The tallest hotel in North America, right around the corner

marriott-central-park

Pixafy’s office, where I work, is located at 53rd and 7th in New York.  Right down Broadway (which also runs by our office) is a brand new combination Courtyard by Marriott and Residence Inn (the Residence Inn rooms are on the higher floors). It also happens to be the tallest hotel in North America. Continue reading

Working in New York: The salad days.

deli-salad

While in college and for awhile thereafter, there was a good chunk of time where I was all about the salad bar at the local supermarket (and occasionally the campus cafeteria as well).  Twice a week, and sometimes more, I’d head over and put together a decently-sized salad with a lot of goodies. Then work became more travel, working in places where Stop & Shop wasn’t convenient, and that began to fall off. Sure, there were places like Au Bon Pain, but it wasn’t really the same for me. Continue reading

The Magic Garden returns to WPIX for one evening

magic-garden-christmas

WPIX, channel 11 in New York City, had a long, proud history of being an independent station with locally-produced programming and various branding evolutions. When the WB came into existence in the mid-90s, it affiliated with that network until it merged with UPN to become the CW, and it currently airs CW programming. Continue reading

Thoughts on Metro-North’s latest problems

metro-north-waitPassengers await an “extra” Metro-North train as it pulls up to a crowded platform in Stamford this morning.

Wednesday morning, Metro-North had its latest problem strike when a feeder line powering a portion of the lower New Haven Line fail, eliminating all electric service into Grand Central Terminal. The resulting changes that have followed have been limited, challenging and at times frustrating.  Yet it also shows an agency that manages to work through yet another emergency with some pretty skillful and creative strategies. Continue reading

Bad Metro-North reporting, bad handling of follow-up

Having worked at newspapers for a good chunk of my life, I certainly take the business of journalism seriously, and especially the slow and steady march to online journalism (although, having done page production, it makes me a bit sad that layout may go away at some point).

As a technologist, I applaud unique efforts on websites, and as a former copy editor I cringe at bad missteps.  Today, a series of steps led me to a cringe-worthy moment, and a potential ethical issue. Continue reading

People’s United banking on growth in New York

When my family first moved to Connecticut, we signed up for accounts at People’s Bank in Bridgeport. We ended up there solely because my father, who had moved up to the state a few months before, got an account there.  Going on 20 years later, the now-renamed People’s United Bank, excepting a brief, horrid flirtation with Fleet (now Bank of America) when I was in college), has been my steady,long-term relationship of a bank. Continue reading