Dia de Muertos is steadily approaching, with festivities taking over all of NYC from Flatiron to Times Square!
The NYC Department of Transportation, the Mayor’s Office of Immigration Affairs, the Times Square Alliance and others kicked of Dia de Muertos festivities at Times Square Plaza with the installation of three massive Catrinas on Monday, October 28th.
Catrinas are an iconic symbol of the Day of the Dead, typically in the form of skeletal sculptures, representing the Mexican perspective on the circle of life and death. The three on view in Times Square are of magnificent stature. You can explore them in all of their colorful glory from now through the end of the week.
These vibrant figures, a powerful symbol in Mexican culture, serve as a reminder of the beauty and reverence of life and death, bringing a significant piece of Mexico’s rich traditions to the heart of New York City in Times Square Plaza.
But these Catrinas are just the beginning of the Dia de Muertos celebrations in Times Square, with the main festivities scheduled for Saturday, November 2nd. Listen to live performances and enjoy public art all evening long from 4pm to 9pm in Times Square Plaza. This is just one of the city’s Trick-or-Streets events this month.
Times Square Plaza between W 45th and W47th Street
“Black Vote, Black Power,” a collaboration between Keith Boykin and Word In Black, examines the issues, the candidates, and what’s at stake for Black America in the 2024 presidential election.
In 1946, a prominent Lutheran pastor named Martin Niemöller wrote a famous poem about his experience living through the rise and fall of Nazi Germany. During Adolf Hitler’s early years in the 1920s and early 1930s, Niemöller “sympathized with many Nazi ideas and supported radically right-wing political movements,” according to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Keith Boykin breaks down how a Trump dictatorship will, in the end come for all of us.
But once Hitler came to power in 1933, Niemöller began to realize the danger. He spoke out against Nazi control of the church and was imprisoned in concentration camps from 1938 to 1945, narrowly avoiding execution.
A vote-by-mail ballot on October 23, 2024 in Silver Spring, Maryland. (Photo Illustration by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
It’s considered dangerous in American politics to draw comparisons to Nazi Germany, and no serious person does so lightly. But in recent weeks we’ve seen evidence that Donald Trump’s own advisers view him as an unprecedented threat to democracy.
His former White House chief of staff, John Kelly, and his top general, Mark Milley, have both called him a “fascist.” Even his running mate, JD Vance, once called Trump “America’s Hitler.” And Trump, himself, has said that he needs the kind of generals that Hitler had.
Trump has tried to downplay the threat, but he has admitted that he would be a dictator “on day one,” would terminate the U.S. Constitution, and would fire Special Counsel Jack Smith “within two seconds” as his first act as president. This is a perilous moment for American democracy, and with that in mind, I offer this poem:
First they came for the old Black people And I didn’t speak up Because I wasn’t an old Black person
Then they came for the young Black people And I didn’t speak up Because I wasn’t a young Black person
Then they came for the Native Americans And I didn’t speak up Because I wasn’t Native American
Then they came for the Mexican Americans And I didn’t speak up Because I wasn’t Mexican American
Then they came for the Muslims And I didn’t speak up Because I wasn’t a Muslim
Then they came for the protesters And I didn’t speak up Because I wasn’t a protester
Then they came for the people with disabilities And I didn’t speak up Because I didn’t have a disability
Then they came for the Africans And I didn’t speak up Because I wasn’t African
Then they came for the Asian Americans And I didn’t speak up Because I wasn’t Asian American
Then they came for the Black women And I didn’t speak up Because I wasn’t a Black woman
Then they came for the rest of the women And I didn’t speak up Because I wasn’t a woman
Then they came for the trans people And I didn’t speak up Because I wasn’t trans.
Then they came for the Haitian Americans And I didn’t speak up Because I wasn’t Haitian
Then they came for me And there was no one left To speak for me.
Keith Boykin is a New York Times–bestselling author, TV and film producer, and former CNN political commentator. A graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School, Keith served in the White House, cofounded the National Black Justice Coalition, cohosted the BET talk show My Two Cents, and taught at the Institute for Research in African-American Studies at Columbia University in New York. He’s a Lambda Literary Award-winning author and editor of seven books. He lives in Los Angeles.
