 11 at 8pm - 5668 Broadway & 233^rd Street. Join some of the funniest women in comedy as they hit the stage celebrating all things mother at this stunning lounge uptown. Hosting the show is Delisious Rodriguez and performing are Sara Contreras, Cypress Nieves, Peaches Rodriguez and yours truly and Jesenia will be making a special appearance. Purchase tickets here: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/384077.

· Bronx Museum of the Arts – Saturday, May 11 at 12pm – 1040 Grand Concourse. A day of glamour at the Bronx Museum presents its third annual 2013 expo. Featuring 40 of the area’s most trusted professionals there will be sampling of the best in culinary cuisine catered by Chef Flora and shopping with several different vendors. You can buy tickets

Find out more about Bronx contributor, Jenni Ruiza, at http://www.jenniruiza.com/. Follow her on Twitter @RuizaJenni.

The Best of the Boogie Down: The Kingsbridge National Ice Center (KNIC)

The Best of the Boogie Down: Artist Spotlight – Sofia Rodriguez

The Best of the Boogie Down: Artist Spotlight – Hezues R

The Best of the Boogie Down: Artist Spotlight – Christopher Estrada

The Best of the Boogie Down: The Bronx Documentary Center

The Best of the Boogie Down: Artist Spotlight – Jesenia

We invite you to subscribe to the Uptown Love newsletter, like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter, or e-mail us at UptownCollective@gmail.com.

The WHIN Committee Presents Herstory Unplugged @ Altus

admin — Fri, 10 May 2013 18:08:58 +0000

Ok folks, this WHIN By Any Means thing is only getting bigger. We have taken the show on the road for a special unplugged version of Herstory at Altus (4325 Broadway & 184th street) this coming Tuesday, May 14th. If you don’t know already, WHIN events get packed pretty quickly so here is a little gem to make sure you are in the building, call WHIN Committee member Ms. Euricidis Bonilla at 646-249-2827 or shoot her an email euridicis.bonilla@gmail.com to reserve your spot to catch Herstory in the making! Doors open at 6 pm and the show begins shortly thereafter.

Check out:

July 4th in the Heights – The Recap

We invite you to subscribe to the Uptown Love newsletter, like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter, or e-mail us at UptownCollective@gmail.com.

The Uptown Tweet of the Week

admin — Fri, 10 May 2013 17:09:09 +0000

Presenting the Uptown Tweet of the Week, our pick that represents the good, the bad, and the lovely in this week’s UC Twitterverse…

St. Nicholas con 183 // Washington Heights NEW YORK http://t.co/IUfq2YKACV

May 9, 2013 4:32 pm via Instagram ReplyRetweetFavorite

@ManuelitoDH

Manuelito DH

The Uptown Tweet of the Week – Hot As Balls

Summer in the Heights

We invite you to subscribe to the Uptown Love newsletter, like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter, or e-mail us at UptownCollective@gmail.com.

UC Exclusive: Rubi Rosa – Tape

admin — Thu, 09 May 2013 19:58:34 +0000

World Premiere: Rubi Rosa – Plastic Cup

Behind The Scenes: Urban Latino X Rayniel Rufino Photoshoot @ La Marina

Trouble In The Heights – The Review

Trouble In The Heights @ The United Palace – The Recap

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Op-Led: Stand Up and Be Counted

admin — Thu, 09 May 2013 17:03:46 +0000

The Ford Mustang: Celebrating 50 Years of Automotive Excellence

Okay, here is the situation. Tonight, there will be a public hearing at the Isabella Geriatric Center (515 Audubon Ave) at 7 pm to discuss “nightlife-related matters”. If you enjoy not having to trek downtown for fine dining, or if you enjoy having great establishments in your very own backyard or if you are one of the hundreds of people employed by these establishments that are being rallied against, then it is absolutely imperative that you attend this meeting tonight.

Like I have said in the past, there is a small but organized cadre of what I like to call “semi-professional agitators” that want to put an end to the business and cultural Renaissance taking place Uptown. They have decided that you are too noisy, too uncouth and simply do not deserve such amenities. They know the right people to call, who to send letters to and the right buttons to push and they will get their way if you don’t stand up and be counted.

It is that simple. Let your voice be heard or others who are not truly representative of this neighborhood will decide the fate of our beautiful Uptown. In all honesty, I think it is insulting that we are viewing these establishments through the prism of them being public nuisances. They have quite simply revitalized Dyckman Street and the surrounding area. They have invested their time, money, energy and resources to make Washington Heights and Inwood a better place and a go to destination for those seeking culture, coolness and cuisine and they have been met by a veritable witch-hunt by a small minority of people that want to call the shots in the neighborhood.

I take a long view of the changes taking place in this community; this is what Michael Massing had to say about Uptown in the NY Times in 1989, “so much business is transacted on these streets that Washington Heights has gained a reputation as the crack capital of America.” Contrast to what is taking place in the community today we are in a good place and we cannot allow a select few to change that. With that said, I will end this missive with a quote of unknown origin, “you’re either at the table or on the menu”.

There is strength in numbers!

Pa’Lante Siempre Pa’Lante

Isabella Geriatric Center
515 Audubon Ave.
New York, NY 10040
7 p.m.

For more info: http://facebook.com/events/publichearing/

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The Fix-It Team | Manhattan Times

admin — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:15:34 +0000

Story, photos and video by Sherry Mazzocchi

Sandra Goldmark and her husband Michael Banta are at the helm of a new repair shop.

When something breaks, most people don’t have the time, tools or talent to fix it.

Broken objects are usually tossed or just kept, with a magical hope that someday, someone will be able to fix it.

That day arrives June 1st.

Two Inwood residents, Sandra Goldmark and her husband Michael Banta, are opening a pop-up repair shop for one month.

Mira CoNYo: A Skate Scene Blossoms Uptown

admin — Wed, 08 May 2013 20:51:35 +0000

Video by Art By Dj Boy (@ArtByDjBoy)

Photography by Emil Baez (@_EBaez)

Sound by Productive Ray (@ProductiveRay09)

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Picture of the Week

admin — Wed, 08 May 2013 18:46:22 +0000

Photography by Paul Lomax (@PaulLomaxPhoto)

The 2012 Uptown Arts Stroll Closing Reception @ Arka Lounge – The Recap

Ydanis Speaks – The 2013 State of Northern Manhattan Address: The Future of Northern Manhattan

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Uptown Video: Go Uptown – Jay Wise X Ace IOD

admin — Wed, 08 May 2013 18:29:57 +0000

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Dominican Strongman Was Rescuer and Murderer Both | Forward

admin — Wed, 08 May 2013 18:05:16 +0000

By Michael Kaminer

Kaitlin Abreu with Sosua refugee Juliana Biro.

Only in New York could a troupe of Jewish and Dominican kids team up with a Broadway legend on a musical production about a Latin dictator’s rescue of Jews during the Holocaust.

But it’s a true story. And a new documentary called “Sosua: Make a Better World” chronicles the collaboration of 20 prickly teens in Washington Heights with stage giant Elizabeth Swados on a play about the unlikeliest of subjects: The 1938 rescue of 800 German Jews by Dominican strongman Rafael Leonidas Trujillo. Sosua was the Dominican town where the refugees eventually settled.

For Sosua co-director Renee Silverman, the film’s setup mirrors real-life challenges in Washington Heights, the uptown neighborhood where the kids live and where she herself settled in 2008. “I live on Bennett Avenue, which is 60% Jewish and 40% gentrified,” she told The Arty Semite. “On the other side of Broadway lives the largest population of Dominicans outside the Dominican Republic. And we rarely interact.”

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UPinion: No Taxation Without Representation for NYC’s Immigrants

admin — Tue, 07 May 2013 18:53:45 +0000

(Photo: by SpatialK | Flickr)

New York City has always been, and always will be, a city of immigrants.

As our city brims with anticipation for the passing of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill currently before the U.S. Senate, millions are mobilizing to voice their thoughts on this crucial piece of legislation. This spurring of civic-engagement models what we expect of New Yorkers: informed opinions, strong advocacy and a desire to participate in the democratic process with the intention of making society better for all.

At the City Council, we are working to provide all legal residents, immigrants and non-immigrants, the right to vote in city elections. Intro 410, currently set for a hearing on Thursday May 9^th, will allow lawfully present, non-citizen, foreign born residents to vote in the mayoral race, city comptroller and public advocate races and city council and borough president races. There are now 35 Council Members signed on to Intro 410, with more signing on each day, an encouraging step towards full enfranchisement of all stakeholders in our city.

Under our current laws, one in five adult New York City residents cannot vote because they are not yet citizens. In our districts, there are large populations that do not have a voice in decisions that most directly impact their daily lives. These community members have, for example, no right to vote on matters concerning the education of their children, the safety of their neighborhoods, or the future of their communities. A system where thousands of taxpaying residents are disenfranchised is unfair, undemocratic, and un-American.

In a city with close to 3 million immigrants, we understand how important our immigrant population is in stimulating our local economies. According to a study by the Fiscal Policy Institute, there are over 69,000 immigrant small business owners, accounting for nearly half all small businesses in New York City. Across New York State, 1.3 million non-citizen immigrants are responsible for $229 billion in economic output, as measured by state, sales and real estate taxes.

When immigrants contribute so much to our local economy, they deserve the right to have a say in who will represent them and where their money is spent. They deserve the right to vote in local elections, lest we continue to violate the hallowed American creed of “no taxation without representation”.

This would not be the first time non-citizens had a right to vote. There have been twenty states that did not restrict state or local voting rights based on citizenship. Internationally, more than 40 countries allow some form of non-citizen voting. Here in New York City, we allowed all parents of public school children to vote for their school boards from 1969 until 2003, when the school boards were abolished.

Extending voting rights has another practical benefit. Including immigrants in the democratic process will help integrate them into our communities and better prepare them for when they finally complete the long process to become citizens. If someone feels they have a say in what happens, they are more likely to care for their community. Immigrants need to be integrated into society rather than disenfranchised and disaffected.

We must act now to restore immigrant voting rights in local elections. It is important for all of us to make decisions together. Immigrant or American-born, we each have a valuable voice and when all of us are permitted to engage in the political process our communities become stronger.

Daniel Dromm

New York City Council Member, 25th District

Chair, Immigration Committee

Ydanis Rodriguez

New York City Council Member, 10^th District

Chair, Higher Education Committee

Uptown 2011 Movers & Shakers: Ydanis Rodriguez – A Man of the People

Introducing Ydanis Speaks

Ydanis Speaks: The Importance of Diversity in Higher Education Leadership

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Get Yours: Trouble In The Heights Now Available On DVD

admin — Tue, 07 May 2013 18:30:44 +0000

BY Led Black (@Led_Black)
That’s right people, the best movie about Washington Heights ever made, Trouble In The Heights, is now available on DVD. Jon Ullman directs the film and Uptown’s own Rayniel Rufino is the leading man. Not to mention the stellar cast that includes Luis Antonio Ramos, Raúl Esparza, Antonio Ortiz, Alexandra Metz, Olga Merediz, Kareem Savinon, Dominic Colon and John Peralta among many other talented actors. Get this: when you purchase the DVD you also get a downloadable digital copy as well as en exclusive behind-the-scenes vignette. Trouble In The Heights finally puts the hood in its proper cinematic light so make sure you show them some love and purchase your copy.

Purchase: http://amazon.com/Trouble-The-Heights/

Check out:

http://troubleintheheights.com/

Trouble In The Heights – The Review

FB: http://facebook.com/TroubleInTheHeights

Twitter: @TroubleHeights

Instagram: http://instagram.com/troubleheights

Trouble In The Heights @ The United Palace – The Recap

Trouble In The Heights @ The United Palace: Social Media Edition

Trouble In The Heights @ The United Palace: A First Look

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Time Travel Tuesdays: Washington Heights Journal – The 191st Street Tunnel | NY Times

admin — Tue, 07 May 2013 12:26:38 +0000

By JOSH KURTZ

Published: August 12, 1991

Earlier this year, the Transit Authority closed some long, dark pedestrian tunnels in the subways. One of the longest and darkest, the three-block tunnel connecting Broadway and 190th Street with the 191st Street IRT station at St. Nicholas Avenue, stayed open.

In one of those only-in-New York bureaucratic oddities, the 79-year-old tunnel is not part of the subway system. It is considered a city street.

It even has a name: Tunnel Street.

Even more so than a lot of other city streets, it is not exactly a garden spot.

