Every year, rain or shine, and sometimes in freezing November weather, the ING New York City Marathon attracts people from around the world to run through the five boroughs of. Every year, day or night, the locals come out in support of the runners, even for those who finish late, sometimes late into the night, and stand on sidewalks littered with paper Gatorade cups and squashed Gu packs. Every year, runners are cheered on even well after 8 hours of an arduous physical journey, determined to reach the finish line.
The Brooklyn Flea Market in Fort Greene, Brooklyn is a favorite weekend destination for both locals and tourists alike. The the market, which runs through Saturday, Nov. 19, is marketed on its website as “part vintage bazaar, part hipster hang, part old-fashioned town square, and part food bonanza.”
But spending Saturdays as a vendor at the flea market isn’t always an ideal job. Not only does a vendor’s income depend directly on what people are willing to buy, their jobs require early rising, heavy lifting, and regular standoffs against mother nature.
Eddie and His Antiques
Eddie sits on one a piece of antique furniture that he has for sale, waiting for someone to show interest in his merchandise.
Eddie, 56, is a Long Beach, NY native who has vended his antique products at the Fort Greene flea market since the market opened. He has seen the market evolve, and as the economy worsens he finds himself bringing less and less expensive items to the flea. The most satisfying moment for Eddie? “When I get that cash in my hand.” Eddie Selling His Antique Typewriter Table Ambi by CStreich
Anthony Franck the Carpet Seller
Anthony Franck stands among his carpets.
Anthony Franck, 54, of Bed-Sty spends his weeks working as a master carpenter and a mason. But the Bed-Sty resident said construction work has been slow recently, and he is happy to be able to make some extra cash by selling carpets at the flea market. Plus, Franck said, spending a beautiful day at the flea market beats laying sheet rock in a basement.
Patrick "Monkey" Chirco discusses the difficulties faced by flea vendors.
Patrick “Monkey” Chirico, 28, is a true businessman. The Williamsburg resident uses the flea market to “prototype” his product, getting feedback from the customers. Chirico spends his weeks making connections and marketing his business, WRecords by Monkey, which sells jewelry, notebooks, and other items that are made from old records.
Brady and Kowalski’s Typewriters, The Soundtrack of the Flea
Brady and Kowalski encourages flea market visitors to try out their typewriters.
Just across from Eddie and his antiques is the Brady and Kowalski booth vending antique typewriters. It’s hard to miss the regular sound of the keys hitting the paper as flea market visitors stop to test out the machines. Brooklyn Flea: Typewriter Ambi by CStreich
Six vendors in Times Square chat briefly about who they are and how they came to work at the ‘Crossroads of the World’ — relying on the over 26 million annual tourists as a source of income… and intrigue.
Each character is unique, yet they all cite a sour economy as the impetus for braving the elements outdoors to sell tickets for bus tours and comedy shows, original art and photography.
They all share the ability to engage with others and genuinely enjoy the hundreds of brief interactions with people from around the world every day of the year.
Here are six quick conversations with Carlos, Cureel, Fernando, Joel, Roderique and Saylor.
Carlos //This is Carlos. He sells graffiti adorned clothing and other original pieces of art. Listen as his discuses his inspirations and broader passions he one day hopes to pursue.
Cureel //Meet Cureel, a student from Russia who is using his passion for photography to make money on the side while he studies in New York.
Fernando //Fernando is an interesting character. He’s a Veteran and has traveled quite extensively, so its little wonder why he gravitated toward the tourism industry for a source of income.
Joel //Joel greets guests with a furry hat upon his head and a giant smile across his face.He loves comedy and found selling tickets to tourists a perfect employment outlet… thanks to Craigslist.
Roderique //Roderique is West African immigrant who helps facilitate bus tours in the heart of Times Square. He’s currently in school to acquire a professional trade.
Saylor //Saylor was forced into finding a job by his girlfriend, but he’s happy she did. He says that even after 20 years of steady employment, he’s enjoying this foray into selling comedy show tickets and interacting with many different people.