Expensive NYC broker fees are a downfall to renting in our beloved metropolis, but it’s quite possible they’ll be a thing of the past — at least for potential tenants.
According to the Fairness in Apartment Rental Expenses Act (FARE) from Council member Chi Ossé, the payment responsibility will fall on those who are hiring the broker, which is most likely going to be the landlord.
Legislation states, “This bill would require an individual who is a representative or an agent of a property owner or a prospective tenant in a residential rental real estate transaction to collect fees charged in the transaction from the party employing the individual. The provisions of this bill would not impact the collection of fees by a landlord or property owner.”
And according to a video from Councilman Ossé on Wednesday, October 23rd, it’s possible the FARE act will pass on Wednesday, November 13th.
“Forced broker fees in New York City are dead in three weeks,” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I wrote this bill over a year ago, and I’ve been fighting with the real estate lobby ever since. They’ve had unlimited financial resources to fight against us.”
We still have several weeks before learning the potential outcome of the bill, which is still under review, according to the Council, but we’ll cross our fingers for a positive outcome that might lighten the burden of renting in NYC.
It has been at the forefront of redefining urban style with premium leather outerwear. Established by a group of innovative millennials, the brand has revolutionized the industry by offering high-quality, perfectly fitting leather jackets at accessible prices. This comprehensive review explores what sets NYC Leather Jackets apart and why customers continue to choose them. Unparalleled…
Whether we’re soaking in breathtaking views of the Hudson River aboard a 1940s train, chugging along from NYC to Vermont through the stunning Hudson Valley, or traveling to the Berkshires on a summer weekend, we love ourselves a scenic train ride. And we now have the chance to hop aboard yet another picturesque train ride, this time chugga chugga-ing along through Boyertown, Pennsylvania on the Colebrookdale Railroad.
The scenic train rides offer straphangers a unique adventure into a forgotten land. For some background, construction of the Colebrookdale Railroad was first proposed in 1865 to serve the thriving iron ore industry along the Manatawny Creek, and operation commenced in 1869.
Source / Colebrookdale Railroad
The meticulously restored, century-old rail cars consist of the following fleet:
First-Class Parlor Car “STORM KING”
Lounge Car “MAINE CENTRAL”
Dining Car “LION GARDINER”
Beaver Car
Observation Car “DIPLOMAT”
Deluxe Coach “DAWN TREADER”
Open Car “SECRET VALLEY EXPLORER”
Caboose “PRR 477768”
Diesel Locomotive “CAB RIDES”
Brill Motor Car “DOODLEBUG”
From a quiet, intimate accommodation with a complimentary glass of wine, beer, or soda and light hors-d’oeuvres to accommodations offering 360-degree panoramas of the sweeping vistas and intimate beauty of the Secret Valley Line, there’s several excursion options to choose from depending on your mood.
Source / Colebrookdale Railroad
Fall and holiday excursions are available now through January ranging from one hour to two hours long. Fall themed ones include the Autumn Cider and Donuts Express excursion during which all passengers receive complimentary cider and a donut and the Autumn Splendor excursions with either brunch, lunch, or dinner, among others, while holiday ones include the Santa’s Polar Bear Express with Santa himself and the ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas excursion where Santa will host a story time.
The best part of it all: these luxurious train ride excursions are only two and a half hours from NYC!
Source / Colebrookdale Railroad
This is the perfect opportunity to go on a solo leaf peeping fall adventure or share a fun, unique experience with a partner or friend while chugging along one of the most scenic and historic regions in the northeast. It’s the perfect way to spend a weekend getaway!
Make sure to reserve your tickets in advance, which you can do on their website.
If you’ve ever felt like certain foods are out there wielding magical powers, you’re not alone. Labels like “superfoods” have a knack for making us feel like avocados or acai berries are one bite away from transforming us into superheroes. But scientifically speaking, “superfoods” are about as real as unicorns. The European Union went so…
New York City Mayor Eric Adams today released a new report detailing the unprecedented success of the city’s Federal Infrastructure Funding Task Force in winning grant funding. The funding came from the Biden-Harris administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. Under Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi’s leadership, the task force has secured more than $2.3…
Times Square Plaza between W 45th and W47th Street
