New York City, as in other large cities like Los Angeles or Chicago, is a city of rooms, where many secret things occur clandestinely behind closed doors. Who knows what mysteries are even now unfolding inside the apartment in that very ordinary-looking building on the corner of 39th Street and Sixth Avenue, or even in the apartment right next door to it?
This series of photographs entitled “Rooms,” captures visits to rooms inside of places about which you may never have thought, or even if you’ve imagined what they’re like, you’ve probably never actually been there. The photographs capture a wide range of social and economic experiences in New York City, including: scenes at a garment-district sweatshop, a swingers sex club, the dressing-room in a stripper-club, a morgue in Harlem, New York City’s Office of the Mayor, the behind-the-scenes kitchen of a fancy-gourmet restaurant, super-elegant bathrooms and even a bowling alley in the basement of an art museum.
This piece includes a number of great color photographs, as well as a remarkable slide show of additional photographs.New York City, as in other large cities like Los Angeles or Chicago, is a city of... more
California punk rock band the Bronx pay tribute to another part of the state's musical heritage: mariachiCalifornia punk rock band the Bronx pay tribute to another part of the state's musical... more
Muhammad Ali and a starry crowd watched as the Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox for the first time in nine games this season, with Cabrera and Jorge Posada hitting three-run homers in New York's 13-6 victory on Thursday night.Muhammad Ali and a starry crowd watched as the Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox for the... more
Whether or not they're behind schedule, the deconstruction of the old Yankee Stadium is taking long enough for weeds, grass, and moss to grow all the way from field level to the upper deck.Whether or not they're behind schedule, the deconstruction of the old Yankee Stadium... more
Hideki Matsui homered off Jim Johnson in the ninth inning Monday night, giving the streaking New York Yankees a 2-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.Hideki Matsui homered off Jim Johnson in the ninth inning Monday night, giving the... more
The deconstruction of the old Yankee Stadium continues in the Bronx. Tom Kaminski was overhead in Chopper 880 to take these photographs on Tuesday, June 16, 2009.The deconstruction of the old Yankee Stadium continues in the Bronx. Tom Kaminski was... more
A group of diverse religious leaders is meeting at a synagogue in the Bronx where police arrested four men they say intended to blow up two Jewish temples.A group of diverse religious leaders is meeting at a synagogue in the Bronx where... more
New York City will receive $11.5 million from the Yankees in exchange for giving the team rights to sell off seats, signs and other memorabilia from their old ballpark.New York City will receive $11.5 million from the Yankees in exchange for giving the... more
How the New Yankee Stadium Turned Parks into Parking Lots
From the article>>
When the Yankees opened their new stadium and pinstriped stars like Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera ran onto the field for the first time, the cheers of delirious New York fans echoed for miles. But to environmentalists and residents in surrounding neighborhoods, a Bronx cheer seems a more appropriate response to the new Yankee Stadium project, which they say isn’t nearly green enough, grass notwithstanding.
A baseball’s throw from the storied old yard that housed the Bronx Bombers from 1923-2008, the new Yankee Stadium opened to fanfare this spring. While the park accommodates fewer spectators (52,325, including standing room), it boasts more concessionaires, restrooms and nearly double the retail space of the old haunts. There are also more luxury suites: 56 instead of 19, plus 410 “party suites.”
The high-rolling Yankees have long led the major leagues in financial clout, and New York’s new $1.3 billion home looks like a license to print money. Front-row seats sell for $2,500 each and some fans are committing to season ticket plans for as long as 10 years.
But don’t expect to see parks advocates lined up at the turnstiles. They and some of the stadium’s Bronx neighbors are furious at the Yankees and the city for building over more than 25 acres of public parkland and cutting down 377 mature trees, 70% of the local tree population in a poor area that already had a sky-high asthma rate.
“I started crying when I saw security guarding a public park that they had seized,” says Geoffrey Croft, president of New York City Park Advocates and outspoken opponent of the stadium project. “Kids were crying while they chopped down these trees with no warning whatsoever.”