For years, many parishioners have been leaving the Roman Catholic Church in the US, but the Catholic denomination still remains as the largest Christian denomination. Still, the Vatican has tried a number of different ways to reclaim its former followers and improve its image in the world, such as openly discussing and apologizing for the Church’s sexual abuse cases. Continue reading →
With their generators confiscated by firefighters, protesters are left with only thoughts and guitars and conga drums and any other impromptu materials fit for banging on. They are street musicians awash in their own sweat and dirt beating, strumming and singing on in the Financial District. Some serenade crowds of tourists and demonstrators with protest music, singing about the atrocities committed on Wall Street, while other “performers” are merely expressing themselves. For the most part though, it seems that Zuccotti musicians are either drawn there by the large audience, or they are there to bang on something. Either way, passersby are sure to find a panoply of styles and beats from “artists” marching to their own drums.
Anton Cipriani, 35, has been playing the drums since he was a little kid. Although, he claims, he is no “big shot,” Cipriani plays because it affords him some release. And, he says, while people are not discussing relevant situations, this offers a percussive venue for stress release.
For a four hundred yard stretch of Plumb Beach, a few yards of sand and sandbags is all that stands between the Belt Parkway and the lapping waters of Jamaica Bay.
Plumb Beach, a half mile of coast on the North Shore of the Rockaway Inlet, stands as the last line of defense between the water and the major thoroughfare of the Shore Parkway. Since 2009, erosion has been a major issue for the strip of beach. Though restoration is necessary, actual steps for action have dragged since that time.
The delay is due to the involvement of too many public agencies. Plumb Beach is part of Gateway National Park, so the beach is under both federal and city jurisdiction.
However kids playing on the beach recall such a time for Hoyt, who hopes that Plumb Beach can achieve its former glory. Hope for Plumb Beach? by KateTrafecante
Children play on the dwindling shore of Plumb Beach.
Although #Occupy Wall Street has been gathering momentum since it began nearly three months ago, the recent snowstorm and the ill-timed confiscation of generators and gasoline raises the question of how determined the demonstrators are to continue the occupation.
I went to Zuccotti on Nov. 5 around 7 p.m., to find out how the demonstrators are keeping their spirits and temperatures high.
There was a religious service of sorts going on when I arrived, with demonstrators singing in unison.
The man leading the service described himself as a yogi, and encouraged those gathered around the Zuccotti sacred space to engage in service and participate in the General Assembly in which demonstrators discuss the future of the movement.
Next I spoke with Josh Ehrenberg, 20, who described himself as a “full-time occupier.” He describes the situation during and after the storm, and expresses his disappointment with the “comfort station”, where occupiers go for clothes, blankets, and other increasingly necessary comforts.
Ehrenberg was one of a few people taking turns on one of two bike-powered generators on the east side of the park. Here we have some audio of a woman peddling one of the bikes while some repair work is done on the other. A child wanted in on the action, but isn’t quite old enough yet.
Recai Iskender, a former diplomat, described his experience during the storm, as well as his determination to stick it out at Zuccotti no matter how bad the weather gets.
Since the movement began, images and analysis of the Wall Street protests have inundated newspapers, online news, and the evening news,and the attention has been exponentially growing larger. As of Nov. 2nd, there were over 130 headlines about the Wall Street protesters across the country, according to Google News search results.
But what is the media saying about these protesters? What is the image being portrayed? This image cloud represents a sampling of adjectives and phrases used in headlines on Nov 2nd from NBC, the Wall Street Journal, the Christian Science Monitor, Huffington Post, and various blogs. Continue reading →
In New York, almost half of the population was born overseas. For these adopted New Yorkers, the idea of “home” is divided between “here” and “there”. So, now that they live in the capital media of the world, how do they keep up to speed with what’s going on thousands of miles away?
We found three of this 4-odd million individuals and let their accents talk us through how they learn about “home.” Continue reading →
