Results tagged “photos”

Earlier this month the New York Public Library launched their interactive map site, which allows users to bring the old city landscape together with the current one. Now the folks at SepiaTown are zooming in a little bit closer. The site, which just launched, "lets people experience the past through a large and growing collection of user-submitted, mapped historical images." more ›

This is really creepy, and extremely disturbing... but sadly, not that shocking. Mortuary technicians have been caught playing with the dead—and they even documented their deeds on Polaroid. According to the NY Post, the photos that have been released—allegedly by someone who was trying to blackmail the employees—were taken around 2004. more ›

Last night Rachel Maddow interviewed the NYPD detective and photographer whose stunning photos of the 9/11 attack on the WTC were recently released. Asked about his feelings on the images being made public after all these years, retired Detective Gregory Semendinger told Maddow, "I think they should have been out a long time ago... We were the only ones there, and I was fortunate to be there and take photographs... Something like this is monumental. If we can record it and get it on film, then it's a true record of what happened... It gives us a historical time timeline of the events that occurred, and it's something we should never forget." more ›

As we noted yesterday, ABC News is slowly releasing some of the 2,779 new photos of the 9/11 attacks obtained from the archives of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. The images speak for themselves, but today Newsday published an interview with the NYPD helicopter pilot who took many of the photos, including the one seen here. Detective Gregory Semendinger spent three hours flying about the site that morning, doing double duty as a co-pilot and photographer, scanning the rooftops in hopes of spotting someone to save. more ›

For the past year or so, photographer Stephanie Keith has been going to the Flatlands in Brooklyn for dead-of-night vodou ceremonies. Her audio slide show about her experiences is killer. While we've been sleeping the night away, she's been dancing to drumming and watching spirit possession in a rum-soaked basement. By the end of one "party" there were about seven people all possessed at the same time! Unfortunately, she wasn't allowed to take pictures when the Gede spirit "mounted" participants, but still got off some great shots. "I keep telling my friends I wish I could get mounted by a spirit, but that never happened," Keith wistfully remarks. She's actually attended ten vodou ceremonies so far, but Gede is still playing hard to get. [Via Boing Boing] more ›

Jersey Shore's Snooki was given another makeunder recently, but let's face facts: pantsuits will not get you ca$h money. But taking off your clothes might! Radar reports that she may be following in cast mate J-WOWW's footsteps as rumors swirl that she's shopping around nude photos and video of herself. Snookers allegedly took the shots herself in her bedroom—and the site reports that at least one photo is "too raunchy to describe." Snickers! The reality starlet denied it all on Twitter, calling Radar "weirdos"—but time, and the inevitable leaked photos prior to Season 2 airing, will tell. more ›

In two caverns 150 feet deep below Grand Central Terminal, work is underway on a project to connect the Long Island Rail Road to Grand Central Terminal. Contractors are removing enough dirt to fill 13,000 Olympic-sized pools, to make room for platforms and tracks underneath the lower level of Grand Central. And a new LIRR concourse is being built under Metro-North Railroad's upper level, which will provide commuters with 91,000 square feet of public space, including shops and pathways to Grand Central, the subway system and the street above. It's a big, difficult job, as the MTA explains: more ›

Jersey Shore castmember J-WOWW, who designs tops that leave nothing left to the imagination, is unsurprisingly the first to go the fully monty for a little bit of cash. According to the Daily News, photos of Jenni Farley in her totally tanned birthday suit are being shopped around right now; the paper specifies, "there are at least three nude photos" which "show Farley wearing a pair of boots, a skimpy wrap around her waist and nothing else." more ›

Around midnight last night Ray Alvarez, owner of beloved East Village hole-in-the-wall Ray's Candy Store [MySpace], celebrated his 77th birthday with a cake, a clown, a stripper, and a spanking. (Photo #4 mildly NSFW) Bob Arihood took some stellar photos and reports, "These are very trying times for Ray and this party afforded a brief respite from his struggle and noticeably lifted his spirits." Slum Goddess writes that before blowing out the candles, Alvarez wished for his business to stay open until his 80th birthday. Many in the neighborhood view Ray's as one of the last relics of a funkier Alphabet City (it opened in 1974) and hope it survives longer than that. more ›

It was not Nathan Handwerker—a Jewish immigrant from Poland who went on to start Nathan's Famous—who brought the hot dog to Coney Island, but rather Charles Feltman (1841-1910), a German butcher who's credited with the idea of selling pork sausages on a warm bun, sometime around 1867. Feltman reportedly sold 3,684 sausages on a roll during his first year in business, pushing around a wagon to hungry beachgoers. The popular item ultimately sold for ten cents a pop and enabled Feltman to build a mini-empire with a hotel, beer gardens, restaurants, food stands, and amusements. All hot dog money. And Nathan Handwerker? He slept on the floor of Feltman's kitchen, which is all that remains of Feltman's legacy, and it's going to be demolished. more ›