Critics cite among their grievances the secretive nature of the city’s deal to allow the Yankees to pave over popular Macombs Dam and John Mullaly parks, which was negotiated and signed before the public was informed, they say. Protests and legal actions against the project were unsuccessful.
“Everybody just loves the Yankees so much that they wouldn’t even consider what the people had to say,” says Karen Argenti, a board member of the Bronx Council for Environmental Quality, which also opposed the new stadium. “There were no elected officials who would stand up for the community. It was impossible to get a fair hearing.”
As part of the deal, the Yankees and New York City promised to replace the lost open space with multiple parks that will be individually smaller but greater in total combined acreage.
The bulldozed park.
“It’s never easy letting go of a nice old park,” says Josh Laird, assistant commissioner for planning of the New York Parks Department. “Macombs Dam Park had a nice stand of mature elm trees and others. We understand why people in the community had concerns with the project. But when we’re finished, they’ll have more and better parks.”
For instance, the old Yankee Stadium will be demolished to make room for the new Heritage Field, which will contain three fields for baseball and softball. The roof of the new stadium’s parking structure will be the new seven-acre Macombs Dam Park, replete with running track, basketball courts and fitness equipment. Other parks will have tennis courts, picnic areas, play equipment and green space.
None of the new parks are yet open. Heritage Field has suffered the greatest delay, and now looks to open in 2011.
Too little, too late, say park advocates. “These people lived across the street from a park where children had a chance to play. Now they live across from a stadium and a bunch of parking lots,” says Argenti.
The new $1.3 billion Yankee Stadium.
Also maddening is the delay in tearing down the old Yankee Stadium, especially when the city’s Mets left their old park at the same time and tore down Shea Stadium...How the New Yankee Stadium Turned Parks into Parking Lots
From the article>>
When... more
While many sections have been filled, many of the best seats in the house have been vacant since the new stadium opened.While many sections have been filled, many of the best seats in the house have been... more
Full audio of John Fogerty singing "Centerfield" at regular season opening day at the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx on Thursday, April 17, 2009.Full audio of John Fogerty singing "Centerfield" at regular season opening day at the... more
The last time Yankee Stadium opened, Babe Ruth starred and the ballpark quickly became the house he built. Eighty-six years later, a new Yankee Stadium was ready to make its debut.The last time Yankee Stadium opened, Babe Ruth starred and the ballpark quickly became... more
Photographs of the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx taken by WCBS Sports Director Jared Max on Thursday, March 26, 2009.Photographs of the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx taken by WCBS Sports Director Jared... more
Photographs of the the Irish rock band U2 performing at Fordham University in the Bronx. These photographs were taken by Tom Kaminski in Chopper 880 on Friday, March 6, 2009.Photographs of the the Irish rock band U2 performing at Fordham University in the... more
The NYC Bridge Project is a program that teaches young people of color photojournalism. We got together with our students on November 4th '08, to photograph the people of Harlem, and find out how they were feeling about the historic day. What we came away with was more than we could have hoped for, and what our kids came away with that day will be with them forever.The NYC Bridge Project is a program that teaches young people of color... more
WCBS 880's Tom Kaminski took shots of the new Yankee Stadium bathed in light on Thursday, December 18, 2008. Also, check out the welcome signs up at the stadium!WCBS 880's Tom Kaminski took shots of the new Yankee Stadium bathed in light on... more
Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and Pete Wentz are the proud parents of a baby boy, and they're celebrating with some Bronx cheer.Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and Pete Wentz are the proud parents of a baby boy, and they're... more
Desperate for starting pitchers, the New York Yankees expect to enter next season without 20-game winner Mike Mussina.Desperate for starting pitchers, the New York Yankees expect to enter next season... more
Drivers in New York City won't be taking the Triborough Bridge anymore. That's because the Triborough is officially becoming the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge in a dedication ceremony Wednesday in Astoria Park, Queens.Drivers in New York City won't be taking the Triborough Bridge anymore. That's because... more
An audit by city Comptroller William Thompson found that the team had underpaid the city by $11 million over a three-year period. The team is supposed to pay the city a percentage of all revenue from tickets, parking and cable television.An audit by city Comptroller William Thompson found that the team had underpaid the... more