The lighting is a dim florescent yellow. The walls are peeling and covered with graffiti. In warm weather, the tunnel almost sweats with humidity. Until an exterminator came a couple of years ago, huge rats raced through at night. Gulleys on either side of the narrow passageway perpetually overflow with rushing water and garbage.

The garbage in the tunnel would delight the most experienced dump-picker. Residents have found automobile tires and engines, a tricycle, dolls, supermarket shopping carts and tennis racquets, along with the refuse of criminal activity: used crack vials and spent bullet shells. Like the water, no one seems to knows where it all comes from.

It is hard to say just how dangerous the tunnel is. In 1990, the 191st Street station was 410th out of 469 stations in the number of crimes reported. The statistics do not reveal how many of the 11 reported crimes (including six arrests) took place in the tunnel.

Historic Inwood: “Goodbye to Glocamorra” (1968)

The Washington Heights Riots of 1992 Remembered – Part 1

The Washington Heights Riots of 1992 Remembered – Part 2

Postcards from the Edge | My Inwood

Historic Inwood – The Dyckman Oval

Historic Inwood – The Seaman Drake Arch

Heights History – Hilltop Park

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Monday Mood Music: Audubon – Riot For Kiko

admin — Mon, 06 May 2013 20:22:16 +0000

Check out:

Get Yours: Audubon – Digging For Sunlight Gold Edition

The Washington Heights Riots of 1992 Remembered – Part 1

The Washington Heights Riots of 1992 Remembered – Part 2

Audubon of MTV’s Washington Heights Featured In The New York Times

The Audubon Listening Party – The Recap

Audubon’s Digging For Sunlight Listening Party – The Recap

Washington Heights Stand Up – Audubon @ Phuket Lounge

The Audubon Listening Party – The Recap

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Ms Viva Voce On The Scene: The Uptown Comedy Jam

admin — Mon, 06 May 2013 19:54:45 +0000

Ms Viva Voce stopped by Insomnia Lounge in Dyckman (151 Dyckman St, NYC) for a night of laughs and fun at the Uptown Comedy Jam, hosted by Tommy 5000. Live Performances by Comedians Ruperto Vanderpool, EMAN, Edgar “Tangana” Rivera, Barry Ribs, Jonathan Pagan and ThatsDominican.com’s Dee Espinal and Tommy 5000. Cameos by Mike “DP” Jones (The Mayor of WHIN and Member/Co-Founder of the WHIN Committee), Artist JSyck (SelfMade Fam) #SMFLIFE, Manuel Minus P. (ThatsDominican.com). Video by MadAmps Films.

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New Washington Heights Coffee Shop Attracts Swarms of Java-Starved Locals | DNAinfo

admin — Mon, 06 May 2013 15:30:09 +0000

By Nigel Chiwaya @seenigel

Taszo offers all manner of coffees, lattes and espressos. (Photo: Nigel Chiwaya | DNAinfo)

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — Taszo Espresso Bar is open for business, and java junkies in lower Washington Heights are lining up to get a cup of joe.

Customers have been streaming into the trendy new cafe, located at 5 Edward M Morgan Pl. between West 157th and West 158th Streets, which held a soft opening over the weekend before greeting customers at Tuesday’s grand opening.

Demand for the shop was so high that owner Haitem Weslati sold through a week’s worth of coffee in during the opening weekend.

“We were slammed,” Weslati said. “People were so happy to finally have a place like this.”

Taszo, which Weslati decided to open after growing frustrated with the dearth of cafes in lower Washington Heights, offers all manner of coffee drinks: from lattes and espresso shots to macchiatos and drips.

UPinion: I ♥ Café Bustelo

In the Heights, a Taste of Ethiopia

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#InstagramUptown: The Little Red LightHouse

admin — Fri, 03 May 2013 17:33:20 +0000

Photography by @hecklo24

The 2012 Little Red Lighthouse Festival In Pictures

#InstagramUptown: margauxeve

#InstagramUptown: artbydjboy

#InstagramUptown: ndzine

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The Best of the Boogie Down: Ceetay

admin — Fri, 03 May 2013 17:21:52 +0000

A Touch of Japan in the Boogie Down

The Best of the Boogie Down: The Kingsbridge National Ice Center (KNIC)

Nearly a decade long search of unsuccessfully trying to find quality sushi in the Bronx and I finally came across what would change your opinion of the Bronx forever (or at least it should!). Ceetay, on Alexander Avenue, is transforming the face of the borough with its upscale, eclectic establishment full of the freshest fish in the borough and some of the most unique and delicious dishes you’ll ever find. Owned and operated by Amir Chayon, Ceetay is a revolutionary fixture in the Boogie Down. With head sushi chef, Dorji, this sushi house brings you the best of Asian fusion you can find from traditional and exclusive rolls, to an assortment of noodles and rice, right on down to grilled sushi for those who just can’t get with raw fish. Explore the beauty that Ceetay brings to life as Amir takes some time to discuss his establishment and its year long success.

Q. Why did you choose to make The Bronx Ceetay’s home? How long has the establishment been open?

A. On May 2^nd, we celebrated our one year with a party that lasted until midnight. I lived in that neighborhood for 5 years now and I really believe that Ceetay is what the neighborhood needed.

Q. Tell us what sets Ceetay apart from a sushi restaurant in Manhattan?

A. In Manhattan you can find sushi restaurants on almost every 5 blocks. In the Bronx, you can’t. We give our customers (doesn’t matter who they are or what they do) the same amazing services. The place’s design is very simple and unique and it gives you the feel of being in the city but you never crossed the bridge, and that is what makes us special.

Q. What are your most popular dishes?

A. The Ceetay tuna bruschetta, Kawasaki roll, rainbow roll, Suzuki roll and chicken tikka masala.

Q. I noticed there were some grilled rolls on the menu – was that a business decision in the case raw fish didn’t go over so well with Bronx natives?

A. Not at all. You will be surprised how much the neighborhood is supporting and loving. The idea of adding those roll is to provide a bigger variety of rolls especially for those who are coming in 4 days a week.

Q. I’ve heard you can order whatever you want at Ceetay; what is the oddest request a customer has made to date?

A. First off, whoever told you that is fired! We do have customers who are coming in and asking our sushi chef, Dorji, to go and make them special roll. They do challenge him but so far no one was disappointed.

Q. How did you and Chef Dorji begin your collaboration with this restaurant?

A. We interviewed Dorji after he applied to an ad on craigslist. We saw a good young man that would be a good addition to our team. And we were right. Our customers know him personally by now, some of them order directly from him and he takes care of each and every one of them.

Q. What are some of the challenges in owning a restaurant of your caliber in the Bronx?

A. The biggest challenge of opening in the Bronx was not knowing for sure how the neighborhood will respond. We also knew that we can’t charge people Manhattan prices but we do have to provide the best fresh fish every day doesn’t matter how much it costs.

Q. Any final words to share with the readers of Uptown Collective?

A. I want to invite those readers that have not yet given us the chance to come and experience “Ceetay”. Because you’re going to love it!

Ceetay is located on 129 Alexander Avenue in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx. For more information visit www.ceetay.com.

Find out more about Bronx contributor, Jenni Ruiza, at http://www.jenniruiza.com/. Follow her on Twitter @RuizaJenni.

The Best of the Boogie Down: Artist Spotlight – Sofia Rodriguez

The Best of the Boogie Down: Artist Spotlight – Hezues R

The Best of the Boogie Down: Artist Spotlight – Christopher Estrada

The Best of the Boogie Down: The Bronx Documentary Center

The Best of the Boogie Down: Artist Spotlight – Jesenia

Honoring Juan Rodriguez, a Settler of New York | NY Times

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Notes to Self: The Lost Poems – I am the Heights

admin — Fri, 03 May 2013 16:51:28 +0000

BY Frank Medina (@FRANKELITONYC)

A Star is born

Presbyterian Hospital, ready for the impossible

Dominican Mother and a Puerto Rican Dad

Who made the decision at 17, few wish they had

but for the love of their child, took the good with the bad

From the start, the HEIGHTS was a part of him

the STREETS and THE LIGHTS at the heart of him

GW BRIDGE at the center of his soul

FT. TRYON where he walked through the winter oh so cold

181st where he shopped, Center of the World

Coppin’ kicks up the block, hissing at all the pretty girls

MICHAEL BUCZECK where he played,

189TH where he layed, grinding how he had to on any given day

MANGU cooking in the kitchen

Titi and Mimi reminiscing on the DOMINCAN LIFE

The beauty of the land, the PAIN and the STRIFE

How they made it to the HOOD and would’ve never thought about it twice

Everyday is a fight for what he knows is his DESTINY

but whatever it takes the HEIGHTS made the best of me

HUSTLE AND THE MUSCLE

SAZON and THE RECIPE

So no matter where he goes

no matter where he stays

the HEIGHTS is who he is, that will never go away

LATINO and Proud, definition of ARTISTA

from 145th to DYCKMAN

Epitome of PERSPECTIVAS

Check out: Notes to Self: The Lost Poems – Little Man

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Honors set for Juan Rodriguez, who became the first non-native immigrant to New York City when he arrived from what is now the Dominican Republic in 1613 | NY Daily News

admin — Fri, 03 May 2013 15:31:49 +0000

Upper Manhattan sets series of events to turn May 15 into ‘a carnival, a festival, and a celebration of a man who came here many, many years ago, and gave the Dominicans a claim on this great city at the very beginning of its history’.

By Douglas Feiden / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

(Graphic illustration by Delano Franklin | Organic Magnetics) Upper Manhattan is celebrating May 15 in honor of Juan Rodriguez, a sailor who came to New York from the island now known as the Dominican Republic in 1613.

Juan Rodriguez — a sailor-turned-merchant who became the first non-native immigrant to New York City when he arrived in 1613 — may be unknown to most students of history, but he’s about to become a household name in upper Manhattan.

May 15th will be celebrated uptown as Juan Rodriguez Day to mark the 400th anniversary of the Afro-Caribbean explorer and trader’s move to the then-verdant city from his home on the island now known as the Dominican Republic.

As the first Latino and the first Dominican to settle permanently in the city, Rodriguez was the great forerunner of the vibrant and thriving community of today, said Ramona Hernandez, director of the City University of New York’s Dominican Studies Institute.

“We are happy, we are dancing! It’s a carnival, a festival, and a celebration of a man who came here many, many years ago, and gave the Dominicans a claim on this great city at the very beginning of its history,” Hernandez said.

Juan Rodriguez Way: Uptown Dominicans Take Pride in Early Immigrant | The Uptowner

Led Black: Un Pie Aqui y Uno Alla | Huffington Post

Op-Led: The Dominican Spring

Signs of the Times: No Ala Reforma Protest NYC

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Put You On: Jarina De Marco – Main Dish

admin — Thu, 02 May 2013 19:08:29 +0000

The Audubon Listening Party – The Recap

Even though Jarina De Marco is not from Uptown, the Brooklyn based femme fatale is half-Dominican and half-Brazilian, this song is seriously infectious and she is someone that NEEDS to be on your radar. Jarina is signed to Wyclef’s label and if she keeps cranking out this cool mélange of music, she will soon be a breakout star. Shout out to Cynthia La Cruz, who is quite talented in her own right, for putting me on to her.

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Privileged Marketing Group Presents: HOTSAUCE Sundays @ Negro Claro

admin — Thu, 02 May 2013 18:56:33 +0000

For more info: http://privmg.com/

Check out:

MTV’s ‘Washington Heights’ – The After-Party

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Uptown Talk: Humorist Felipe Galindo blends the cultures of Mexico & Manhattan in his artwork | NY Daily News

admin — Thu, 02 May 2013 15:18:58 +0000

The Washington Heights-based Galindo’s works will be on display in ‘Manhatitlan: Mexican and American Cultures Intertwined’ at the Gallery at the City College of New York

BY Clem Richardson

Artist/humorist Felipe (Feggo) Galindo displays one of his works in his Washington Heights studio. (Photo: Richard Harbus | NY Daily News)

Unlike a lot of artists, you won’t find Felipe (Feggo) Galindo Gomez agonizing over a blank canvas in his Washington Heights studio, wondering what he will draw.

One reason is that Galindo — he goes by that name but signs his work Feggo — has a library of ideas stored in a collection of sketch books he’s kept over the years, ideas he found while walking around the city.

The second reason is that the humorist — whose work has been published in The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, Mad Magazine and the International Herald Tribune to name a very few — gets his ideas from the the city he has called home for more than 30 years.

