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Four Questions With Rocco DiSpirito

For the last few years, celebrity chef and television personality Rocco DiSpirito has hosted Dine Around Downtown: Cooking at Home Edition, a virtual series featuring chefs from Lower Manhattan restaurants who cook up signature recipes and share...

Four Questions With Rocco DiSpirito

Four Questions With Rocco DiSpirito

For the last few years, celebrity chef and television personality Rocco DiSpirito has hosted Dine Around Downtown: Cooking at Home Edition, a virtual...

Get to Know the Man With the Shears at Mike’s Barber Shop

Get to Know the Man With the Shears at Mike’s Barber Shop

Mike’s Barber Shop (29 John Street) is the kind of welcoming, nondescript spot that Lower Manhattan commuters depend upon to keep those sideburns...

‘You Kind-Of Get Used to These Situations’: How O’Hara’s Continues to Survive in the COVID Era

‘You Kind-Of Get Used to These Situations’: How O’Hara’s Continues to Survive in the COVID Era

In 1992, O’Hara’s Pub survived a devastating fire that necessitated a six-and-a-half-month-long gut renovation. In 2001, the attacks on September...

‘We Just Went From Being Very Conscious to Ultra-Conscious’: a Day in the Life of a Sanitation Worker During COVID

‘We Just Went From Being Very Conscious to Ultra-Conscious’: a Day in the Life of a Sanitation Worker During COVID

Work hasn’t slowed down one bit for Anthony Paolicelli, a sanitation worker whose route takes him through Lower Manhattan. If anything, the...

The Go-to Ramen Outpost That’s Been Serving Downtown Through COVID-19

The Go-to Ramen Outpost That’s Been Serving Downtown Through COVID-19

Krit “Ahm” Sukarom has been the manager at Kuu Ramen (20 John Street) for more than five years. He’s used to chatting with customers amid the...

How an Indian Restaurant Kept Afloat With Delivery Orders From Abroad

How an Indian Restaurant Kept Afloat With Delivery Orders From Abroad

Last year, when brothers Atin and Aankit Malholtra pivoted from careers in the corporate and banking worlds and took over the Indian restaurant...

‘I Wanted to Get Some Business, and Get My People Working’: Carlos Correa on Reopening El Toro

‘I Wanted to Get Some Business, and Get My People Working’: Carlos Correa on Reopening El Toro

When the pandemic hit New York in March, Carlos Correa shut down El Toro Mexican Grill, his popular restaurant at 69 New Street. Eventually, he...

‘Everyone’s a Little More Patient With Each Other,’ Says PATH Train Engineer

‘Everyone’s a Little More Patient With Each Other,’ Says PATH Train Engineer

Elena Clarke’s job is to make sure people get where they need to go. She’s a PATH engineer, and she’s been working all through the...

‘Our Store Has Become More Than a Deli’: Inside the 24-Hour Cafe De Novo

‘Our Store Has Become More Than a Deli’: Inside the 24-Hour Cafe De Novo

In pre-COVID times each transaction at Cafe de Novo (94½ Greenwich St) took about 10 seconds. “We really had a ‘New York minute’ mentality,”...

‘Die-Hard Customers Look in Their Closets For Stuff to Fix’: Minas Shoe Repair During COVID

‘Die-Hard Customers Look in Their Closets For Stuff to Fix’: Minas Shoe Repair During COVID

Minas Shoe Repair (63 Wall Street) closed three months ago in response to the pandemic, and customers have since seemed to miss cobbler Asimenia...

‘I Could Pull Through 9/11,’ Says Longtime Restaurateur, ‘I Do Not Want to Close Now’

‘I Could Pull Through 9/11,’ Says Longtime Restaurateur, ‘I Do Not Want to Close Now’

The last few months have not been business as usual for Manveen Singh, owner of Tandoor Palace at 88 Fulton Street. “We have about 10 to 15% as...

As the City Reopens, New Yorkers Like Al Wright Are Starting to Process the COVID Era

As the City Reopens, New Yorkers Like Al Wright Are Starting to Process the COVID Era

“This thing had me scared, I'm not gonna lie to you,” Al Wright, a maintenance technician for Battery Park City Authority’s Parks Operation...