TEXT BY DONATHAN SALKALN | Without a doubt, the current Manhattan District Attorney—Cyrus Vance Jr.—tattooed a big target on his own back when, in 2011, he directed his office to convince NYS acting Supreme Court Justice Ruth Pickholz to reduce financier Jeffrey Epstein’s sex offender status down from his level-three status (high risk of repeat […]
BY PUMA PERL | The first time I saw Joey Paulina, he was clad in a tight royal blue dress and stilettos, executing perfect backflips down the center aisle of the Bowery Poetry Club. Once onstage, he hit more octaves than I could count and managed to be both operatic and hilarious. Whether at his West […]
BY DONATHAN SALKALN | On a brisk Tuesday evening, Dec. 8, parents and youngsters arrived all bundled in their warmest of winter garb, gloves, and COVID-19 masks—and those watching virtually in the safety of home—were treated to music, poetry, and camaraderie at the lighting of Clement Clarke Moore Park’s holiday tree. On behalf of the […]
BY CHARLES BATTERSBY | It’s the sunny Saturday afternoon of Oct. 10, and Chelsea is filled with people enjoying the kind of warm fall day we’ll be seeing less and less of. What’s more, with COVID-19 restrictions loosening, there are plenty of shoppers and pedestrians on the street at this time of day. This isn’t […]
REVIEW BY MICHAEL MUSTO | Mart Crowley’s landmark 1968 play The Boys in the Band brought a group of gay friends together for a bitchy and fun NYC birthday party, which is rocked when an unexpected visitor arrives after having had some kind of flareup with his wife. That the visitor turns out to be […]
BY RANIA RICHARDSON | Realistic about the challenges ahead after a summer of COVID-19, citywide demonstrations, and escalating quality of life concerns, Deputy Inspector Kevin J. Coleman, Commanding Officer of the 10th Precinct, kicked off last week’s full board meeting of Manhattan Community Board 4 (CB4) by inaugurating what will become a regularly scheduled series […]
BY PUMA PERL | An elevator to the top floor, up two flights of stairs, and I’m sitting in a rooftop garden at West 23rd Street’s iconic Chelsea Hotel with photographer/filmmaker Zev Greenfield and irrigation specialist Marky Iannello, who maintains the greenery surrounding us. Zev and Marky are childhood friends, Village kids who met hanging […]
EDITOR’S NOTE: Below, find the latest diary entry, then other September content. Click here for the August entries. Click here for the July entries. Click here for the June entries. Click here for the May entries. Click here for the April entries. Click here for all March entries . My CoviDiary is reprinted, with the […]
BY WINNIE McCROY | Community members came together at Penn South on the evening of August 20 for a live meeting of the Build the Block coalition. The event brought NYPD’s Neighborhood Coordination Officers (NCOs) together with locals concerned about the safety of Chelsea and Midtown South. Many voiced concerns regarding the problems with petty […]
BY WINNIE McCROY | The COVID-19 crisis that wreaked havoc on our city is compounding quality of life problems this summer, as loiterers who use and sell drugs make the streets less safe for those who call West Chelsea home. Now, those residents are reaching out to elected officials for help removing some of the […]