“I know other cartoonists who begin by staring at the blank page,” he said. “I’m the opposite. I have to be outside, on the subway, walking. If I see something, it might spark an idea. I always carry a sketch book or a notebook and I write it down. Then I come to my studio and I start doing the sketch and drawing.

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Picture of the Week

admin — Wed, 01 May 2013 19:08:13 +0000

Photography by Paul Lomax (@PaulLomaxPhoto)

The Ford Mustang: Celebrating 50 Years of Automotive Excellence

The 2012 Uptown Arts Stroll Closing Reception @ Arka Lounge – The Recap

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The WHIN By Any Means App Release Party – The Video

admin — Wed, 01 May 2013 18:58:54 +0000

Video by Productive Ray (@ProductiveRay09)

To become a sponsor of the app contact: whinbyanymeansconcert@gmail.com

Drums Along the Hudson 2011 As Seen By Paul Lomax

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Save the Date: Drums Along The Hudson On Sunday, May 19th

admin — Wed, 01 May 2013 18:46:17 +0000

Eleventh Annual Drums Along the Hudson®: A Native American Festival

Sunday, May 19th, 2013 – 11:00 am until 6:00 pm

Rain or Shine – FREE

Inwood Hill Park

218th Street and Indian Road (4 blocks west of Broadway)

The Eleventh Annual DRUMS ALONG THE HUDSON®: A NATIVE AMERICAN FESTIVAL will take place on Sunday, May 19th, 2013 in Upper Manhattan‘s Inwood Hill Park from 11:00 am until 6:00 pm, rain or shine. This event is presented by Lotus Music & Dance in collaboration with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, sponsored in part by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Councilman Robert Jackson and WABC-TV.

(Photo: Briana E. Heard)

A FREE, multi cultural family-oriented festival, DRUMS ALONG THE HUDSON® includes exhibitions of world dance and drumming traditions with host Louis Mofsie and the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers, Heyna Second Sons and Silver Cloud Drum Group, as well as Native American crafts and international foods. The festival combines a celebration of Native American heritage, culture, and art with the diversity of New York City itself. In keeping with the underlying theme of environmental appreciation and education, DRUMS ALONG THE HUDSON® will continue to feature an Environmental Tent which will include appearances by Captain Planet, courtesy of the Captain Planet Foundation.

(Photo: Art By Dj Boy)

For more: Drums Along The Hudson.

Check out:

Drums Along the Hudson 2012 – Be Heard Edition

Drums Along the Hudson 2012 – Art By Dj Boy Edition

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Dichter Pharmacy Officially Marks Return From Devastating Fire | DNAinfo

admin — Wed, 01 May 2013 14:38:29 +0000

By Nigel Chiwaya, DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

Dichter owner Manny Ramirez said that the expanded product offerings are his way of saying thank you to the community. (Photo: Nigel Chiwaya | DNAinfo)

INWOOD — Dichter Pharmacy is rising from the ashes.

A little more than a year after being destroyed in a devestating fire that wiped out 10 area businesses, the longtime Inwood staple returned to its roots, opening a new, expanded Broadway location with a customer appreciateion event this week.

Now located at 4935 Broadway, Dichter’s new space is approximately five times larger than the temporary location it stayed in following the January 4, 2012 fire and features a soda fountain and snack area that serves up ice cream, hot dogs, sandwiches, bagels and coffee.

With the larger space, owner Manny Ramirez has expanded his product selection to include everything from organic items to Melissa and Doug educational toys, alongside more traditional pharmacy items.

Many of the new products, which were added at the request of residents, is Ramirez’s way to thank the community that stood by him after the fire.

“I really love this neighborhood,” he said. “I feel blessed to be here.”

Dichter Pharmacy has been in Inwood for 90 years, but Ramirez said its future was uncertain after the massive fire wiped out 10 area businesses.

The Fire was Ugly, this is Beautiful

The Massive 207th Street Fire

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Get Yours: The WHIN By Any Means Smartphone App

admin — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:48:33 +0000

The whinbyanymeans App is live now for iPhone & Android. #WashHts #Inwood #Harlem #WHIN #NYC http://t.co/6iux9uhhIR

April 30, 2013 10:15 am via Instagram ReplyRetweetFavorite

@Led_Black

Led Black

Do you want to stay up on everything happening when it comes to Uptown Hip-Hop? Well, guess what ladies and gentlemen? There is an App for that. That’s right, the WHIN Committee, which I am a part of, has just released the free WHIN By Any Means App and it is available for iPhone and Android. In the coming weeks, the App will be churning out loads of exclusive content as well as keeping you up to date with all the developments with the WHIN By Any Means movement. Download the app and stay tuned for much more. By the way, kudos goes out to Salcedo Mobile for creating the App. Remember: “Spread Love It’s The Uptown Way!”

To become a sponsor of the app contact: whinbyanymeansconcert@gmail.com

The Ford Mustang: Celebrating 50 Years of Automotive Excellence

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Uptown Car Love: The 2013 NY Auto Show

admin — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:56:28 +0000

Uptown Poetry: Calling All SOULdiers

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Uptown Poetry: My Dear

admin — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 19:04:37 +0000

By Pierina Medina (@ProjectLovebot)

My Dear,

In a world with no discretion
you can die or live and accept.
While so many will cease to see this
they will only live to expect
with a hopelessness so perplexed,
I demand their loss of regrets.
So I bring some lines
just to soothe your minds
or to lead a world to reflect.

With respect,

I paint my stories
to uncover minds.
I wish to rid them of the morbid thoughts
devouring mankind.
If they pay me no mind
I still wish them the very best
while they discard this baffling logic
and substance within my chest.

But for the rest,

Don’t wait for change.
Lets work
to attract the kind
attempting conquers of a world
that puts matter right over mind.
Why impulsively incline
in emotions so undefined
like this “love” that we label “cold”
manifested by all the blind?

And I do this from the heart
but I worry it’s far too late.
See this here differentiates
so imposters just don’t relate.
My mission: recreate,
spawn my faith in every face
for proclamation of success
that kills a hater in it’s trace

because

They do it for the implement
that they want hate to spread.
I do this for the hearts and souls
with too much on their heads.
I wish to help emancipate this cryptic education
the kind that shall engrave itself in every generation!

So do you,
there is need for knowledge.
Do you for some power.
I’ll do me fo the future
so my thoughts they shall devour

and when I speak,
I pray my rhymes form lines of little seeds
then I’ll water them with my soul
and grow indestructible trees!
Don’t ask me, I feel the need.
I’m just taking care of some deeds.
At least I smile because MY dreams
are deshackled and finally freed

And all I’ll ever need
is my lyrical exhale.
Even the slightest turn in fate
such as failure just won’t prevail
and shall I ever fail
to pay homage to any fact,
here’s to mutilation of guilt
so my darkness stays in the past.

Don’t EVER wear a mask
or succumb to negative peers
that live off of the satisfaction
of pain that will not adhere
and wipe your tear,
so that they don’t confuse it with fear.
Say
“this is just another life reflecting moment, my dear.”

Uptown Poetry: Robot

Uptown Poetry: Your Biggest Regret

Celebrate Love – A Guide To Surviving Valentine’s Day

UPinion: The Abused Past Versus The Liberated Present

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Monday Mood Music: Sol-Leks – Train Ride Mixtape

admin — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:36:32 +0000

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Corset shows: artist re-imagines beauty of Burr’s loves | NY Daily News

admin — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:43:50 +0000

‘The Loves of Aaron Burr: Portraits of Corsetry & Binding’ features 18th and 19th Century-style corsets in the Morris-Jumel Mansion, Manhattan’s oldest private home.

By Douglas Feiden / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

(Design & Photo: Camilla Huey)

Eight of the most beautiful, bewitching and beguiling women in New York’s long history of seduction will display their wiles in a captivating exhibition opening next week at the Morris-Jumel Mansion in Washington Heights.

“The Loves of Aaron Burr: Portraits of Corsetry & Binding” features the shapely, sculpted images of lovely lasses in 18th and 19th Century-style corsets, which are installed in the grand period rooms of Manhattan’s oldest private home.

Created by the artist, designer and couturier Camilla Huey — who has dressed such A-listers as Oprah Winfrey, Anna Wintour, Candice Bergen and Claudia Schiffer — the exhibit whisks the viewer-voyeur into the boudoirs of its enticing subjects.

Based on the women in the life of Burr — the controversial vice president and duelist who briefly lived in the mansion — the exhibit explores his mother, daughter, two wives and four purported mistresses through the allure of their corsets.

“It is the most intimate of fashions, extremely personal and close to the heart, and it corrects and conceals and stifles and seduces and constrains and thrusts forward form all at the same time,” Huey said.

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The Writing on the Wall: Become a part of the NoMAA Mural Project

admin — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:37:20 +0000

Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance (NoMAA) has become an indispensable part of the cultural landscape in Washington Heights and Inwood. In just six years NoMAA has provided over $300,000 in direct funds to artists and arts organizations; provided technical assistance training to over 700 artists and arts administrators; produced 14 Gallery exhibitions highlighting a roster of diverse uptown artists; and welcomed countless visitors during 5 consecutive Uptown Arts Strolls; and so much more.

In celebration of its six years of service, NoMAA is creating a community Mural to be located on the wall outside its Gallery and offices. The Mural will serve as a graphic representation of the spirit and support that makes this community such a unique and vibrant place to live, work, and visit. NoMAA is proud to have engaged local graffiti-influenced visual artist FEEGZ to create this original art piece. Residents, artists, and friends of NoMAA are invited to have their name or their business’ name worked into the Mural by donating $25 (NoMAA members) or $50 (includes 1-year membership to NoMAA) by May 15, 2013.)

To join your friends and neighbors on the Mural, click here: http://www.nomaanyc.org/donate/.

For questions call (212) 568-4396.

Uptown Artist: Andrew Short

The 2012 Women in the Heights Opening Reception @ NoMAA In Pictures

The 2012 Uptown Arts Stroll Closing Reception @ Arka Lounge

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The Best of the Boogie Down: The Kingsbridge National Ice Center (KNIC)

admin — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:17:01 +0000

Does the Kingsbridge National Ice Center (KNIC) represent the dawn of a new era in the Bronx?

The Best of the Boogie Down: Artist Spotlight – Sofia Rodriguez

One of the biggest complaint most Bronxites express is that we’re not a tourist attraction. Yes, we have The Bronx Zoo and there’s a tour of the South Bronx – but what other things are we noted for? Good thing Mayor Bloomberg understands our long and hard battle for the dollars and attention of public officials to make the necessary strides all the way uptown! Earlier this week, officials decided to move forward with plans to remodel the Kingsbridge Armory into the world’s largest indoor skating rink. After close to a decade of discussions on the future of the armory, Borough President, Ruben Diaz Jr., finally won his longstanding battle of transforming the armory.

Photo: Edward Reed

The center will be known as the Kingsbridge National Ice Center (KNIC) and will “boast nine ice rinks, create 900 construction jobs and more than 260 permanent positions paying a living wage” according to the New York Daily News. While construction on the $310 million plan begins next year, plans have sparked some concerns from local residents. Carolyn Rodriguez, resident of the Norwood section of the Bronx expressed, “I’d like to think the skating rink would bring a vibrant atmosphere to the Armory, but how good will security be when fights start to break out at such a large attraction?” Similarly, Grand Concourse resident, Oscar Somarriba, was not impressed by the announcement of KNIC. Somarriba explains, “the new skating rink will attract a lot people to the neighborhood. It will hopefully promote growth in small business; however, my apprehension lies on whether or not the skating rink will be subject to the same fate as Skate Key.”

The infamous Skate Key was closed in 2006 due to incessant violence and drug sales in the surrounding area. A once notable attraction for tourists looking to venture uptown gradually became a place that even residents would avoid. When speaking with Somarriba, he suggested that the KNIC should have restrictions to alleviate these issues for the future opening. “The center should have age restrictions – after 10pm, visitors should be carded, prices should be competitive to that of Manhattan sports centers and skating rinks and there should also be facilities where people can sit, drink, lounge, and have a good time.”

According to city officials, construction is slated to begin early next year for KNIC. The plans also include a state-of-the-art facility for first-class sports that generate more attention to the borough and provide a place for athletes to train. Will the KNIC be the start of new era of progress that the borough has been looking for? Do residents even want this evolution to happen? Rodriguez stated, “I think it’s good for us to finally advance, but I hope it’s for the better and people like me or my family don’t get pushed out of their apartments because of rent skyrocketing and costs of living getting so high that we can no longer afford living in a place that we’ve been living in for decades.”

Find out more about Bronx contributor, Jenni Ruiza, at http://www.jenniruiza.com/. Follow her on Twitter @RuizaJenni.

