On a mid-September day an explosion rips through the financial district of Manhattan in the most devastating terrorist attack in American history up to that point. The attack is attributed to people who come from outside the country and subscribe to an ideology that its critics say is anti-American. This all sounds very familiar, but [...]
Posts Tagged ‘New York’
30 Dec
Book Review: Great Fortune by Daniel Okrent
Great Fortune : The Epic of Rockefeller Center (2003) by Daniel Okrent is a lively and engaging popular history of the origins of the most famous urban development in the world. It’s chock-full of facts that I never knew.
For example, the land Rockefeller Center is built upon was originally the “Upper Estate” of Columbia [...]
2 Dec
A Little Late for Thanksgiving
…but I can save this for next year.
So if you want to join me in recreating a Thanksgiving tradition of my childhood, follow these simple steps:
Get a DVD of the original version of King Kong.
Periodically stop it and watch a part of this Youtube clip instead:
Oh this is just too perfect.
31 Oct
Book Review: Empire Rising by Thomas Kelly
On a flight to Portland, OR a little over 10 years ago I read Payback a novel by Irish-American writer Thomas Kelly. It told the story set in the mid-1980’s about Sandhogs, construction workers who build tunnels, with a mix union-management strife, corrupt politicians, Irish gangsters, and family squabbles turned violent. It was a breezy [...]
9 Oct
Book Review: Manhattan ‘45 by Jan Morris
Manhattan ‘45 (1985) by Jan Morris attempts to capture New York City at the time of its greatest success, optimism, influence and power, just as the Second World War comes to an end. This is not a travel book so much as an historical recreation. The author never even visited New York until nearly a [...]
29 Sep
Shea Stadium: A Personal History
Beloved Mets mascot Mr. Met signs autographs during a 1997 game at Shea Stadium.
Yesterday, the Mets lost to the Marlins and brought an end to their 2008 season as well as the William A. Shea Municipal Stadium. The Mets will begin the 2009 season in a retro-ballpark modeled on Ebbets Field, but Shea Stadium will [...]
21 Sep
If the Mets Were the Yankees
All eyes in the baseball world this week turn to Flushing, NY where the New York Mets play their final seven games at Shea Stadium. The historic ballpark has been New York’s home for baseball memories since it opened in 1883 as home of the New York Giants. Originally named the Polo Grounds, the old [...]
15 Aug
Book Review: New York Calling: From Blackout to Bloomberg
Following up on Ric Burns’ New York, I read New York Calling: From Blackout to Bloomberg (2007) edited by one of the stars of that series Marshall Berman and Brian Berger.
This collection of essays looks back with some nostalgia and some disgust at the City in the 70s, 80s, & 90s. For most of the [...]
2 Aug
Movie Review: New York: A Documentary Film by Ric Burns
New York: A Documentary Film is an 8-part film made by Ric Burns that debuted on PBS in 1999 (except for episode 8, which is from 2003). Thanks to Netflix, I’ve finally seen this epic documentary about my ancestral homeland and one of my favorite cities.
Ric Burns’ style is similar to his brother Ken in [...]
17 Mar
Confessions of a St. Patrick’s Day Curmudgeon
Posted by Liam in Ideas, Opinion & Commentary. Tagged: Boston, Catholicism, Faith, Family, Fun Stuff, History, Holidays, Ireland, Local, New York, News, Politics. Leave a Comment
While most kids look forward to Christmas, when I was a child, St. Patrick’s Day (along with Thanksgiving) was one of my favorite days of the year. It was a big day in my family usually involving going to the parade in New York and seeing family and friends we hadn’t seen in a while. [...]
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