March 9, 2011 Print E-mail
Tuesday, March 08, 2011

Botánicas: The Business of the Sacred

Photos by Mark Manley, Aracelis Diamantis and Debralee Santos

Maria Teresa, her drawn face deeply creased, never forgets her obligations to San Lázaro.

She tucks into the small storefront called Botanica, nestled beside a health clinic and a deli on Audubon Avenue. The door opens into a tiny, riotously colorful shop filled with the heady scent of incense, shelves lined with long pillar candles, and many, many images and depictions of San Lázaro.

Community leaders discuss education issues, projected layoffs in Washington Heights and Inwood

Education Forum

City Council Member Robert Jackson was part of an educational panel that discussed projected education budget cuts during a forum hosted by the Barack Obama Democratic Club on Feb. 28. PHOTO: Gloria Pazmiño

Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s recent proposal to slash as many as 6,000 teaching positions and make dramatic cuts to daycare has local parents, teachers, and local activists worried about the ripple effect the cuts will have on local children, families, and education.


Program helps high school students reach goals

Daniel Rosado and Lisa Grier, both 18, graduated high school through the Young Adult Borough Center, a city-wide program designed for students who are at risk of not receiving a high school diploma due to missing credits, or who are considering dropping out.

Lisa Grier and Daniel Rosado, both 18, accomplished what at one time they thought almost impossible: they graduated high school, both with high grades and a renewed curiosity for learning, education, and the determination to reach new goals.


1-train to be suspended over weekend of March 11-14

Service on the 1-train line will be suspended from 168th Street to 242nd Street and 96th Street to 137th Street from 11:30 p.m. on Fri., March 11 through 5 a.m. on Mon., March 14.

The downtown 1-train will continue to make stops between 137th Street and 168th Street.


Il Sole agrees to close sidewalk café earlier in evening

Il Sole

Il Sole restaurant, the lone eatery on Dyckman Street west of Broadway to resist closing its sidewalk café at 10 p.m. instead of later, finally agreed to comply after the City Council’s Land Use Committee voted against its license.


See “The Adjustment Bureau” and get a free glass of wine at New Leaf

If you watch the movie “The Adjustment Bureau,” which opened Fri., March 4, you’ll see a scene that was filmed in New Leaf Restaurant & Bar in Ft. Tryon Park. To commemorate the restaurant’s star turn alongside actors Matt Damon and Emily Blunt, New Leaf patrons who bring their ticket stubs from the movie will receive a free glass of wine with purchase of lunch or dinner.

The offer is good through March.

 


Budget cuts may close three Inwood and Marble Hill senior centers

Senior Centers

(From left) City Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, State Senator Adriano Espaillat, and Assembly Member Guillermo Linares rallied with senior citizens against proposed budget cuts that would shutter three of four senior centers in Inwood and Marble Hill on Fri., March 4 in front of RAIN Inwood  Senior Center.

A proposed cut of $25 million to the state budget could lead to some senior centers in Northern Manhattan having to close in the next two to three months. Among the 105 senior centers proposed to close city wide, three are in the Inwood and Marble Hill communities.

The budget cuts could close Marble Hill Senior Center, Dyckman Senior Center, and RAIN Inwood Senior Center.

 


Gang awareness workshop scheduled for March 15

The 34th Police Precinct, in partnership with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, will host a gang workshop geared to educating parents about the red flags they should be aware of that may signal their children are involved in gangs.

The Tue., March 15 workshop comes on the heels of increased reports of youth crime and violence.


Good food and comfort at Charlie’s

Charlie Hatzis is the owner of Charlie’s Café & Grill, a new comfy neighborhood spot. 

A Polaroid picture hangs on the wall along with good luck dollar bills, and the necessary license signage. On the Polaroid is an image of a young and smiling Charlie, holding up a restaurant menu. “This was my first job in the industry,” he gleams. “Started young, been doing it all my life.”


Worldwide architecture competition focuses on High Bridge in Washington Heights

“Ripple Effect,” designed by a group of architects from Philadelphia, won the first place prize for the redesign of the High Bridge. The model featured a waterfall and rain water pools. 

Northern Manhattan is rich with architectural wonder. We boast examples of this from the Art Deco buildings of Inwood to the tip of the Cloisters, to Audubon Park Historic District, and all the other structures in between.


A soggy day for shamrocks

The lead runners in the Coogan’s Salsa, Blues, and Shamrocks race climb the final hill before the home stretch. PHOTO: Mike Fitelson

The weather only partly behaved during the 13th annual Coogan’s Salsa, Blues, and Shamrocks race Sun., March 6. The temperature was a mild 50 degrees, great for running in the morning hours, but a steady rainfall tried to dampen spirits. But the 5,370 runners who finished the 5K weren’t deterred, nor the youngsters who competed in the kids’ fun runs later in the morning.


Spring Awakening: One in Four

March arrives.

Strain a bit, and even as the bitter frost of morning rises wearily to greet you, you will hear, should you seek it, a note of birdsong. You will, amid the mottled piles of grey snow, spot a tiny bud of green.


A Small Business Fair to build a better community

As a small business owner in Northern Manhattan and the associate publisher of the Manhattan Times, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked questions like these:

  • Do you know a good (Web designer/graphic artist/day care center/accountant/office cleaner/etc.)?
  • How do I start/incorporate my business?
  • Where can I host a meeting?
  • How can I save money on my utilities?
  • I hate going to the Post Office – where can I get an affordable P.O. Box?
  • Where can I find temporary employees?

    The importance of phonics for English language learners

    contributed by Michael Gold

    Spanish-speaking students trying to learn English in the early grades need to spend more time working on phonics. Phonics is the “the system of relationships between letters and sounds in a language,” says PBS.kids.org.


    UC Recap - February 28 – March 5

    February 28 – March 5

    We began the week with the sad news that the New Caporal Fried Chicken and Shrimp (3772 Broadway) is no longer with us. It was all very sudden and grieving Uptowners commemorated by reading Claudio E. Cabrera’s heartfelt Ode to Caporal which was prophetically penned nearly a year ago.


 

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