The Best of the Boogie Down: Artist Spotlight – Hezues R

The Best of the Boogie Down: Artist Spotlight – Christopher Estrada

The Best of the Boogie Down: The Bronx Documentary Center

The Best of the Boogie Down: Artist Spotlight – Jesenia

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Cloud9yne Presents: Uptown’s Finest Vol. 2

admin — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:34:05 +0000

Download Mixtape | Free Mixtapes Powered by DatPiff.com

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Intrigue, Espionage, North Korea… Uptown?

admin — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:49:12 +0000

Chances are that when you think of a Stalinist, bat-shit crazy, police state, North Korea is the first name that comes to mind. Well guess what, our very own Inwood was at the heart of an espionage episode with global implications. Earlier this month, Talking Points Memo, reported on the mysterious South Korean national, Il Woo Park, who resides in Inwood and is the sole registered agent in the United States for the North Korean government. To make matters stranger, Mr. Park “was once convicted of lying to FBI agents in a mysterious case that involved spies and officials on both sides of the Korean Peninsula.”

Get this: While Park ran Korea Pyongyang Trading U.S.A, which has extensive connections to the North Korean government, out of his apartment in Inwood, he also had dealings with a network of spies from North Korea’s sworn enemy, South Korea. What makes this more interesting is that even after he was exposed as working with South Korea, he was allowed back into North Korea. People disappear in North Korea for much less. The plot is sure to thicken…

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Uptown Video: Eurythmic Q Doing His Thing…

admin — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 20:07:02 +0000

The Ford Mustang: Celebrating 50 Years of Automotive Excellence

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Major expansion of business improvement districts is planned for northern Manhattan | NY Daily News

admin — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:14:33 +0000

By Douglas Feiden / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Street scene along Dyckman Ave. in Inwood, where a new Business Improvement District is being planned to provide services to businesses from Nagle Ave. to Riverside Dr. (Photo: Mariela Lombard | NY Daily News)

A major expansion of business improvement districts — the self-taxing, public-private partnerships that provide services for retail districts across the city — is about to take place in northern Manhattan, the Daily News has learned.

One new BID is being developed along a booming, 12-block stretch of Dyckman St. in Inwood, according to officials involved in the planning.

Another is taking shape on the dense, 20-block Broadway corridor in the southern part of Washington Heights.

And the existing Washington Heights BID, now centered on the commercial area of W. 181st St., is also being expanded to take in a troubled, 10-block swath along St. Nicholas Ave., BID brass disclosed.

City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, who represents Inwood and the Heights, recently strolled the expansion zone on St. Nicholas between 183rd and 193rd Sts. — and found 30 vacant storefronts where small businesses had closed shop in the past couple of months.

“Every day, we’re losing another small mom-and-pop in northern Manhattan,” he said. “The new and expanded BIDS will clean their streets, advocate for them, help to market their businesses — and make it easier for them to survive.”

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Picture of the Week

admin — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 18:21:01 +0000

Photography by Paul Lomax (@PaulLomaxPhoto)

The 2012 Uptown Arts Stroll Closing Reception @ Arka Lounge – The Recap

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New Music: Dubwork – Pinot Grigio

admin — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 18:00:02 +0000

Park Portfolio – Inwood Hill Park

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‘Law & Order’ Set in Inwood Hill Park Brings Flashbacks of Sarah Fox Murder | DNAinfo

admin — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 17:25:45 +0000

By Nigel Chiwaya, DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

Actors in Inwood Hill Park during a filming of "Law & Order: SVU" on April 23, 2013. (Photo: Nigel Chiwaya | DNAinfo)

INWOOD — A “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” filming brought back unpleasant memories of one of New York’s most heart-wrenching unsolved crimes Tuesday.

The crew of the NBC show shot a scene of involving the discovery of a woman’s body in Inwood Hill Park, the site of the 2004 murder of Juilliard School of Music student Sarah Fox.

In the scene, the fictional victim was found on a boat behind the park’s Nature Center, a crew member told DNAinfo.com New York, adding that the script included the details that the fictional woman had been raped and beaten prior to her death.

Park-goers watched the fictional crime scene with interest, as actors dressed as police officers waded through water and an ambulance drove out of the park several times.

A Trek Through the Timeless Treasure that is Inwood Hill Park

Uptown Gem – Inwood Hill Park

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Pics From the People: A Stunning View of the GWB

admin — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 19:21:00 +0000

Stunning view of the GWB - “That moment just before Sunrise...” by Alhaji Samura (@kemzo) http://t.co/w3RziRDk0I

April 21, 2013 6:55 am via Tweet Button ReplyRetweetFavorite

@JBWPhoto

Jay Wilson

Check out:

The George Washington Bridge Turns 81

Pics From the People: #TheLatinoVote

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Ydanis Speaks – The 2013 State of Northern Manhattan Address: The Future of Northern Manhattan

admin — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 19:11:47 +0000

Photo: Eduardo Hoepelman

What follows is the full 2013 State of Northern Manhattan Address by Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez.

Good Afternoon, how are we doing today?

A big thank you to our Borough President Scott Stringer Rt that great introduction!

Before we begin, I would like to ask everyone to please stand for a moment of silence for the victims of the tragedies that took place in Texas and Boston this past week.

Thank you all for being here today! Let’s give our artists another round of applause. Our community is blessed to have such great talent.

I would like to begin by thanking President Richard Joel, of Yeshiva University for allowing us to use this beautiful space.

I also want to thank all my partners in government, the elected officials, and my staff and the staff of the offices of Senator Espaillat and Assemblywoman Rosa, who work hard every day to make our community better and to our volunteers and interns that have dedicated their time to support our work. Most especially, I would like to thank my family: my parents, Lidia and Ydanis, and my wonderful life partner Cristina and our daughters Yarisa and Ysla, who not only put up with me but make me a better man and council member every day. Thank you all!

In 1613, Juan Rodriguez became the first non-indigenous immigrant to settle here in, NYC. Juan Rodriguez’s journey was the first of millions of people looking to create a better life for themselves and their families. In 2013, we can all say that we are related to someone like Juan.

Personally I am still trying to figure out if Juan is my long lost uncle.

Juan Rodriguez journey shows how similar we are and how we have all taken our own paths to end up in Northern Manhattan, a community built by immigrants of many ethnicities.
Today we are here to discuss The State of Northern Manhattan, and I can tell you, it looks very promising. You can see this in the faces of our residents, in our local businesses and even on National TV, with the cast of MTV’s Washington Heights showing pride in their community across the country. They are here today and let’s applaud them for having kept their show positive.

In our neighborhoods, we are witnessing new investments, new infrastructures, projects and businesses, strengthening the bonds that give meaning to the word “community”. The work of our community-based organizations is visible providing quality services and creating hundreds of jobs that will make a difference in our communities for decades to come.

Northern Manhattan will be one united council district; from river to river. The accomplishments of the past year are not the work of one but the result of many. Whether it be:

Bringing new state of the art buildings to the Community Health Academy of the Heights, Alianza Dominicana and the Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation;
Renovating J. Hood Wright Park and Playground;
Rallying to ensure funding was restored to our daycare centers and head start programs;
Raising our voices loud to support the DREAM Act; Fight gun violence; and decry domestic abuse;
Developing the United Palace Cathedral into a cultural hub in Washington Heights;Or advocating for more funding for our schools, libraries and after school programs;

Community Based Organizations, elected officials, small business owners and neighborhood residents, have all contributed to making Northern Manhattan one of the best places to live in New York City.

Regardless of the nature of the future and present challenges, we know that when we work together, we can look forward to and be proud of what the outcome will be—because our culturally diverse community is united and strong.

Today, I will be sharing our vision for the future of Northern Manhattan, one that we can all be a part of. But I want to be clear; this is the vision of our team, Senator Adriano Espaillat and Assembly Member Gabriela Rosa. And of course, this team will always be open and flexible to work with the complete universe of other elected officials representing Northern Manhattan.

Over the past 4 years as your Council Member, I have found that we share many similar ideas and values. We can all agree that everyone deserves:
A Quality education,
A suitable and affordable place to live;
A well paying job
A clean and vibrant community,
Equal rights in the workplace
And our right as residents to have a voice in matters of our community and beyond.
In 2007, when Mayor Bloomberg released his report, Plan NYC, to visualize what our city would look like in the year 2030, our community’s greatest needs were left out. With the help of Senator Espaillat, Assembly Member Rosa, other elected officials, academics, the business sector and community leaders like George Fernandez, chair of Community Board 12, we have started the process of putting together ideas for our own, Northern Manhattan, 2030 plan!

Allow me to go over some elements that will appear in the blueprint.
To start, education in District 6 must improve. Not all of our students are receiving the quality education that we expect as parents. To close this gap, we must build a pre-k to college pipeline and this begins, with early childhood education.

Studies have shown that children who receive education early in life are more likely to,
Perform better during their educational career,
Have higher income levels and
Rely less on government services later in life.

A substantial investment in early childhood education will cut our city’s costs in the future. Yet, our city continues to try to cut these programs instead. Last year, my colleagues and I, with the help of Speaker Quinn, were able to save a daycare center that has served our community for 40 years, the Washington Heights Childcare Center.

But clearly, we need more! This is why I support the Committee for Hispanic Children and Families in their work training staff at childcare centers to provide the best early childhood education possible. We need every child in our community to have a seat in a full day early childhood education program!

Next, we must ensure that our elementary schools are given the support they need. We faced this problem at Juan Pablo Duarte, a school that has struggled in recent years, and where the Department of Education initiated steps towards closure. However, through the leadership of Northern Manhattan’s elected officials and parent activism, PS 132 was saved. A new dual-language school will be sharing its space, one designed to assist students of all ethnicities in learning a new language. With the opening of this school, Castle Bridge and Kipp NYC, and our support of all schools in our district, new options for parents and students further our goal of seeing every student in this community provided with a quality education.

To overcome budget cuts in arts and music programs, I allocated $200,000 in funding to local cultural institutions over the past two years, to put them where they can help most, in the classrooms. Now, the Center for Arts Education at P.S. 5, and Midori and Friends at P.S. 4 are ensuring children still receive creative arts education; and at the Washington Heights Academy in P.S. 366, Children’s Arts and Science Workshops is teaching our kids about playwriting in after school programs, building the confidence, creativity and character that will resonate later in life.

To help our children get into specialized high schools, I along with Columbia University have been a supporter of the Science Schools Initiative Program. In their 2012 class, over 65% of their Northern Manhattan students were admitted to a specialized high school; and for those that did not, they are now attending some of our city’s top high schools. Their class of 2013 is here with us today, let’s recognize them.
This is a great program, that is why I’m doubling my funding to them this year so that they can keep expanding their valuable services.

We want those top schools to be here in Northern Manhattan and that is why I am working hard with the principals of all our high schools to ensure they have the resources necessary to achieve this goal. This year I have allocated a total of 5.1 million dollars in capital funding to all schools that made a request, to ensure that they can be successful as they strive for student achievement.

While, I have a special place in my heart for Gregorio Luperon, where I taught with its principal Juan Villar and other colleagues before being elected, I have dedicated time over the past year to the George Washington Campus.

We are privileged to have one of the most beautiful school buildings in New York City; but in recent years, this campus has faced a number of hardships. Now, through the leadership of great principals, there has been a slow but consistent transformation. Mr. Sloman is using his creativity to encourage achievement through educational incentives like trips to Pennsylvania and Broadway shows. Mr. Politis floor brings stimulating programming to students related to Law and Public Service. We have been in discussions with the DOE to build on these programs. When schools—such as Health Careers and Sciences led by Mr. Trejo or Media and Communications by Ms. Michelen—focus on a particular specialty, they should find trusted partnerships with Columbia Presbyterian, or with television and music studios, to fully immerse their students in interesting curriculum. This is the future not only of George Washington but of all high schools in Northern Manhattan. We must create an environment where students are engaged in what they study so that they arrive at school every morning excited to learn.

To continue my commitment to George Washington and the surrounding community, I am still working hard to renovate the indoor swimming pool!

When it comes to higher education, we have a serious problem in our city. Our students have not been prepared for college. Currently, only 26% of students starting high school will be prepared for their freshman year in college. This number falls to 13% for Black and Latino students. Right now only 1 out of every 4 students in community college will earn their degree within 6 years. We cannot allow it to happen! I have been working with a number of partners like City Comptroller John Liu, to address where the greatest roadblocks lie and find ways to push through them. When students face struggles early in their college careers, they are more likely to give up and choose another route.

