Unleashing our inner bitchy selves I was on my way out of St. John the Divine, on 112th Street, after a Saturday night concert when I heard a woman behind me say in a loud, distinctly annoyed tone of voice, “But I don’t understand; why don’t they allow dogs in here?” At first I was 
By Alan Chartock Cuomo will horse trade with legislators Like most of us, politicians prefer to avoid pain—they’d much prefer to take the easy route than tackle the tough issues. Here are a couple of examples. The Legislature has gone along with Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s tough fiscal regimen on its agencies and citizens. Tax caps, 
In NYC, crossing things off your cultural to-do list isn’t easy On July 16, I decided to go to an exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York, so I went online to get additional information. One particularly compelling detail emerged: the exhibition had closed July 15. I missed it. It’s a familiar
Beach tips for meeting singles Recently, my friend Elizabeth told me about a guy she had started seeing. “How did you meet him?” I wanted to know. “From work? Match.com?” When she told me she had met the man while she was on the beach at Far Rockaway, I confess I nearly dropped my drink.
Wrangling with Rangel, the elections board, redistricting and even voters Is it too late to complain about Rep. Charlie Rangel? Or the Board of Elections? Or the way people voted last month? I thought it was, given that the congressional primary election was held June 26. That night, we learned that Rangel had beaten back
Move to strip DiNapoli’s auditing power doesn’t pass smell test By Alan S. Chartock Political theorists have long raved about the advantages of balanced government. It is always best to have one independent branch looking over the shoulder of the others; balanced government helps prevent abuses. When the very popular Andrew Cuomo was elected governor, it 
Failure to protect small businesses from Second Avenue Subway construction chaos Even though it means a lifelong worry like no other, most parents say being a parent is the best thing that ever happened to them. No regrets, even if one day they become bit players in the lives of their beloved offspring, “But that 