They're really going through with this thing! After auctioning off everything that wasn't nailed down, and chasing away the vultures, crews are busy demolishing the old home of the Bronx Bombers, piece by piece. For the Yankee Stadium demolition completist, there is a whole website dedicated to the topic. But for the layperson and the casual destructoporn enthusiast, perhaps these recent aerial shots from WCBS's helicopter will suffice. Do these images make you nostalgic, or make you wish you were licensed to operate a wrecking ball? The sooner we get this thing down, the sooner the Bronx gets another park!
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Reports of suspicious packages and bomb scares come over the police scanner so frequently that they've become almost routine, so we weren't even going to bother you with this latest scare, which briefly shut down a small area of midtown outside the Sheraton Hotel on the corner of 53rd and Seventh. But then a reader (who requests anonymity) sent us these stellar photos, so here you go: a fairly up-close look at how a suspicious package becomes an innocuous pile of crap. Or maybe this is all just part of some viral marketing Oscar campaign for The Hurt Locker? Either way, could everybody please stop leaving their stuff lying around so we don't have to bring the city to a screeching halt every hour?
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News sources are predicting that yesterday’s earthquake near Port-au-Prince may have killed thousands of Haitians, but there’s still no clear estimate on how many are dead. (The Red Cross fears thousands dead and millions more affected; so far more than 100 people are missing in the rubble, according to the U.N.) “Bodies lay in the streets of Haiti’s devastated capital early Wednesday, and untold numbers of people remained trapped in the rubble of collapsed buildings and leveled shantytown homes,” reported the New York Times. They say it’s the worst earthquake to hit the country in more than 200 years. Alan Le Roy, chief of UN peacekeeping forces, told The AP, “We know there will be casualties, but we cannot give figures for the time being.” The United States and other nations will begin sending foreign aid. more ›

Suddenly we loooove Chihuahuas, those dainty dogs with the bulging eyes we always dismissed as maddening yap machines. (Apparently, they don't do that if you train them right.) Yesterday we barely survived a cute attack when Virgin America released photos of 15 Chihuahuas walking a red carpet to their flight from San Francisco to NYC, where they're being put up for adoption because of Chihuahua overcrowding in shelters. Now there's video of the flying Chihuahuas. more ›

In 1947, The New Yorker published a ten page profile on an Upper East Side grocer named Harry Dubin, who was one of the first guys in the neighborhood to get a TV. The article's author spent time with Dubin and his family, observing how the salt of the earth received this technological marvel. But with no one around to reblog it, the article was forgotten for decades—until 1993, when writer Jeff Kisseloff rediscovered it and, on a whim, decided to look up Harry Dubin and request an interview. Kismet, and these charming photos, ensued, eventually leading to an exhibit at The Museum of the City of New York! As Kisseloff tells it: more ›

Two days after a second devastating fire destroyed several businesses in the Norwood section of The Bronx, a Mercedes Benz registered to controversial State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr. was observed illegally parked in front of a fire hydrant with a Police Vehicle Identification placard in the window. The Benz was noticed by Boogie Downer, whose photos were then picked up by the permanently galled Uncivil Servants blog (which specializes in photos of parking placard abuse). Police parking permits are not typically issued to legislators, and parking at a hydrant is illegal at all times, even for those with official permits. more ›

In November, Soho's popular French-Moroccan mainstay Cafe Gitane opened up a new location in the controversial Jane Hotel. Things started out slowly with breakfast and lunch, but now the cheery cafe is open for dinner, starting tonight. The West Village outpost, which boasts lovely views of the Hudson River, is serving many of the favorites from the original Mott Street location, such as the appetizing Smoked Trout Salad with black lentils, walnuts, arugula, dried cranberries, avocado, goat cheese, cherry tomatoes, shallots and vinaigrette ($14). more ›

Yesterday a small but dedicated group of cyclists braved the brutal winter winds for the fifth annual Memorial Ride across Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn to dedicate eleven "Ghost Bikes." The all-white bikes, a tragically common reminder of bicyclist fatalities, commemorate the estimated ten lives lost while bicycling in NYC during 2009. Linda Langergaard, whose son James Langergaard was killed biking across Queens Boulevard in August, said in a statement, "James was a wonderful part of so many lives and we miss him terribly. It hurts to know so many families are feeling the same loss as we are. It is so important that we come together to prevent these tragedies from ever happening to another family." more ›

Glittery Central Park tourist trap and celebrity banquet hall Tavern on the Green will serve its last mediocre meal on New Year's Eve. Earlier this year, the current operators filed for bankruptcy after their license to run the restaurant was not renewed by the city, and next month artifacts such as silver candelabras, stone sculptures, art nouveau mirrors, and Tiffany lamp shades will go up on the auction block. more ›

