CUNY Interactive Journalism

On September 10, 2010, Hercules Kontogiannis opened his first restaurant in a location that has zero cold storage and could easily be mistaken for a walk in closet. The eatery is one of few in the area. It is nestled on a block where restaurants are closed before the business name can be changed on Google Maps: I know, I’ve looked. The less-than-ideal location didn’t turn Kontogiannis away. There was a demand for a restaurant in the neighborhood so Kontogiannis took a chance. He says his restaurant will be the one that stays because his business strategy – and food – is a little unique; it’s out of the box.

Business Out the Box from Kahliah Laney on Vimeo.

By Geoff Decker

Business has been good for Metro Bed Bug Dogs, a small extermination company in New York City that specializes in sniffing out and eradicating bed bug infestations. Two years ago, the company invested heavily in its most prized asset: a 20 lb. rat terrier named Chopper. Bed bug sniffing dogs are a new weapon in the war against the resurgent bloodsuckers and Chopper’s good work is paying back big dividends for his owners, earning more than $1200 per residential visit.

At the The 25th Annual Coney Island Tattoo and Motorcycle Show, ink, engines and outlandish performances come together for a celebration of alternative culture.

(more…)

Set against the backdrop of New York City’s historic, often secretive military fort, the 3rd annual Governor’s Island Art Fair took over the former barracks of the enlisted men.  The once restricted island is open to the public for outdoor activities, historic tours and public art like this weekend’s extensive exhibition.

Over 100 artists had their own rooms within the apartments to transform.  The installations they created ranged from neat rows of framed pictures to full transformations of the spaces, complete with multimedia imaging.  See the video for a quick trip to Governor’s Island and a glimpse into the art and artists of the 4 heads Art Fair.

Armed with Art: The New Platoon at Governor’s Island from Bianca Seidman on Vimeo.

With a piercing whistle Michael Alicea sends his flock airborne, filling the air above his Bushwick roof with hundreds of flapping pigeons. The birds fly in unison, cutting a wide arc through the sky as they circle above Alicea’s two large pigeon coops. It’s a hot Sunday morning and in the distance other pigeon keepers have let their birds take flight. Way out, over the Williamsburg skyline, a flock of pigeons are circling another roof. With the sunlight glimmering off their feathers, the pigeons look like silver darts as they swoop and twist through the air.

Alicea hopes some of those pigeons will drift away from their coops and fly over his roof. He has his birds ready. They’ll surround the lost pigeon, closing ranks and confusing the bird until it thinks it’s one of the flock. Alicea will then call his pigeons down to the roof and grab the rival bird, locking it in his coop. The bird’s ankle band — every pigeon keeper has their own color — will be hung alongside dozens of others strung up like tiny plastic trophies on a pigeon coop wall.

Welcome to the world of tiplets, homers and pigeon mumblers. Welcome to the Brooklyn pigeon wars.

The Pigeon Wars of Brooklyn from Jonathan Vit on Vimeo.

An unexpected tonado left parts of Queens in ruins Thursday night as high speed winds brought down trees and sent debris flying. Houses and cars in the neighborhood sustained significant damage and thousands were left without power.

This is the opening weekend of the Amazing Maize Maze, a 3-acre interactive corn maze in the Queens County Farm Museum that will run until November. Visitors have to find clues and complete puzzles in order to make their way out of the maze. The farm, which dates back to 1697, aims at educating visitors in sustainable agriculture.

Better Audio Version:

Coney Island USA hosted its 25^th Annual Tattoo and Motorcycle Show Sunday night, drawing ink enthusiasts and interested gawkers alike. The tattoo competition categories included Best Color, Best Black and White, Best Tribal, Best Back and Best Butt, which—strangely enough—had nothing to do with tattoos whatsoever. To see some of the winners and get a feel for the scene, check out the video below.

As a national event that anyone can organize if they follow certain codes of conduct, PirateCon is an informal gathering that fosters pirate community. The event’s location is kept secret until the day of, and continues on into the day throughout various locations in the city.

NB: All subjects interviewed only talk in “pirate”.

PirateCon Snapshot from Ichi Vazquez on Vimeo.

San Gennaro’s Feast is going on now in Little Italy, for the 84th year. It is New York City’s longest-running, biggest and most respected religious outdoor festival in the US. It has undergone cultural change over the past years, not only has the fair attracted a wide diversity of people, but the food vendors have adapted from selling traditional Italian food (canoli and pizza) to new American crazes (fried oreos and wheatgrass shots).

San Genarro: A [Multicultural] Italian Tradition from chase lindsay rosen on Vimeo.