UC Recap – February 25 – March 2
February 25 – March 2
OMG… I just finished The Force by Don Winslow and I have now happily fallen into a Don Winslow rabbit hole reading everything from the prolific novelist. The Force is a raw, unflinching look at an elite NYPD task force based Uptown. The novel does not sugarcoat the rampant racism, corruption and malfeasance. It exposes all to sunshine, and it has rocked me to the core. While a work of fiction, the novel is based on the real gangs and undercover cops that are at war and sometimes collaborate with one another. I could not put the book down and devoured it in a matter of days.
Have you ever seen The Pineapple Diaries? The Pineapple Diaries is a comedic web series written and directed by Paloma Valenzuela. It follows four best friends from the predominantly Dominican neighborhood of Jamaica Plain in Boston as they discover themselves, each other and the absurdities of everyday life. The show has generated tons of buzz in its first two seasons. The group now needs your help to create the third season. Hit up our site for more details.
Richard Schiffman of the NY Times penned a wonderful piece on a troubled, special-needs boy from Washington Heights who found the perfect place to learn and mature at The Green Chimneys School for Little Folk, a school for special-needs children in upstate New York. Located on a farmer dairy farm, the school has helped to transform the eight-year-old child once constantly getting kicked out of school for bad behavior to a focused student who now earns A’s and B’s consistently.
I am super proud that my wife and our Wellness Editor, Eileen Z. Fuentes, made Bitch Media’s list of 18 Dominicanx Women To Know, Read, And Listen To. Uptown is well represented on that list. Shout out to Josefina Báez, Claudia De La Cruz, Amanda Alcantara and my good friend Carolina Contreras.
I have said this before and I will say it again. In my humble estimation, Mi Ranchito (1468 Saint Nicholas Ave) makes the best Mexican food Uptown, hands down. My favorite meal there is the shrimp enchiladas in green sauce. The place is not fancy but the food and the service are always on point. Hit them up ASAP.
Keep checking us out at www.uptowncollective.com.
Led Black
Editor-in-Chief
The Uptown Collective
The UC’s mission is to become “the” definitive, transformative and community-based force impacting the arts, culture, business and New York City’s overall perception of Upper Manhattan. Its objective is to reset, reboot and positively redefine Uptown’s artistic, political, cultural and business spheres via the online space as well the collective’s initiatives and functions.