This is why I have worked to:
ensure budget stability for community colleges,
incentivize increased diversity in the enrollment of not only CUNY students but of its faculty and administration as well,
and have aimed to keep CUNY institutes such as: the Dominican Studies, the Puerto Rican Studies, and the Black Male Initiative fully funded.

This year, I will also work with CUNY, Columbia, Efe America, Bank Street College, Sloan-Kettering Hospital, Pace University, the business sector and one of my former students, Noquel Matos, now in Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, to hold the first of many summits on college readiness; to discuss strategies, policy and programming designed to better prepare our students for college. This will be a vehicle to share the best practices around the city, putting our community and New York on the map as the college readiness capitol of the country.

We also worked to bring CUNY in the Heights to a new building at 5030 Broadway in Inwood. This building now provides a state of the art facility for Hostos and Borough of Manhattan Community College students looking to take credits to get ahead in their degree programs, and many services available to the Northern Manhattan community, including a robotics program for kids starting in September. A big thank you to Aldrin Bonilla for your great work!
I am proud to announce, that CUNY has agreed to continue expanding its CUNY in the Heights campus providing hundreds more students the opportunity to learn, explore and prepare themselves for a professional career.

We cannot stop there. In 2010 almost 65,000 people between the ages 18 through 35 lived in Northern Manhattan. Close to 50% of that group, have a high school diploma but are not attending college. We need to enroll them in an institution of higher learning. We must do this so that we can add this group to the new middle class of Northern Manhattan. This number and other factors justify the need to build a new CUNY campus, right here in our community! I envision a campus that focuses on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math—the STEM fields—as well as a musical engineering program, to prepare our young people for the jobs of the future.
Along with education, my other top priority is affordable housing. As we all know, too many of our residents and businesses are being forced out of the neighborhood with rising rents. I am still struck by the census numbers showing that over 18,000 of our former residents have moved away. If we want to retain our dynamic community, we must find solutions to the affordable housing crisis. I have worked with a coalition of a number of local community organizations to identify several locations around the district where affordable housing can be built. This Wednesday, April 24th, we will hold a major rally to call for true affordable housing in Northern Manhattan!

Part of the struggle for affordable housing also lies in fighting negligent slum lords, something I have worked on with Public Advocate Bill DeBlasio in our community. We stood together to denounce the 200 worst slumlords in New York City, many of whom own buildings here.

More recently, I stood with tenants from 183rd street—led by Miriam Ribera—whose landlord had cut off their utilities, literally leaving them in the dark and cold during the depths of winter. Miriam and the tenants could have given up and moved away, but instead they chose to organize and stand up for their rights! With the help of my office, other elected officials, the SRO Law Project and HPD Commissioner of Code Enforcement, Vito Mustachiuolo, the services were restored to all 3 buildings. The tenants have taken their notorious slumlord Hugo Eduardo Juarez to court and I will continue to stand with them this Thursday as they seek justice.
To truly solve this affordable housing crisis, it is time we let our next Mayor, one of whom is sitting with us today know that we expect at least 10,000 new units of REAL affordable housing in our community. This can happen with a committed investment here. Through the rezoning of Sherman Creek and the transformation of the 207th Street rail yards into affordable housing; retail and community space; and an early childhood education center, we can secure Northern Manhattan’s future!

A big part of keeping tenants in their homes with rising rents is making sure our community has a wide pool of quality jobs.

Recently, when walking through the district on St. Nicholas Avenue, I passed a number of vacant storefronts between 183rd and 193rd streets. But with the new expansion of the Washington Heights Business Improvement District—through the work of Angelina Ramirez and my partners in government—we expect to see businesses opening with the full support of the BID and the community behind them.

Just last month, with our support, the Washington Heights BID launched a new marketing campaign to increase its presence as a hub in Northern Manhattan. The Explora Initiative will attract shoppers and restaurant goers from across the city to 181st Street and the surrounding area, boosting our economy and showing off all that our beautiful community has to offer.

Now, I am working with the department of Small Business Services to create two new Business Improvement Districts in Inwood and Washington Heights. On Dyckman Street with the help of Ariel Ferreira; and on Broadway between 159th and 179th streets with Community League of the Heights. This means more support for our local businesses, cleaner streets, summer festivals, promotional events and best of all, more jobs.

I thank all of the business owners who have dedicated themselves to this community, our great taxi base owners and people like Dr. Eduardo Pignanelli of the Amsterdam Medical Center. This past March, Dr. Pignanelli donated 200 copies of Junot Diaz’s books and invited the Pulitzer Prize winner to sign and give away the books himself. It is this dedication from our small business owners that makes me proud to live in Northern Manhattan.

And to ensure our neighborhood does not lose businesses that have roots in our community, I will be submitting a new bill to the City Council to provide incentives to landlords who offer favorable lease renewals to existing businesses. This bill, the Community Business Stability Act, will ensure our mom and pop shops are not forced out of the neighborhood by high rents.

Two new projects ready for groundbreakings are the opening of a new hotel and the renovation of the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal. The hotel, located on 168th Street between Amsterdam and Audubon, will be a great job producer in Washington Heights. And we have received a commitment from the developer and the Port Authority that prospective businesses will hire locally.

Every day, Northern Manhattan is becoming a better place to start a new business. But with every new business, we must place a premium on respect for and awareness of the immediate surroundings. Our residents must be considered, particularly when a restaurant or bar opens in a residential area. We must strive to find the right balance. I encourage residents and business owners to work together to ensure concerns are addressed and businesses are supported. This will keep our community both respectful and productive for all.

Making our community more attractive to businesses starts with keeping it beautiful. While Business Improvement Districts may tackle this challenge in their immediate areas, it falls on us as the residents of these neighborhoods to keep our streets, sidewalks and parks clean. Over the past 2 years, my office has held several events to educate our young people about maintaining a healthy, and clean community. My daughter and I joined them in picking up trash from our streets, getting our hands dirty, for the sake of a more beautiful environment for all. I started this initiative as a teacher at Luperon HS and today, two of our great partners in this effort are youngsters from Fresh Youth Initiatives and Centro Altagracia de Justicia y Fe. Getting kids engaged in public service teaches values of respect and community, that can last a lifetime.

We will continue to make the clean streets initiative a priority in the future; holding cleaning days throughout the summer with local organizations.

But ensuring our health does not stop there. When obesity rates in Northern Manhattan are higher than anywhere else in the borough, we are setting ourselves and our children up for a painful and expensive future. To stop these problems before they start, my office has worked hard to expand the number of sports programs offered to children, such as the Inwood Little League, Jaybies Sports League and the Officer Buczek Little League. And I am happy to say that through a growing partnership with the Armory, our community will have an opportunity to use a world- class track and field facility right here in Washington Heights.

I must thank Dr. Sanders of the Armory and the New York Road Runners for opening their doors to our community. I can also announce that this year the Armory will be hosting a celebrity basketball game for charity sponsored by univision radio, with the proceeds to be directed to educational programs. Also at the Armory, for the second year in a row, through coordination with Senator Espaillat and Assembly Member Rosa, the Uptown Games were a huge success. Over 1,000 students from our local schools participated this year and next year we are working to get every school in the district to participate.

We must also take note of our eating habits and those of our children. I encourage everyone, especially our youth, to make conscious decisions when choosing what to eat and drink. The overconsumption of unhealthy choices can lead to dangerous conditions like diabetes and heart failure. We will be looking to partner with Columbia University, CUNY, DOE, Columbia Presbyterian Hospital and our CBOs to promote healthy lifestyles and nutritional education. Additionally, through council funding, programs such as Community Visions Council are working to open more farmers markets, where residents can buy fresh and inexpensive produce. It is about the future of our community, we must sustain healthier lifestyles to ensure we live longer and maintain our quality of life as seniors.

Speaking of our beloved seniors, during my time in office, I have worked hard to see that our senior centers provide the best service possible. This past year, we helped ARC Fort Washington to implement a new transportation system for homebound seniors to keep them engaged in many services available in the community. For our seniors and disabled communities, the Dyckman Street 1 train station will soon be wheelchair accessible. And I will continue to push for elevators at the 181st station and especially at the 168th station for wheelchair-bound hospital patients to have easier access to transportation.
Something we are very proud of, coming soon, is the new cultural center at the Alianza Dominicana Triangle Building. This building, administered by Catholic Charities, will house the Washington Heights Community School of the Arts, People’s Theatre Project, Teatro Stage Fest, and others, bringing a central site for our wonderful cultural programming and giving local artists another forum to show their great work. The Alianza building will remain a shining example of cultural pride in our community. Along with the Betty Shabazz Malcom X Center, the Morris Jumel Mansion, the Community League of the Heights, and Gregorio Luperon, we will make 165th street a cultural place where we can attract tourism.

In Marble Hill, I have been in discussions with developers of the River Plaza shopping center about an expansion of the property that should offer more jobs to our community as well as more space for local businesses to rent and increase the support to community groups. The Marble Hill community is also anxiously waiting for the co-naming of Broadway between 225th and 228th streets as Ted Corbitt Way in honor of the great Olympic long distance star, first president of New York Road Runners and former resident of the Marble Hill Houses.

Next month, in honor of Juan Rodriguez, we will be holding a day of celebration with CUNY’s Dominican Studies Institute and Harlem and the Heights Historical Society, to mark the 400-year anniversary of our beautiful city of immigrants. To commemorate this great figure, we will be renaming a stretch of Broadway from 159th Street to 218th Street, Juan Rodriguez Way. I want to thank Speaker Quinn and my colleagues at the council for helping us make this a reality.
With the support of the NYC Economic Development Corporation we will revive the Sherman Creek project so that our waterfront looks like that of Battery Park, with playgrounds and walkways, gardens and recreational facilities.

In our beautiful parks, many damaged by Hurricane Sandy, we will re-plant hundreds of trees to protect our air quality and environment, hoping to work in partnership with the NY Restoration Project. And we remain committed to keeping our parks safe. This means more foot patrols, better enforcement and brighter lights at night so that everyone can feel comfortable enjoying the treasures of Northern Manhattan.

Although I believe that One Police Plaza should make major reforms on its stop and frisk policies, I support our inspectors and the police officers they work with to keep our community safe.

Last year, I stood on the stage of the George Washington campus to deliver this address, and this is very fitting, as not only has George Washington come a long way since then, but together, as a community, we have progressed as well.

I truly believe that a community united can produce amazing results, and through strong community empowerment, that is what I expect to see in the coming years!

As we bridge the gaps between old lines and build connections between neighborhoods,
we will see our children learn and grow to become our future leaders;
we will boost our economy so that it is sustainable,
we will ensure homes are affordable so that residents can live comfortably;
we will maintain the beauty of our parks and streets
and we will stand united to make our community great for our generations to come!

Thank you so much for your support and God bless you all!

Uptown 2011 Movers & Shakers: Ydanis Rodriguez – A Man of the People

Introducing Ydanis Speaks

Ydanis Speaks: The Importance of Diversity in Higher Education Leadership

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Who Lives There – A Face in the Crowd | NY Times

admin — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:27:24 +0000

By STEVEN KURUTZ

Published: August 13, 2008

The home has a breathtaking panorama that looks across the river to the Palisades and sweeps grandly from the George Washington Bridge, pictured, up to the Tappan Zee. (Photo: Piotr Redlinski | The NY Times)

WHEN a building is perched atop a ridge that happens to be the highest natural point in Manhattan, cantilevered over a cliff like one of those engineering marvels that are affixed to California hillsides, it tends to attract attention. In the case of a three-story brick house just north of the George Washington Bridge, it has been given its own nickname: the Pumpkin House.

The name refers to the image created by the house’s lighted windows. “I would see the house and think, good god, it does look like a big pumpkin,” said John Keatts, a tour guide for Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises, whose boat trips on the Hudson River offer the best view of the house, at the corner of 186th Street and Chittenden Avenue. At certain hours, especially at sunset, the sun casts an orange glow on the windows: two on top, a center pane and a wide window on the bottom.

At certain hours, especially at sunset, the sun casts an orange glow on the house, making it look more like a pumpkin. (Photo: Piotr Redlinski for The New York Times)

The home's owner, William Spink, an interior designer. (Photo: Piotr Redlinski | The New York Times)

A glass painting on a door depicts the Pumpkin House and the bridge behind it. (Photo: Piotr Redlinski | The NY Times)

The living room mixes old (the paneling, fireplace and painting above it, by John Linton Chapman, are original to the house) and new (a Warhol serigraph of Marilyn Monroe). (Photo: Piotr Redlinski | The NY Times)

The three-story Pumpkin House rests on a Manhattan cliff just north of the George Washington Bridge. Its nickname comes from the jack-o'-lantern face that it shows to those on or across the Hudson River. (Photo: Joyce Dopkeen | The NY Times)

Check out: Uptown Real Estate: The Pumpkin House Is On The Market

Check out the video below of the Pumpkin House courtesy of HGTV.

