Hidden Surprises

  • Was This Midtown Hardware Store Once A Theater?

    Was This Midtown Hardware Store Once A Theater?

    So here’s a mystery. A few months ago, I got an email from reader Matthew J. advising me to check out Brothers Hardware at 26 West 38th Street. The shop is pretty unassuming from the outside… But go inside…

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  • Where New York City Begins

    Where New York City Begins

    One of my favorite ways to drive into New York is via Jerome Avenue in the Bronx. As you head south from Yonkers, both sides of the road are overgrown with beautiful green foliage. To the west is Van Cordlant Park…

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  • Why I Love Scouting Apartment Lobbies In The Bronx

    Why I Love Scouting Apartment Lobbies In The Bronx

    I’ll never forget the first time I walked into an art deco apartment building in the Bronx. I was taking pictures of a mural on a Grand Concourse building, when a passerby suggested I check out the interior. I headed through the nondescript entrance hallway… …into what has to be one of the most beautiful…

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  • The Fanciest Diner In New York: The Polish Tea Room of Times Square

    The Fanciest Diner In New York: The Polish Tea Room of Times Square

    Some time ago, I was meeting up with some friends to eat in Times Square, and they suggested we go to a diner called Cafe Edison, part of the Hotel Edison on 47th. My culinary expectations were pretty low (as you may have heard, Times Square has a couple of “tourist traps”), but my friends…

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