-
1 week ago | 
thrillist.com | Hannah Berman
Othership bathhouse in New York's Flatiron | Christian RodriguezOthership bathhouse in New York's Flatiron | Christian RodriguezNew YorkTravelWellnessDespite a recent spike in sanitary skepticism and UTI rumors, chatty, crowded, and sweaty baths are trending with Gen-Z. I first heard about New York’s Russian & Turkish Baths from my friend Alp.
-
Jan 1, 2025 | 
skylight.nyc | Hannah Berman
Kathryn DeFehr lives at 205 Hicks Street, a 20-unit co-op in Brooklyn Heights that began the process of replacing its old, inefficient oil-burning boiler with electric heat pumps in 2020. DeFehr, an architect obsessed with sustainability, knew about Local Law 97 (LL97) before it passed, and used the new law as an opportunity to convince her fellow co-op board members to take the leap toward installing clean energy tech.
-
Oct 15, 2024 | 
publicseminar.org | Hannah Berman |Mat Cusick |Nicole Hemmer |Natalia Mehlman Petrzela
Artificial Intelligence Concept Collage (2024)| KitohodkA / ShutterstockEmily Nussbaum is a highly celebrated intellectual and writer. She has written for the New Yorker for several years, first as a television critic, then as a staff writer. She’s the author of I Like to Watch, a collection of essays about her television hot takes; she’s also a Pulitzer Prize–winning critic. Her newest book, Cue the Sun!: The Invention of Reality TV (Random House, 2024), was published this June to great fanfare.
-
Sep 25, 2024 | 
bkmag.com | Hannah Berman
Indie publishing has always been scrappy. This is of course by design. Many independent book imprints and literary magazines are founded in opposition to (and sometimes with contempt for) the traditional publishing scaffold, where five remaining big publishing houses dominate, resulting in a slim array of perspectives and favoring commercial viability above all else.
-
Jul 30, 2024 | 
5tjt.com | Hannah Berman
Now and then I think of myself as a real life ‘Calamity Jane’. That’s because few people can get themselves into as much trouble as I so often do. However, as of last week, thanks to my friend Rina, I have decided to relinquish my title. She is currently the real ‘Calamity Jane’. It started when Rina innocently turned on her microwave oven and was unpleasantly surprised to discover that it did not turn on.
-
Jul 29, 2024 | 
bkmag.com | Hannah Berman
On opening night at Desert 5 Spot, I’m standing at the bar waiting for my “Dropkick Me, Jesus” cocktail when I decide to compliment the tall blonde woman to my left on her cowboy hat. “I like your hat,” I say. “Oh, this?” she says, grimacing. “This,” she tells me, is her backup hat — she accidentally left her real ($900) hat at her cabin. The hat she’s currently wearing is so cheap that she would let someone burn a cigarette on it, she explains.
-
Jul 9, 2024 | 
5tjt.com | Hannah Berman
Nothing in life is better than a little humor. At least that’s the way I see it. I enjoy laughing and I like to have fun. Writing has always been fun for me. It saves me from having to pay for therapy. If I write, I don’t need pills or a therapist to lighten my mood. It also helps me at night. If I can’t sleep at night, I just get up and write. I am far from perfect so I sometimes rely on a thesaurus and use a dictionary to help me with spelling.
-
Jun 29, 2024 | 
bkmag.com | Hannah Berman
It’s Saturday afternoon in Carroll Gardens and every seat in the newly-opened Liz’s Book Bar is taken. At the bar, people sit reading books, both hardcover and on Kindle; at tables, duos and groups chatter about what to read next for their book clubs. Three women pose for a picture wearing shirts proclaiming themselves as “BOOKWORMS.”And behind the bar, novelist and owner Maura Cheeks is pouring drinks. It’s been a busy year for Cheeks.
-
Jun 26, 2024 | 
5tjt.com | Hannah Berman
For several months I had been kvetching about the Hollywood elite —specifically Jews—who had not spoken out in support of Israel. Mea culpa! Apparently I was unaware that indeed there have been many who have spoken out and shown support for Israel. Every Jew should be on board with Israel and should openly say so. And it is celebrities who have the ability to reach a great many people.
-
May 22, 2024 | 
bkmag.com | Hannah Berman
Up on the second floor of Building 6 in Industry City, a grouping of small distilleries spills out onto a central corridor. Most are bright and inviting, with live music and the bustle of laughter; only one business has opted instead for a dark, almost hidden entryway, lit by an quasi-religious glow. Bitter Monk, a newcomer to Industry City that opened in March, is the alchemistic little brother of Sugar Monk, a serious, artful cocktail bar way uptown in Harlem.
