New York Today: More Snow on the Way

WINTER IMAGE The little girl fell into the river And struggled to stay afloat Thrashing about and desperately screaming But dragged down by her coat. The runners and joggers all watched in horror Along the river bank Then sprang into action with their smartphones And shot her as she sank.

Here's the thing about lights that change early for pedestrians and bicycles. When I am driving, I notice those lights change and almost start hitting the gas pedal, and at the last second I realize I still have a red light.

I would guess "snowgie" is short for Snow?...Gee!

Whatever is with this desire to rename our neighborhoods with sterile faceless characterless phony constructs? Gentrification is happening no matter the area's name. Each corner of the city has an interesting history, a past with all that implies - waves of different people, many social, cultural and economic traits, always changing. Why erase that?

What a great day-another great New York Today column and a song and(!) choreography by Freddie!!

I had to keep on reading to find out what a 'snowgie' is -- and I still don't know... Has anyone out there got any clues??? Thanks.

TS Elliot was not wrong when he opined "April is the cruelest month".

I don’t have clear favorite weather news coverages in this column (there have been some truly amazing climate articles from all the years on NY Today), but what a flat-out entertaining weather riff today!, ranking near the top. Like “put on a mitten and pat yourself on your back” – this kind of feels like it should morph into a big sing-and-dance number for the Radio City holiday spectacular, or even the local church’s pageant. As I sit here researching the Trump Act effect on large computer acquisitions, I’m visualizing the choreography – The Rockettes in a circle first patting the back of the Rockette ahead of them with their mittens, turning and patting the back on the other side, then in perfect Rockette unison reaching over their own shoulders trying to pat their own backs; then they get in their trademark Rockettes line downstage and behind them a multi-cultural row of Santas appears... (I promise, boss, if you’re reading this: I won’t bill the taxpayer whose return I’m working on now for this time!)

"(The [SoHa] nickname may also not chart high on the cleverness scale, as SoHa has been used for various blocks and businesses around nearby Columbia University for years.)" Could that be the reason why the realtors are using it? The name is a superficial issue. It is in the nature of things in NY to change. As the article notes, Harlem was settled by the Dutch. In the early 20th century, non-black groups such as the Jews lived there before many African Americans migrated there to escape conditions in the South. My father lived in Harlem for part of his childhood and my mother grew up on Morningside Avenue, the west border of South Harlem. It was extremely dangerous. Although as a kid in the 1960s I roamed by myself all day in my Outer Borough neighborhood, & starting around 9 was allowed to take the subway on my own to various areas, including Harlem, I was never permitted to enter Morningside Park by myself because of the crime. I never wanted to live in Harlem because of the segregation it represented. A man who grew up in my maternal grandparents' building told me that he and his brother wanted to be the first members of their family not to live in Harlem. He moved to the UES. It is indeed disorienting to walk the old streets & see bustling restaurants with people of all races & white people on the street. Morningside Park is beautiful & safe now. But the problem is not the name. The problem is the disparity in opportunity for whites & blacks.

So "Cyclists will be given a seven- to 11-second head start before cars at 50 intersections around the city as part of a pilot program." That's a laugh. Most don't even slow down at red lights and treat pedestrians like pylons in an obstacle course.