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Latinas Celebrate Their Womanhood In Washington Heights

admin — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 20:25:52 +0000

BY Claudia De La Cruz

Photography by Art By Dj Boy (@ArtByDjBoy)

It is said in an ancient proverb that “when women gather ‘around the bonfire’ ideas are born, magic grows, wood is burnt, wood becomes hot, they rejoice, celebrate, heal, readjust, invent, create, put things together, pull things apart, burry, give birth …” This was the case at the 1^st Latina Women Encounter in New York City held on Saturday, March 30^th at Gregorio Luperón High School in Washington Heights. This gathering or Encuentro presented by Da Urban Butterflies Youth Leadership Development Project and Casa Verde Camila, brought together over 200 Latina women from different New York City communities, ages and experiences.

This 1^st Latina Women’s Encounter was filled with energy and creativity in celebration of womanhood and Afro-Indigenous cultures. The space was created with a deep commitment of connecting with our roots- las raíces- and with each other. An amazing opening ceremony was conducted by Mexican sisters and healers, Elvira and Hortencia, acknowledging and thanking the power of the 4 elements of nature- water, fire, earth and air. After the space was blessed by the call to our ancestors, women and children walked around the school’s second floor to attend a numerous of workshops. These workshops were offered to deepen the participant’s knowledge and understanding of ”los que-haceres expresivos de la mujer” (the expressive doings of women). Some of these workshops included healing techniques, drawing, painting, jewelry making, knitting and theater amongst others.

During the afternoon, community members visited the vendor’s market and exhibit hall, where they could purchase books, jewelry, clothes, cup cakes and access information on community services offered by different organizations. Participants were also able to acknowledge themselves at the photo booth of self-recognition. Women, men and children lined up to have their pictures taken with inspirational messages they wrote: “I am – because of my grandmother and my mother” “The world trembles at the site of women’s power” and “Use your inner power!”

To consolidate the different ideas and practices that gave birth to this Encuentro, the panel ”Deepening our womanhood through actions” served as a platform for women doing work in the fields of spirituality, reproductive health/justice, immigrant rights, labor rights and gender equality to share their stories, engage the audience and inspire other women to get involved in making positive changes in their lives and their communities.

The Encuentro was a wonderful example of the Latina women community that is intergenerational, powerful, creative, talented, beautiful and proud. The fashion exhibit “Raíces“ (Roots) was a showcase of women’s apparel from different native communities from Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia, Africa an the Middle East. A mixture of the original pieces and collected items of Milagros Batista (Dominican) and Nieves Ayress (Chile)- long time community leaders, human rights activist and cultural workers. The Encuentro ended with the amazing music of the Legacy Women, Afro-Caribbean rhythms that had the crowded exhibit hall dancing to the beat of the drums.

This annual gathering, in its initial stage, was an amazing event, with an amazing turnout, with amazing women and men who dream and work towards the construction of a more equitable society. The potential of this Encuentro is immeasurable, and its promise of continuing to create a space for women to build solidarity, sisterhood, and showcase and strengthen their skills as they claim their power is invaluable. The plans for the 2^nd Latina Women Encounter in NYC in 2014 has began, and the Washington Heights community will continue to be the host.

For more information feel free to contact daurbanbutterlfies@gmail.com or casaverdecamila@gmail.com

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Uptown Arts: People’s Theatre Project & Word Up Books Present This Is Us

admin — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 19:29:02 +0000

For more: http://peoplestheatreproject.org/

Check out:

Uptown 2011 Movers & Shakers: Mino Lora and Bob Braswell

People’s Theatre Project Wins Prestigous Union Sqaure Award

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Monday Mood Music: Dominante – I Got You

admin — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 18:55:56 +0000

Check out: Dominante’s Merengue Mélange: New School Flavor Rooted in the Sounds of the Past

Dominicanese 101: A Primer on the Lingua Franca of the Dominican Republic & its Diaspora

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Uptown Social Gives Inwood Sports Fans a New Place to Catch The Game | DNAinfo

admin — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 16:38:34 +0000

By Nigel Chiwaya, DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

INWOOD — Just in time for the NBA playoffs, uptowners have a new place to catch the big game.

Uptown Social, a new Inwood sports bar and gastropub with 15 high-definition TVs, opened its doors at 186 Dyckman St. last week.

The sports bar aims to be the place for sports nuts, featuring a matrix of nine televisions behind the bar that can be combined to create a Voltron of sports screens.

Bar owners Alex Ramos and Yamil Martinez said that they have long wanted to open a sports bar in Inwood.

“I just wanted to bring something new to the neighborhood,” said Ramos, 31, who grew up on 172nd Street in Washington Heights.

Check out:

Open For Business: Uptown Social

Kid Glory @ Uptown Social In Pictures

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The Uptown Tweet of the Week

admin — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 19:21:40 +0000

Presenting the Uptown Tweet of the Week, our pick that represents the good, the bad, and the lovely in this week’s UC Twitterverse…

taking some of this #springtime to snowy #colorado. #inwood #uptownnyc @ Isham Park http://t.co/YNG8lTCBji

April 17, 2013 2:05 am via Instagram ReplyRetweetFavorite

@amysims

amy

Check out: I Hate My North Face: An Ode To Spring

July 4th in the Heights – The Recap

The Uptown Tweet of the Week – Hot As Balls

Summer in the Heights

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The Best of the Boogie Down: Event Spotlight – GooFFellas 4/20

admin — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 17:29:10 +0000

The Best of the Boogie Down: Artist Spotlight – Sofia Rodriguez

Think of comedy in New York City – what’s the first borough that comes to mind? Automatically, Manhattan, right? It’s the stomping grounds for the most famous comedy clubs in the city – Caroline’s, Broadway Comedy Club, Comedy Cellar, just to name a few. Comedians can more recently be found in the Boogie Down making it a new home for making funnies. The funny (no pun intended) thing is that when you search for comedy clubs in the Bronx – you’re not that successful. So, then where does one go? Restaurants, lounges, bars, and even colleges in the Bronx are sponsoring nights of comedy for stand-ups looking to venture Uptown.

A few weeks back I went to support a few fellow comedians at Escape 123 Lounge and had a chance to catch up with Roman Suarez (@FunnyLatino) about his thoughts on comedy in the Bronx. Suarez, a comedian working the stage for 3 years introduced me to a group of Latinos doing their thing called “GoofFellas”. Suarez introduces the group as, “a collective society of stand up comedians and performers. Our central focus is to offer our bi-cultural humor to an audience that we know for sure is under served and that is the acculturated Bi-lingual Latino.” Suarez continued, “picture us to be your class clowns converging upbringing and work or educational experiences onstage which reflect our cultural fears and misleadings, driven into expressions of hilarity and joy.” It doesn’t get much better than that right? The GoofFellas are made up of Suarez, Tommy Pena, Cypress Nievez, Jose Candalerio, Juan River, and Christina Galston. So, how did this hilarious collective form?

“We formed through mutual respect and appreciation for one another’s comedic methodology. We meet weekly to share our tribulations and mock one another’s strife through humor and offer one another inspiration which is channeled on stage during our shows. To put it short, we point and laugh then help cope with our individual dilemmas to direct our funny to be funnier. We are in writing sessions to develop a FRESH approach on bringing laughter to the screen. As vast as we are in career paths and dissimilar in ethnicity we realized that FUNNY Conclusions are as infinite as numbers AND our GOAL is to deliver that on screen in the very near future.”

With comedians like those in GoofFellas, and some other amazingly hilarious comedic talents around the borough, the Boogie Down is destined to become a premiere avenue for performing stand up. Suarez has been performing here since the start of his standup career sharing, “I’ve performed in over a dozen Bronx stages as well as colleges. My home borough has been my launchpad, my comedic cradle so to speak. And as for my role as a producer for LOLNYC, my focus is strictly on The Bronx, Spanish Harlem & Uptown Manhattan until further notice.” The curiosity lies specifically with our borough being seen as unequivocal to the opportunities Manhattan offers. “What’s unfortunate is when people are skeptical of the QUALITY of a show when it’s being presented in boroughs outside of Manhattan or doubt the talent of a comedian because their act is UNKNOWN. There is this breadth that if a comedian hasn’t been on TV or the show isn’t on Broadway or in Manhattan the production is lacking an UMPH. When in reality each comedian on board has agreed that it is important to showcase our skills in our home boroughs at a lower cost, combined with often times better amenities and less hassle than having to venture out to the city. While we also do our thing at the spaces most recognized for talented comedians we remain loyal to our neighborhoods and communities bringing the funny back home.”

Subsequently, the quality of not only comedy, but entertainment as a whole, has been gradually making its way upwards of 125th street. Think about the issue Suarez sheds light on. Have you been guilty of not showing up to what could be amazing, high-quality events or venues just because of where they are located? I’ll be honest – I USED to do the same thing; that is, until I started researching all about my home borough. I’d constantly ask, “What exactly does this borough have to offer?” And ignorantly so, I never bothered to venture out to places that were closer to me than the hour-and-some train rides (or costly cab rides) that it usually takes to go all the way downtown.

Are you liking what you’re hearing so far about GoofFellas and Roman Suarez? You’d be crazy to miss out on an event to see them at Raine Lounge (remember that name? They were one of my first articles) this weekend! Here’s a little of what you’re in store for, “on 4/20, we will present the funniest and most acclaimed Latino Comedians that will surely be gracing the screens on a larger scale very soon. We look forward to making every single patron ROAR OUT LOUD. From the ladies of GoofFellas, Christina Galston and Cypress Nievez you will hear what women know, think, feel and despise. As for the Fellas, it goes from family to dating and our challenges as men of trade by day and jesters by night,” Suarez anticipates. I’m in – so I hope you are, too.

The event on 4/20 is currently selling advanced tickets for $15 with drink specials all night, including bottles of Hennessy and Grey Goose at $75!

Purchase your tickets here: http://brownpapertickets.com/event/367893 or at the door.

Showtime begins at 7pm so make sure to get there early and secure your seats. I hope to see you this weekend!

Find out more about Bronx contributor, Jenni Ruiza, at http://www.jenniruiza.com/. Follow her on Twitter@RuizaJenni.

The Best of the Boogie Down: Artist Spotlight – Hezues R

The Best of the Boogie Down: Artist Spotlight – Christopher Estrada

The Best of the Boogie Down: The Bronx Documentary Center

The Best of the Boogie Down: Artist Spotlight – Jesenia

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New Music: J. McFly – The XX Intro

admin — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:28:19 +0000

Download Mixtape | Free Mixtapes Powered by DatPiff.com

Ydanis Speaks: Why Your Vote Matters

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The man with the 30-year plan | Manhattan Times

admin — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:34:17 +0000

But first, re-election for Councilmember Ydanis Rodríguez
Story and videos by Sherry Mazzocchi

Photo taken by Peter Hadak as part of Time Magazine's Protestor Portfolio.

This coming Sun., Apr. 21st, Councilmember Ydanis Rodríguez will give a State of Northern Manhattan address at 2:30 pm at Yeshiva University. The Manhattan Times spoke to Rodríguez ahead of the event.

Councilmember Rodríguez said education, economic development and housing are the key elements of a sweeping new plan he plans to unveil at his address.

“We have to move in a direction where northern Manhattan should have more economic development,” he said. “We will have a blueprint for the next 30 years.”

He said economic development is long overdue uptown and northern Manhattan has not received its share of major capital investments.

His plan, he said, examines how the area can claim its share.

When asked about the viability of a long-term plan when he is likely to be in office only a few years, he referred to Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s PlaNYC 2030.

“Our community is not included in the 2030 plan,” he said.

His proposals will be based on community feedback.

He plans on working with Community Board 12 and local community-based organizations to create a plan for all of northern Manhattan.

Check out: Uptown 2011 Movers & Shakers: Ydanis Rodriguez – A Man of the People

Introducing Ydanis Speaks

The Importance of Diversity in Higher Education Leadership

We invite you to subscribe to the Uptown Love newsletter, like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter, or e-mail us at UptownCollective@gmail.com.

