
MULTISENSORY: A trip on the Staten Island Railway
Did you know that you can take a New York City subway to the end of the line, disembark, and a few steps later stand

SIGHT: The rose window at St. Mark’s Church on the equinox
At 12:52 p.m. on March 20, 2023, I’m standing on the gallery overlooking the dark, empty nave at St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery, in the East

SIGHT: Thomas McKean’s MetroCard art
Many people in New York look up as they walk around; skyscrapers are, after all, a signature of the city. But Thomas McKean looks down—not

SIGHT: Brighton Beach’s stone faces
It was a cold and rainy day in February the first time I clomped down the deserted wooden boardwalk of Brighton Beach, across the sand,

MULTISENSORY: The Ford Foundation’s Sensory Garden
There are few places I’ve been in New York City—apart, perhaps, from the city’s most socially distant spot, in the middle of the Staten

TOUCH: Pebble-roasted chestnuts in Flushing
It’s the season when Manhattan’s hot-nut pushcarts are out in force, peddling not only honey-roasted varieties from the signature flame-lettered Nuts4Nuts stands, but also whole

SOUND: Stony Creek Quarry, the source of New York City granite
Walking down any street in New York City, even a casual observer cannot help but be impressed by the varieties of granite and marble

TOUCH: Basket weaving with Staten Island’s invasive vines
One early autumn afternoon, I hiked into the woods behind Staten Island’s Greenbelt Nature Center, following a group of about ten people and a

SOUND: aNYbag’s Garment District factory
New York Times delivery bags. Martin’s Potato Rolls bags. The plastic around a six-pack of Charmin toilet paper. Narrow black-and-silver-striped bags from the wine store.