We already know the view from your window... but what does your December 25th look like? Whether or not you celebrate Christmas, send us your pics tomorrow! Ripping open presents, walking around the still snowy city, cooking dinner, going for Chinese food, watching your favorite holiday movie... we wanna see how you spend the day off. Send your photos to us (or tag them "Gothamist" at Flickr) and we'll publish a gallery of our favorite submissions this weekend. When you send your photo, please let us know if you would like to be credited, or remain anonymous. more ›

Like Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx, Inwood Hill Park has long been known as a popular spot for Santeria animal sacrifices. Joggers have reported seeing mutilated chickens tied to trees, and one assistant Parks Department gardener recently came forward to share her fun story about picking up animal remains in the park. These include decapitated turtles and roosters, plus a cow’s heart with magnets and a picture of a boy and a girl tied around it. Awww. Here's a slideshow of some of what she's found; it's really not as gross as it sounds, but probably not the best lunch accompaniment: more ›

It wasn't the season's first snow, but the storm that brought 11 inches of powder to Central Park and even more to other boroughs and surrounding areas certainly lived up to expectations. The snowfall made the streets beautiful (at least temporarily until they get all slushy and nasty), and photographers took advantage. Send your snow photos to [email protected] or the Gothamist group Flickr. more ›

Well, hello there! It looks like disgraced former NYPD Commissioner Bernie Kerik has been prepping for prison by eating plenty of tossed salad. Recent Facebook photos show the convicted felon looking fit and fetching—a lot less Sergeant Schultz and a little more Kevin Spacey. more ›

An unidentified male cop in the notorious Brooklyn South Narcotics unit allegedly took personal photos of a female drug suspect during multiple, unauthorized strip searches. Claudia Bova, 23, was arrested in a Coney Island drug sweep in June 2007, and taken to a building in downtown Brooklyn for booking. The officer allegedly told Bova he would have to perform a body search because there were no female officers available, in violation of an NYPD policy prohibiting cross-gender searches. Bova claims he led her to the bathroom and ordered her to lift up her shirt, "shake out her bra" and pull down her pants, according to court papers obtained by the Daily News. But it didn't end there! more ›

Bike riders weren't the only ones demonstrating in the rain yesterday; in Times Square a small but annoying group gathered to protest a Congressional proposal to tax breast augmentations, facelifts, tummy tucks and other procedures, as a way to fund a health care bill. The protest was organized by an affluent Park Avenue plastic surgeon, Dr. Stephen Greenberg, who was on hand holding a sign that read, "Washington leave our boobs alone." But this video of the small, shrill protest suggests that Greenberg might have his hands full trying to rally the masses. more ›

It it's December, it must be time to visit Dyker Heights, that Brooklyn neighborhood famous for its transcendent Christmas light displays. The spectacle draws onlookers from around the world, and was immortalized in a truly hilarious documentary called Dyker Lights, which takes a priceless "behind-the-scenes" look at the predominantly Italian-American families during preparations for the annual festivities. (PBS will be broadcasting Dyker Lights again this year on Christmas Eve and Christmas day—it's not to be missed.) more ›

At midnight on December 2nd, 1984, twenty-seven tons of lethal gases leaked from Union Carbide’s pesticide factory in Bhopal, India, immediately killing 8,000 people and poisoning thousands of others. According to Bhopal.net, "There was no warning, none of the plant's safety systems were working. In the city people were sleeping. They woke in darkness to the sound of screams with the gases burning their eyes, noses and mouths. They began retching and coughing up froth streaked with blood. Whole neighborhoods fled in panic, some were trampled, others convulsed and fell dead. People lost control of their bowels and bladders as they ran. Within hours thousands of dead bodies lay in the streets." And the water's still poisoned! more ›

Click on the images for details on this week's new restaurants and bars, which include Baba, Ofrenda, Vintry Wine & Whiskey, and The Norry at Kampuchea—plus news on this weekend's free Ketel One Canteen, Marfa's terrific new chef, and a new menu at Aretsky’s Patroon. more ›

Despite a steady rain, thousands of people amassed at Rockefeller Center last night for the annual tree lighting event. Besides the dramatic moment when the lights go from off to on, there were performances by Aretha Franklin, Rod Stewart, Rob Thomas, Alicia Keys, Jo Dee Messina, Barry Manilow, Shakira, The Muppets, and The Roots. Photographer Katie Sokoler got a bird's-eye view from Rockefeller Center's "620 Loft & Garden," where the Canadian Tourism Commission held an invite-only event intended to lure tourists to their country... by celebrating a classic New York tradition? more ›

Graphic photos have surfaced from the recent murder on the D train. Photography student Paola Nuñez Solorio was on her way home with fellow students when Gerardo Sanchez allegedly stabbed Dwight Johnson because he wouldn't move his bag from an unoccupied seat to make room on the half-empty train. The two men did not know each other. Solorio took 120 photos during the murder, and today the Times has published four of them online. The images are very disturbing, as is Solorio's first-hand account of the murder: more ›