New Music: Juan Bago & O – Dominican Problems

admin — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 17:52:35 +0000

Led Black: Un Pie Aqui y Uno Alla | Huffington Post

The Art of the Remake: 7 Questions with Juan Bago and O

Dominis in the Heights Video Premiere Party – The Recap

Quisqueya – Juan Bago & O ft. Minus P, Oveous, & Elmo Difoca

Behind the Scenes with Juan Bago & O

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In protest, with love | Manhattan Times

admin — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 14:59:19 +0000

Story and photos by Robin Elisabeth Kilmer

“It’s time for a change,” said Leydi Bautista, from Puebla, Mexico. (Photo: Robin Kilmer | Manhattan Times)

Love and action.

This past Wed., Apr. 10th was billed as a day devoted to both, as part of a nationwide wave of protest centered on immigration reform.

Hundreds of thousands of immigrant rights advocates gathered in Washington D.C. and all throughout the country to call on legislators to act on immigration reform.

In northern Manhattan, approximately 50 local residents, representatives of local non-profit and advocacy organizations and elected officials joined together at McKenna Square Park in solidarity.

Marino Morban, who immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic in 1996, was present.

“It is a key moment for immigration reform,” said Morban. “We have already spent many years waiting for this.”

Leydi Bautista, an immigrant from Puebla, Mexico, and a member of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, agreed.

“Most of my friends and family are undocumented,” she said. “It’s time for a change.”

UC Exclusive: Sacario – Open Letter 2.0

admin — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 20:00:48 +0000

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Picture of the Week

admin — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:46:06 +0000

Photography by @MDsane

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The Elixir Live: Eileen Z. Fuentes Will Be A Presenter At TEDMED On April 20

admin — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 15:16:01 +0000

Photo: Jay Franco | Faces of Hope

Brooklyn Free Clinic Presents TEDMED Live 2013

The Brooklyn Free Clinic

Saturday, April 20, 2013 from 10:00 AM to 6:30 PM (EDT)

That’s right folks, our very own Eileen Z. Fuentes will be a presenter at the TEDMED Conference on April 20, 2013, sponsored by the Brooklyn Free Clinic. This is a big deal! Her talk is titled, “With A Broken Healthcare System, Can Patients Take Charge of Their Own Health?”. Eileen is not just our wellness contributor but she is also a healthcare management professional and a breast cancer survivor.

You can learn more about Eileen Z. Fuentes here: http://thespeach.com/about/

FREE tickets are still available. Register here: http://bfctedmed2013-estw.eventbrite.com

Check out: http://thespeach.com/

Check out:

The Elixir: How I Knew I’d Meet Oprah!

Vibes: My Ode to Heavy D

The Elixir Recipes: Mangu 2.0

The Elixir: Letting Go of F.E.A.R.

The Elixir: Secrets of a Long Life – Arthur Gewirtz

The Elixir: Secrets of a Long Life – Don José

The Elixir: Secrets of a Long Life – Hilda Garcia

The Elixir: Secrets of a Long Life – Pilar De Jesus Gonzalez

The Elixir – It Takes A Village To Heal

The Elixir – Breast Cancer & Food Therapy

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Uptown Tonight: YBG X Sip N Shop @ Dyckman Bar

admin — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:33:16 +0000

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WHIN By Any Means Presents Artsy In Pictures

admin — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 20:17:14 +0000

Photography by Emil Baez (@_EBaez)

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WHIN By Any Means Presents Artsy: A First Look

admin — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 19:52:50 +0000

Photography by Mike The Law (@MikeTh3Law)

Daily Grind: Jason Minter & Indian Road Café

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Get Yours: Andy Mineo’s Heroes For Sale

admin — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:56:21 +0000

You may or may not have heard of Andy Mineo but this man is an incredibly talented emcee and has been tearing up stages across the country. His latest opus, Heroes For Sale, drops today and is available on iTunes as well as other outlets. The icing on the cake is that Andy is a Washington Heights representative. So without further ado, get to know the man and the music.

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Travel with Val: Tourism push encourages visitors to explore city’s hidden gems – YNN

admin — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 13:42:08 +0000

By: Valarie D’Elia

NEW YORK CITY — Inwood, the last stop on the A train at 207th Street, is the comely den for the Columbia Lions football stadium across from Inwood Hill Park, the unsung location of the big rock marking the spot where Manhattan was purchased for a song: $24 worth of beads.

“There’s such a story here, it’s linked to the beginning of the island, the bedrock of marble used to build St. Patrick’s Cathedral and other buildings in Manhattan and you have the trail itself that was Broadway,” says Robert Reid, U.S. Travel Editor for Lonely Planet.

Making a trip up to Inwood can include a pit stop at the comfy Indian Road Cafe during micro brew happy hour. As enjoyable as it is, the Inwood area is just a blip in Lonely Planet’s New York guidebook. The brief mentions, writers say, can yield touristic dividends.

A Trek Through the Timeless Treasure that is Inwood Hill Park

Park Portfolio – Inwood Hill Park

Uptown Gem – Inwood Hill Park

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Kid Glory @ Uptown Social In Pictures

admin — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 18:46:54 +0000

Photography by Mike The Law (@MikeTh3Law)

Check out the rest of the awesome pics here: http://mikethelaw.com/grand-opening-mic-night-at-uptown-social/

Check out: Open For Business: Uptown Social

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Ms Viva Voce On The Scene: Her-Story

admin — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 17:31:56 +0000

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Washington Heights Artist Weaves a Welcome to Mexico With New Exhibit | DNAinfo

admin — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 15:53:01 +0000

By Nigel Chiwaya, DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

Elizabeth Starcevic has spent 20 years weaving artwork in Mexico. (Photo: Nigel Chiwaya | DNAinfo)

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — A new exhibit at the office of City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez showcases two decades of artwork from a Washington Heights professor and activist.

Hecho En Mexico, which opened on Thursday, showcases 16 woven works by Elizabeth Starcevic, a former professor at City College of New York. The gallery’s title, which translates to “made in Mexico,” references the country where all of the pieces were created.

Starcevic, who taught Spanish at CCNY, learned to weave in San Miguel de Allende while on sabbatical in 1992 and returned to the city every year thereafter to continue working.

“It was a place that made sense to me,” said Starcevic, 70. “I would go every intercession and every summer.”

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Uptown Artist: Andrew Short

admin — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 20:52:15 +0000

FB: http://facebook.com/83markcollective

Q. First of all, congrats on the winning design. How does it feel to know that your design will now become ubiquitous?

A. We’ll I’m a little overwhelmed to be honest. I’ve never really won anything such as this before so it’s a little surreal. I’m extremely honored for my work to represent all of what living uptown is about. I guess it still has not hit me yet that I won, so I’m cool and collected on the outside but bursting with happiness on the inside these past few days.

Q. What is the thought process behind the design?

A. One of my favorite graphic designers is Paul Rand. He mentioned that a graphic designers value to a businessperson is that the designer can add a great deal of value to the product whatever that may be. I try and work with that mindset whenever I have a problem to solve. Simplicity in design is sometimes the hardest to achieve but when done correctly it can be extremely powerful. I’ve always tackled design as if it were a math problem. I need to get to that answer but in order to do so I first need to deconstruct what the actual problem is. Much like a math equation there are formulas and ways of getting to that numerical answer. I just do the same thing but visually and taking it apart in my head. When I am working on a logo or any sort of design I back up from the screen or paper and soften my vision – that way I can see what part of the design stands out. Also that is the part I want the observer to see first? There are so many ways of going about design this is just what best works for me of course.

Q. Tell us about your company 83 Mark Collective?

A. Well 83 Mark Collective is a creative outlet for me. 83 was the year I was born, Mark is my middle name. I had a brother who passed away at 3 years old so my mom made that my middle name, I kind of feel like I’m living for two people so I named the company after my brother. Collective is everyone that enjoys what I do and supports my creations. The brand is a way for me to show my artwork, thoughts and ideas via apparel.

Many of my friends and former colleagues loved the work I produced. I worked for an apparel company for 6 years and really enjoyed what I did there. A lot of my friends at the time had their own tee shirt lines so I decided to start my own and give it a shot. I wanted to be my own boss, and start making a living for myself instead of for others. Plus if people enjoyed what art I made that made everything worthwhile. I’ve had a bunch of fans from Europe, for me it was unfathomable at first that people would like my stuff all the way over there. As an expression of gratitude I’d try and do small things like small paintings or hand written notes to say thank you. Even selling at the Farmers Market I try and get to know something about everyone I meet there. It’s such a high for me to get to know people in the neighborhood.

Q. Your work is really clean and you employ typography in very unique way. Who are some of your artistic inspirations?

A. Well artistic inspirations…lets see, I have so many but honestly I’ve always been in love with antiques and typography on antiques. From old seltzer bottles to vintage wash wringers, old cigar labels the list goes on. I just felt that the typography on these items is so precise and clean, it definitely struck a chord with me and my design aesthetics. It seems this is definitely a trend right now with that vintage type look but me personally I have always really liked that style. Aside from that its a lot of time spent in clothing stores and on websites collecting hangtags, ads, and other designs to fill out binders worth of graphic inspiration. Like I mentioned above, Paul Rand was a huge inspiration for me, he was such a smart dude when it came to design and his work was so simplistic and effective. Also other designers like Shepard Fairey, Herb Lubalin and Saul Bass I really enjoy.

Q. Your designs are very Uptown-centric, why is that?

A. Wow that’s so great of you to say that. Well, I think as a designer I’m always observing things around me. Riding my bike all over Washington Heights and Inwood I’ve gotten to see some pretty amazing and shocking things. From people playing dominos on the sidewalk to the small empanada stands to other artists playing at local restaurants. All of this and more encompass what living up here is all about. There is certain energy up here that you can’t find anywhere else in Manhattan in my opinion. So I think I take that energy into the designs I produce.

Q. Any final thoughts?

A. I’m usually at the Inwood Farmers market on Saturday if anyone wants to, please come by and say hi. I’m always up for talking to people and thank you to everyone who supports what I do, to all my friends, family, and future friends thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Clothing line: 83markcollective.com

Instagram name: @83mark

Personal Design site: andrewshortdesign.com

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The Best of the Boogie Down: Artist Spotlight – Sofia Rodriguez

admin — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 20:17:13 +0000

The Best of the Boogie Down: Artist Spotlight – Hezues R

It won’t be long before the name, Sofia Rodriguez, becomes one mentioned in households all over the nation. Acting since she was a small child, Rodriguez has already made waves in multiple well-known projects both on stage (Platanos and Collard Greens) and in film (BQE, The Three Way). Most recently, Rodriguez is honing her comedic chops in the web TV show, “Becoming Ricardo”, where she plays the always-up-for-a-scheme Latina Ethel to Lucy (played by actress, Jesenia).

Rodriguez continues to captivate audiences with her spicy Latina flavor and her demure charm as a SAG actress soon to hit the silver screens with an upcoming role in the film, BQE, premiering this month at the Intar Theatre. Get to know Rodriguez as she discusses her acting career and thoughts on Latinas in the industry.

Q. What part of the Bronx are you from? 

A. I’ve always lived on the Grand Concourse. I was raised in Kingsbridge and the Grand Concourse. I live near Yankee Stadium now.

Q. How long have you been acting? When did you decide that was what you wanted to do as your career?

A. It’s hard for me to answer how long I’ve been acting, only because I can’t remember when I started. I would always play theater with my cousins and improv imaginary scenes to myself when I was little (I was raised an only child). When I was a teenager I decided to go and try my luck at a performing arts high school and that was where I really learned a lot about acting. As long as I knew I wanted to be an actress, I knew I wanted to take it as far as I can go and be at the top of the game. I am an actress. I didn’t realize some people perform as a “hobby”. It became, and is, my life.

Q. Outline your most defining experience as an actor.

A. The first time I saw “The Three Way” (directed by Julian Renner) on the big screen. The piece is a five-actor ensemble piece and every character plays a crucial part in the progression of the story. This was my first professional feature film project. And to see it go as far as it has was super amazing. Especially, when it was screened at BAM last year; it humbled me.

Q. What are some of the goals that you look forward to achieving?

A. Being on Law and Order! I know it may sound silly but I feel like being on Law and Order is a right of passage for NYC actors. Every actor does it at least once. I’ve auditioned for it a million times! Book me, damn it!

Q. Name your most embarrassing acting moment.

A. In my senior year of high school, our senior’s Rep. company was performing “The Exonerated”, a really intense play of wrongfully accused inmates of serious crimes and their stories. Well, during one of my more intense scenes, I completely froze and forgot my lines. I was bumbling and fumbling for about five minutes, until finally I broke character and just said “sorry”. They just blacked the lights out and continued… To make matters worse my crush was in the audience that night.

