The Never Ending Gift

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Oven-baked, filled with raisins, glazed orange peels,pockets of lemon cream, soft and delicious, and at times, NUTTY! ‘Tis the season for Panettone as soon as Thanksgiving leftovers leave the fridge.

Bring your aunt Wilma a holiday gift that will sit under the Christmas tree until the garbage man hauls it away. It is a sad reality: a gift widely given, but one that is not always received so eagerly. Just the other day I watched a Panettone sit at a holiday party in all of its dry-fruited glory. While smiles were exchanged and empty social gestures of thanks were made for this wonderful contribution, pieces of the cake were slowly torn off. Meanwhile, you mumble under your breath that you’d just rather have the cannolis.

Its not quite fruit cake, even though technically, it is- but it’s much more than just a dessert. Gifts and greetings are almost as abundant as the number of Panettone boxes that you can find in store-front after store-front in New York City. Pastel pink, yellow, blue, even brown, there are many different varieties of this dessert.
The city is filled with wonderful baked goods, and the Panettone is one that is very hit or miss despite their ubiquity. But the fact is that people buy them because it looks like a gift ready to be given. Every year, thousands of these red ribboned boxes fly off the shelf because you know anyone will be happy to receive a colorful and sweet gift – even if it means having dry candied orange peels in one’s coffee.

The popular dessert originally from Milan, Italy is enjoyed worldwide and can be found almost everywhere here in New York. See the map below for places Ive been to and recommend for good Panettone. The price for one cake ranges between $2.99 and upwards of $20. But from authentic pastry shops in the Bronx to midtown stores like Jack’s 99c Store in Manhattan, you can be sure to find a version of this traditional holiday dessert.

 


View Panettone in NYC in a larger map

Contemporary Artist Hyungsub Shin Continues His Work Despite Challenges

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Hyungsub Shin’s artwork has most often been described as “beautiful.” Whether his sculptures are an 8-foot-long wall hanging of entangled grass roots or a giant corn cob, the viewer is compelled to approach closely and examine every detail.

In an art culture defined by what is most shocking and politically-minded, Shin has focused on creating contemporary art that is both well crafted, conceptual and visually pleasing.

Shin’s sculptures are mostly inspired by grassroots, ivy roots, or Bonsai trees but sometimes he draws from the patterns he finds on roads and maps.

Patrick Regan, executive director of Crossing Art in Flushing, Queens, said Shin’s work is a departure from the approach of many Asian contemporary artists.

“Unfortunately contemporary art is almost a dirty word,” Regan said. “For so many years people were looking for something that is edgy or almost discordant or very jarring colors with controversial subjects, and you wonder, how can beautiful work be appreciated?”

Shin said that it is difficult for a lot of popular Korean artists to come to New York, not only because the lifestyle is more expensive but because Korean art that is appreciated in Seoul is not necessarily bought in America.

“With Americans it’s not a consideration of well-finished work, it’s more considered for its philosophical issues,” Shin explained. “It’s considered more for what it’s saying than how it looks.”

Shin said artists are struggling now more than ever and he is not an exception. Since the financial crisis began he has found that people who used to stop by the studio from time to time to shop won’t make a visit at all. Shin rents the studio space for $450 as one of three artists who share it. Now that one of the artists is moving out Shin is struggling to find an artist to take her place so that he won’t have to make up the difference.

“$50,000 after tax would be a great amount to make,” Shin said. “Then I can pay for my studio and home bills and material and maybe even an assistant.”

Shin said he does not regret the decision to become an artist. “This is what I love to do. I can’t go back now.”

 

 

The Last Goodbye

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When driving north to leave the city on the Bronx River Parkway, just passing Gun Hill Road in the North Bronx, the rolling hills and quiet beauty of the Woodlawn Cemetery accompany the way.

Founded during the third year of the Civil War, the Woodlawn Cemetery was designed as a “rural cemetery,” a product of the Romantic Era. Throughout the years it has managed to remain so, and has become an oasis of art, history and ecology in the midst of a growing city.

In the words of Edward Streeter, writer of “The story of the Woodlawn Cemetery,” “to pass through its great entrance gates into the tree shaded roads is like entering another world.” Continue reading →

Atheists at Christmas

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It’s a wonderful life, and for atheists, that’s reason enough to celebrate during the holiday season.

I sat in on a meeting of the New York City Atheists and heard their thoughts about being an unbeliever during a season during which many celebrate miracles. Some of the highlights are included in the following short slideshow. Enjoy, and happy holidays.

Special thanks to Tristan Hallman.

Pinball in New York

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Early in December Le Chéile, a newly-opened restaurant in Washington Heights, hosted its first annual pinball competition. It drove in nearly 100 participants who vied for a grand prize of over $2500. Many of the competitors comprised the small, yet strong community that has persevered and kept pinball alive today with regular tournaments and leagues. Not all of the players at Le Chéile were hardcore “silver-ballers,” but all agreed on one thing: pinball is back on the rise.