Watch-Blog
Sophisticated Fires
By Claudie Benjamin A December 18, 2015, New York Times article, “In New York, the Fireplace Flickers,” by C. J. Hughes, discussed the ban on wood-burning fireplaces in new construction. “New York joined a...
Constant Traveler Loves Rain
By Claudie Benjamin As you can imagine, you travel a lot when you’re building a global business. And, when that business is umbrellas, you love rain. These are essentials of Freddy Marcos’ life as the co-founder with Nathan Janovich of their start-up RentBrella. Based...
Books and Bouquets
By Claudie Benjamin "Meadowesque" is the term florist Molly Oliver Culvers uses to describe the current trend in wedding bouquets. This means, she explained, the use of flora like grasses and agrostemma (lavender, purple, and white flowers also known as corncockle...
Thoughtful Revitalization
By Claudie Benjamin Ian Olsen joined the Broadway Mall Association as Director of Horticulture in the final week of October 2023. Almost immediately, he was on the phone, on the computer, and in meetings, getting his hands dirty in the soil of the avenue medians known...
Fan of the M104, M57, M72 and M5
By Claudie Benjamin Lea Anastasio uses a walker and rides the M104 all the time. She’s also a fan of the M57, M72, and M5. Just the other day, she got on the kneeling ramp of the M104 at the bus stop located between 73-74th Streets and Broadway in front of the entry...
Hip Hop on Broadway
By Claudie Benjamin Hip Hop may trace its origin to the early 1970s by African Americans and Afro-Caribbean immigrants in the Bronx, but Angel Kaba became involved in this specific genre of dance as a young woman living in Brussels, Belgium. She had been studying...
Proud Caring Community
By Claudie Benjamin Interviewed in 2020 for the 6sqft newsletter, architect John Cetra of Cetra/Ruddy spoke proudly of the work the firm had done three decades before. “A project we did in the early ’90s was Euclid Hall on 86th Street and Broadway. Then an SRO in a...
Grasping the Handle of a French Easel, Painter Casts His Gaze at Upper West Side for Inspiration
By Claudie Benjamin Artist Robert Beck has been painting for more than 30 years. He appears never to be at a loss for inspiration. Often, he paints within steps of either of the two studios he maintains, one in Bucks County, PA, and the other on the Upper West Side...
Years, Lovers and Glasses of Wine
By Claudie Benjamin Though obviously not to be taken literally, the Italian saying, Anni,e bicchieri di vino non si contano mai, translates as lovers and glasses of wine, these are things that should never be counted, capsulizes what captivated Americans who first...
Where are the Lions?
By Claudie Benjamin What building entrance on the Upper West Side is flanked by two bronze-toned lions? The answer may elude you even if you’ve lived in the neighborhood your whole life. Hints: a.) it’s a hotel, b.) the location is two blocks up from Carmine’s, and...
