Category Archives: Bernstein Spring 2009

The Fight for Affordable Housing

Gone are many of the old historic buildings in Chinatown, replaced by modern high rise condos. These sleek new apartment buildings stand out sharply against the streets. The condos are seemingly out of place with their glass doors, studio lighting, … Continue reading

Posted in Bernstein Spring 2009, Chinatown, Neighborhood Conflict Story | 2 Comments

Busy Clinic Closing Door

Above the multi-colored bench, where a group of fidgeting tweens sit waiting for their names to be called, there is a notice. Across a crowded toddler play area, where parents sit, there is a heated discussion among some of them. … Continue reading

Posted in Bernstein Spring 2009, Neighborhood Conflict Story, Queens | 1 Comment

“Have faith in tomorrow”

  “Have Faith in Tomorrow: Downtown 2020” by Daniel Berman April 7, 2009     The colossal elevator doors slide smoothly open onto the 45th floor of 7 World Trade Center, announcing its arrival in a seductive female voice. Barren … Continue reading

Posted in Bernstein Spring 2009, Community Service Story, Financial District, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Minas the Magician

Minas the Magician     Entering Minas Shoe repair, I am immediately overcome by the effervescent aroma of shoe polish and wet leather; the smell of the trodden boots my grandfather insists on never throwing away wafts past my shoulder … Continue reading

Posted in Bernstein Spring 2009, Financial District, Uncategorized, Under the Radar: Feature Stories | 1 Comment

The Last Crusade – Spiritual Barometry in Downtown Manhattan

  The Last Crusade  Spiritual Barometry in Downtown Manhattan By Daniel Berman       The May rain pours down in droves as the two dark-suited men shuffle west on Wall Street. It appears to freeze mid-fall against the burst of … Continue reading

Posted in Bernstein Spring 2009, Financial District, Neighborhood Conflict Story, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Homeowners sacrifice peace for rent payments

Families of varying races, from the large populations of Hispanics and whites, to the smaller Asian and black demographics, live mostly in one- and two-family houses in Woodhaven, Queens. To a person unfamiliar with the area, it would come across … Continue reading

Posted in Bernstein Spring 2009, Neighborhood Conflict Story | Comments Off on Homeowners sacrifice peace for rent payments

Disturbing the Avenue N Peace

Normally standing in front of the Avenue N strip mall, police officers flocked to a dispute around the corner at Original’s II Pizzeria, on a chilly day in February. Once out of sight, the children piling down the street from … Continue reading

Posted in Bernstein Spring 2009, Mill Basin, Neighborhood Conflict Story | 6 Comments

A Helping Hand at Every Corner

Plain, simple, and old best describes the building that houses the organization American Asian for Equality. From the outside, it looks like a rundown building. There is a small main entrance which makes the office look dreary and unwelcome to … Continue reading

Posted in Bernstein Spring 2009, Chinatown, Community Service Story | Comments Off on A Helping Hand at Every Corner

The Face Behind Costume Jewelry

Jewelry is a woman’s best friend. Diamonds, gems, and sapphires, what more can women ask for. However, in reality this is not what most women can afford. Instead, they turn to costume jewelry. Necklaces, bracelets, rings, and pins are sold … Continue reading

Posted in Bernstein Spring 2009, Chinatown, Under the Radar: Feature Stories | 2 Comments

Great Help Found in Housing Works

Great help found in Housing Works On Crosby St, between Houston and Prince St, a large construction site obstructs the overall aesthetic of the block. Under scaffolding, rough edges and loud noise a treasure is hidden. Looking from a distance, … Continue reading

Posted in Bernstein Spring 2009, Community Service Story, SoHo | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The Same Conquest for “La Nueva Conquista”

236 Lafayette St. New York, NY, is home to a restaurant that by the looks of its exterior is not too welcoming. “Don’t judge a book by its cover” is the most appropriate phrase that can be said about one … Continue reading

Posted in Bernstein Spring 2009, SoHo, Under the Radar: Feature Stories | Tagged | 2 Comments

Look at the boards and know the community

On a typical Saturday afternoon children are roaming the bookshelves, surfing the web and whispering loudly across beige wooden tables in the Mill Basin library branch. The children’s section information desk assistant rarely sits except to search the database for … Continue reading

Posted in Bernstein Spring 2009, Community Service Story, Mill Basin | 2 Comments

Health insurance cuts impact dentist’s business

A pair of separate doors allow for entrance into the waiting room of the General Dentistry and Orthodontia office on Jamaica Avenue in Woodhaven, Queens. The first opens with a pull of the knob; the second requires a potential patient … Continue reading

Posted in Bernstein Spring 2009, Community Service Story, Queens | 4 Comments

Nail tips still a priority in recession times

At 8:30 p.m. on a Wednesday evening, four women are filling a few of the mostly empty chairs at CoCo’s Nail and Spa on Jamaica Avenue in Woodhaven, Queens. A young Asian woman is quietly staring around at the bright … Continue reading

Posted in Bernstein Spring 2009, Queens, Under the Radar: Feature Stories | 4 Comments

Computer as the Second Language

“What am I gonna do with an email?” asked the man rather boisterously. “I’ll send ya a joke!” replied his classmate with a laugh. She was a 60-year-old woman with round cheeks that filled with a healthy blush as she … Continue reading

Posted in Bernstein Spring 2009, Brooklyn, Community Service Story | 4 Comments

Queens Residents Have No Place to Go

The Queens Library along with the Brooklyn Public Library and the New York Public Library are facing budget cuts by the city.  Faced with hard times, the Queens Library, like the other two library systems, are forced to close branches … Continue reading

Posted in Astoria, Bernstein Spring 2009, Community Service Story | 4 Comments

Protecting the Environment, 20-years Later

“Breathing in this neighborhood is hazardous to our health,” read the signs of protesters wearing gas masks as they stand alongside the West Side Highway at seven in the morning, in front of the North River Sewage Plant in Harlem. … Continue reading

Posted in Bernstein Spring 2009, Community Service Story | Comments Off on Protecting the Environment, 20-years Later

Harlem Barber Shop Takes a Step Up, as Economy Falls

The current decline in the economy has clothing boutiques, shoe repair shops, and “mom and pops’ ” restaurants below water.  However, at one Harlem barber shop, A Step Above, owner Sharron Corley is still cutting hair at the same rate … Continue reading

Posted in Bernstein Spring 2009, Under the Radar: Feature Stories | 20 Comments

City Park Plans Uproots Community Garden

As reported earlier this month, Two Coves Community Garden in Astoria, Queens, is at risk because the Parks Department and Goodwill Industries have forced a design for a city park on 75 percent of the garden’s space. Because the Garden … Continue reading

Posted in Astoria, Bernstein Spring 2009 | 2 Comments

How Far Will They Go

The current state of the economy is affecting people from all areas of life, even for those people who have jobs. “I just took a pay cut at work recently. There was nothing I could have done. It was either … Continue reading

Posted in Bernstein Spring 2009, Chinatown, Uncategorized | 1 Comment