Q. Being a Latina in the entertainment industry, do you feel that you’re accurately represented? Why do you think most Latina characters are turned into caricatures as opposed to depicted as real people?

A. “Do I feel that I am represented accurately as a Latina in the entertainment industry?…” How can I put this tactfully? HELL NO! I have gone on countless auditions for being the sultry home wrecker, or for the jail bird, or for the hood chick. Honestly, me, I don’t identify with being any of those things. And I understand that acting is about stretching who you are and playing a character. However, I certainly think it’s unfair when all of the roles that have integrity are given to Caucasians. Why in a breakdown for an audition, does the character have to have any race at all? To me, it shouldn’t be about what color you are. It should be about skill and the actor’s over all energy and professionalism. And I feel like Latino characters are caricatures because that is how society as a whole views us. Latinos are the butt of a lot of jokes. So naturally, when it comes to how the mass of the world wants to be entertained, they are going to want to laugh at something they already find funny. I feel the only way it would stop is if we shine a light to it. That’s why I am IN LOVE with Becoming Ricardo and it’s potential to help shape that perception.

Q. How can the Uptown Collective readers follow your career?

A. I’m terrible, I have a twitter but I barely use it! If you follow me though I promise to tweet about what I’m eating for lunch: @SofiaARodriguez. I’m on Instagram a lot, posting pictures of what I ate for lunch – @et_moi_sofia. I don’t have a Facebook fan page… Only because I don’t think the people who like the page would care what I’m eating for lunch.

Find out more about Bronx contributor, Jenni Ruiza, at http://www.jenniruiza.com/. Follow her on Twitter@RuizaJenni.

The Best of the Boogie Down: Artist Spotlight – Christopher Estrada

The Best of the Boogie Down: The Bronx Documentary Center

The Best of the Boogie Down: Artist Spotlight – Jesenia

Open For Business: South Beach Restaurant & Lounge

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Open For Business: Uptown Social

admin — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 19:20:54 +0000

Photography by Emil Baez (@_EBaez)

Uptown Social
186 Dyckman Street
@UptownSocialNYC

Open for Business: La Marina

Open For Business: Buddha Beer Bar

Open For Business: Empire Fashion Boutique

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Kickstarter Spotlight: Let the Spirit Move You – The Documentary by Dr. Marta Moreno Vega

admin — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 17:43:44 +0000

About Let the Spirit Move You: The Documentary

Let the Spirit Move You is a celebration of ancestral belief systems that are a proud and important part of our cultural legacy as African descendants. The documentary focuses on the African based spiritual traditions that continue in Puerto Rico grounded in ancestral worship – espiristmo. Because of misinformation and preconceptions, to date there is little information on the sacred African traditions that are part of the cultural life of Puerto Rico. These traditions have generally been practiced out of public view and now with the advent of Evangelical types of religions labeling these traditions as “devil worship” many practitioners out of fear are going further underground or giving up these important historical ancestral traditions.

Support: Let the Spirit Move You: The Documentary by Dr. Marta Moreno Vega — Kickstarter.

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A legacy honored in helping students create their own | Manhattan Times

admin — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 16:26:49 +0000

Story and photos by Gregg McQueen

Rodney Cooper, a radiology student at Harlem Hospital Center, struggled to contain his emotions as he stood in front of a packed auditorium at Columbia University Medical Center and accepted a scholarship to assist his healthcare career.

“This is a great blessing to me,” he said of his award. “It has given me an opportunity I wouldn’t have had otherwise.”

Somewhere, Stanley E. Michels must have been smiling.

At a ceremony at Columbia University Medical Center on Thurs., Apr. 4th, a scholarship program to benefit allied health students in northern Manhattan was renamed to honor the deceased Michels, a former New York City Councilmember who worked during his career in public service to increase opportunities for education.

Eleven students were awarded scholarships at the event by the City University of New York and Columbia University, to complete programs in medical laboratory technology, radiological technology, and occupational and physical therapy.

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Picture of the Week

admin — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 18:45:10 +0000

Photography by Paul Lomax (@PaulLomaxPhoto)

The Ford Mustang: Celebrating 50 Years of Automotive Excellence

The 2012 Uptown Arts Stroll Closing Reception @ Arka Lounge – The Recap

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Uptown Tonight: The WHIN Committee Presents Talk of the Town @ Empire Fashion

admin — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 18:26:11 +0000

FB: http://www.facebook.com/NutcrackerInc

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Nutcracker Inc. Documentary Looking For Archival Footage and Photos

admin — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:29:48 +0000

What up, fellow residents of Uptown and Washington Heights! As most of you probably know by now, we are heavy into post-production on the documentary film, Nutcracker Inc. But what you may not know is that the movie is about a whole lot more than just a drink. It’s about a certain neighborhood, OUR neighborhood, the place we all call home, and how it has managed to transform itself over the last 20-plus years. We’re touching on subjects like the crack era and the riots of ’92 and how residents stood up for their community. We’re touching on immigrants coming to the area, and the geography of Uptown from Trinity Church to the tip of Manhattan. We are putting together a vast portrait of the neighborhood, and we’d like you to be a part of it. To that end, we are asking you for material, both photographs and video that you might be willing to share with our audience. Doesn’t matter if it’s in color or black and white, from 10 years ago or 30. All we ask are the following three requirements:

First, that your picture or video tells a story, that our audience can see it and know what is happening in it with little explanation. Anything that portrays the neighborhood as it once was, from kids playing in the street to the riots to your grandfather playing dominos on the block. Even you and your friends drinking a nutcracker. Got something of the old Riverside parties from the ‘80’s? Send it in! Got a nice pic of you and your friends hanging on the block in the ‘90’s? Send it in! Did you grow up in the Heights? Show us the fun you created when you were a kid. Squeegee guys off the GWB exits? Up close shots of the riots? Send them in! We have some amazing photography in the film that shows off the beauty of Washington Heights as it is now, but we need to contrast that with material from days gone by, when the neighborhood was going through darker times. Those of you who know, know what we’re talking about.

The second thing we ask is that whatever you send us be in digital format. For photographs, they need to be scanned in high-resolution, at least 1080 x 1920 in jpg format. For video, it must be digitized in a recognizable format such as .mov, .m4v, .mp4 or .avi, etc.

And lastly, you must OWN the material you are sending us for inclusion in the movie. If we use your material, we will get in touch with you to make sure you are properly credited in the film and ask you to sign a release that allows us to use it.

So please send us your photos and videos! Please put your name and year, if known, in the file name of what you are sending (ex. LedBlack_92_riots.jpg), and email them as attachments directly to us at NutcrackerInc@gmail.com. You can also attach zip files of multiple photos, just be sure to title the zip file with your name. And make sure we can reply back to you by email. And if you have any questions, or would like some assistance with digitizing what you’d like to send us, please get in touch with us and we’d be happy to help.

Thanks for all your continued support of Nutcracker Inc., we can’t wait to see your amazing photos and videos!

More info: NutcrackerInc@gmail.com

Twitter: @NutcrackerInc

The Nutcracker

The Nutcracker: A Documentary Rich in History | Prominence

Nutcracker Drink Means Business in New Documentary | Mass Appeal

Nutcracker Awareness Day @ Le Chéile In Pictures

The Washington Heights Riots of 1992 Remembered – Part 1

The Washington Heights Riots of 1992 Remembered – Part 2

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New Music: Charlie Cruz Ft Tellie Floydd – The WHIN

admin — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:17:59 +0000

Open For Business: Buddha Beer Bar

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Harlem Tavern Owners Eye New Washington Heights Location | DNAinfo

admin — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:59:50 +0000

By Nigel Chiwaya, DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — The owners of the the popular Harlem Tavern are taking their beer selection farther uptown, opening a second location on West 164th Street in Washington Heights.

The new venture, the Heights Tavern, will feature outdoor seating for 80 people with 20 beers on tap when it opens in June at 3910 Broadway.

Harlem Tavern was opened in 2011 by Harlem residents Sherri Wilson-Daly, Steve Daly and Gareth Fagan. The space, which was converted from a rusted gas station, has turned into a community hot spot that features work from local artists and musicians.

“We’re proud of what we’ve been able to do in Harlem,” said manager Amanda Rensch, “and we feel like Washington Heights is a community that is similar.”

Inwood Local Made TimeOut New York’s List of Best Beer Gardens & Beer Halls In NYC

The 2012 Women in the Heights Opening Reception @ NoMAA In Pictures

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New School to Co-Locate With Juan Pablo Duarte, Drawing Local Concerns | DNAinfo

admin — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 14:11:20 +0000

By Nigel Chiwaya, DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

Dos Puentes elementary school will share space with P.S. 132 Juan Pablo Duarte on 185 Wadsworth Avenue in Washington Heights. (DNAInfo/Nigel Chiwaya)

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — A new school is coming to Washington Heights this fall — but some local parents fear its arrival means the death knell for a struggling, decades-old school.

Dos Puentes Elementary School, which will be located at 185 Wadsworth Ave., will open its doors to its first kindergarten class in September. It was one of 78 new schools announced by the Department of Education and Mayor Michael Bloomberg last week.

Dos Puentes principal Victoria Hunt, 47, said the zoned school will offer a comprehensive program built around support for bilingual students and their families.

“The biggest thing is to build from the strength that they bring from home and use that as an entryway into a more rigorous education,” said Hunt, who has over 20 years of experience teaching English language learners in Perú, Texas, Washington D.C. and New York City.

Hunt, who wrote the proposal for Dos Puentes in October, said the school will look to offer language classes for parents and families and will deliver hands-on experience to students through field trips and community work. Hunt added that the school will form partnerships with Teacher’s College and City College.

The Dos Puentes school is new but it will be based in a decades-old building — it will be co-located at the Wadsworth Avenue structure with P.S. 132 Juan Pablo Duarte.

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Uptown Tonight: Catch Kid Glory @ Uptown Social

admin — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 22:11:15 +0000

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Uptown Tonight: Vote For The 2013 Uptown Arts Stroll Poster

admin — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 18:34:13 +0000

Monday, April 8th from 6-8pm
Inwood Center
5030 Broadway (corner of 214th St)

For more info: http://nomaanyc.org/

The 2012 Uptown Arts Stroll Closing Reception @ Arka Lounge

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Monday Mood Music: Andy Mineo – You Will

admin — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 18:15:05 +0000

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Latino Neighborhoods: Improving Health Through Ethnic Pride? | PRI The World

admin — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 16:59:08 +0000

By Audrey Quinn

Washington Heights Mural (Photo: Zadi Diaz)

If you take the subway to the northern tip of Manhattan, you’ll find yourself in Washington Heights, a largely Dominican neighborhood.

Poverty is worse here than in most areas of New York, but “there are certain health indicators here that suggest that Washington Heights is doing better than other neighborhoods,” says Columbia University public health researcher Anna Abraido-Lanza.

Deaths from cancer and heart disease are lower in Washington Heights than in New York City overall. Infant mortality is also lower here.

People in Washington Heights are not healthy in all regards, but researchers have discovered here what they have found in other Latino neighborhoods in the US: There seems to be something about living in a largely Latino area that is at least partly helpful for health.

Some scientists call this phenomenon the “barrio advantage.”

“There’s increasing evidence that neighborhoods do really matter in terms of the health of residents,” says Abraido-Lanza.

Solving the Mystery

But what is it about Latino neighborhoods that might improve people’s health? Scientists have proposed a lot of answers.

One likely explanation is access to traditional Latino foods, which may be more healthful than processed American food.

Another common explanation is that, in Latino neighborhoods, extended family members often live close to each other.

“If you have a wide circle of friends and family all around you, somebody out of those people will know where to get free healthcare or who the best doctor is,” says Columbia University epidemiology Ph.D. student Kimberly Alvarez.

But new research suggests there may be something else going on. Social aspects of these neighborhoods might actually cause biological changes in the body.

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Uptown Tonight: WHIN By Any Means App Release Party @ Negro Claro

admin — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 19:49:48 +0000

That’s right folks, the WHIN By Any Means movement continues to change the game when it comes to Hip-Hop Uptown. Come out to Negro Claro (3805 10th Ave) on Thursday, April 25th for the celebration of the release of the WHIN By Any Means smartphone app. Yes, there is an app for that. World famous DJ Tony Touch will be on the turntables as well surprise performances from some of Uptown’s best talent.

You know the motto, “Spread Love It’s The Uptown Way!”