A doctor who practices in NJ with admitting privileges at New York Presbyterian Hospital. His 94-year-old mother. Her $832,453 savings. And a wall collapse in Upper Manhattan. In a case Manhattan DA Robert Morgenthau called "a mini-Astor case," Dr. Robin Motz was accused of stealing his mother's savings since 2003. Motz, who pleaded not guilty to grand larceny and money laundering, assumed power of attorney for his mother, Minnie Motz, a retired librarian. According to......

With the notable exception of Brooklyn, the Outer Boroughs are a veritable wasteland when it comes, to bánh mí, or Vietnamese sandwiches. Despite repeated forays, we've yet to find any decent versions in Queens. Those that do exist are served in restaurants, and every bánh mí fiend worth his Sriracha knows that restaurants never serve a good Vietnamese sandwich; it's simply not in their best interests to sell $3.00 entrees. As with many sandwiches, the......

Millions of people flocked to Eastern Parkway to celebrate the West Indian American Day Parade yesterday. This was the 40th year of the parade, which had floats, dancers, and bands interacting with the crowds. Many of the spectators wore or waved flags of native countries and enjoying delicious food. Many politicians marched in the parade, including Governor Spitzer and Lieutenant Governor David Paterson, who said, "This day is for everyone. Everybody is Caribbean today."......

Happy Labor Day! Today, government buildings and post offices, financial markets and banks are all closed. Alternate-side-of-the-street parking is suspended and there is no garbage or recycling collection. Mass transit is running on a Sunday schedule. There a number of events today (though we think that the West Indian American Day Carnival is the best bet) and it's also the last day of the year that city beaches and pools will be open. According to......

One of the city's biggest parades of the year, if not the largest, is tomorrow: The annual West Indian American Day Carnival. With millions in attendance and colorful sights, the parade is a Brooklyn highlight. The parade begins at 11AM and ends at 6PM. The parade route starts at Rochester & Eastern Parkway and ends near Grand Army Plaza, and there are live performance outside the Brooklyn Library. Here are tips from the West......

September 3: West Indian–American Day Carnival Some may go for the dancing and general festivities, but some of us will be headed to this celebration for the food. The Eastern Parkway service roads will be lined with stands selling dishes from throughout the Caribbean, including jerk chicken, oxtail, fried flying fish, curry goat, roti, callaloo, and more. 8am–6pm, Eastern Pkwy between Utica Ave and Grand Army Plaza Brooklyn. For more info or directions, visit wiadca.org.......

MOVIE: The new Hairspray has set up special Sing-A-Long screenings! They begin nationwide today, and there will be three right here in New York. If you don't like rowdy theaters, skip this one! All Weekend // Various Times // Regal Union Sq 14; Clearview Chelsea 9; AMC Empire 42nd 25 MUSIC: Head down to the Seaport for an evening of Billie Holiday tunes. Turntables on the Hudson will be celebrating the release of Billie Holiday......

Carlos Lezama, who founded the West Indian Carnival Parade in Brooklyn back in the 1960s, died yesterday at Kings County Hospital at 83. Lezama was born in Trinidad and had participated in the West Indian Carnival in Harlem when he immigrated to the United States. Then Lezama, along with friend Rufus Goring, brought the parade to Brooklyn. The parade has evolved from a five block affair to being the city's biggest parade. The vibrant gathering,......

David’s Brisket House is an unlikely relic on a stretch of Nostrand Avenue mostly populated by 99 cent stores and West Indian delis. The space is narrow and dated, outfitted with mirrored walls (the sort mostly reserved for adult film sets) and ceiling tiles brown with the remnants of some ancient leak. It doesn’t have the fame of Carnegie Deli or the sprawling space and hypnotic neon glow of Katz’s. The clueless tourists and......

This week's New York cover story is about Mayor Bloomberg's presidential possibilities. It's a great look at how far the Mayor has come from the dog days of 2003 when his approval ratings were in the 20-30 point range and how, somehow, many New Yorkers seem to like Mike. It’s the Tuesday after Labor Day, and Bloomberg and I are having lunch (though his idea of lunch is coffee and a slice of incinerated toast)......

Arguing over "rights" to a parking spot are common, but it's grim that some disputes have to become violent. Yesterday afternoon, a man was killed after fighting with another man over a parking spot in Brooklyn. Ricardo Sterling thought that a driver in a blue Jaguar had taken his spot near the Good Hope West Indian Restaurant on Flatbush Avenue. Sterling got into a fight with the driver and threatened him with a knife (the......

The police have arrested two men and have charged one in the murder of sanitation worker Damon Allen. Allen, who was in the news last December after catching a 4 year old from a burning building, was killed early Monday morning while leaving a party at 862 Prospect Place, Brooklyn. The police believe the shooting was random, but what's disturbing is that 50 bullets were fired during some sort of altercation. Yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg said......

Yesterday was the West Indian American Day Parade, and it was as festive as ever, especially with the gorgeous weather we had. Politicians were present - and who knew that Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Suozzi had lived in Trinidad and Tobago years ago? Newsday reports he sang "Tiney Winey." But most of all, it was the parade marchers, dancers, and perfomers and all the spectators that made the event exciting. The parade was so......

If there's a city parade, you bet it's an opportunity for politicians to get out to press the flesh. And yesterday's West Indian American Day Parade in Brooklyn was no different, with the primary showdown over the Congressional seat being vacated by Major Owens coming up next week. As it happens, the crowd in the Wyckoff Gardens Houses weren't too happy to hear Mayor Bloomberg and candidate-City Councilman David Yassky announce that $600,000 worth of......

NY1 seems to have taken Labor Day off when it comes to today's weather. Ah, well, Gothamist will try to fill-in some of the blanks. Today will be a slightly warmer version of yesterday. In other words, nice enough to make up for Saturday's wetness. Look for mostly sunny skies and a high temperature approaching 80. Perfect for the West Indian Day parade! The pleasantness doesn't last too long as rain is expected to......

It looks like a gorgeous day for the West Indian Day Carnival's parade today. The Brooklyn parade is apparently the city's largest parade, with 2 million spectators, but what's especially awesome about it is that the spectators really feel like they are part of the parade. The parade starts at Eastern Parkway and Utica, and then goes west on Eastern Parkway to Grand Army Plaza, so expect lots of street closures and celebrating! And......

New York City boasts 578 miles of coastline. But nowhere exudes that relaxed island vibe like Culpepper’s in the landlocked neighborhood of Crown Heights, Brooklyn. With a Haitian joint just half a block away and an abundance of West Indian restaurants peppering the area, the Barbadian Culpepper’s could have been lost in the Caribbean crowd. One thing that helps this corner store stand out is that it is painted a shocking yellow beneath its......

The Transport Workers Union president Roger Toussaint will kick off his ten-day jail sentence - for last December's three-day transit strike - by having a rally outside King's County Supreme Court at 4PM. Then Toussaint and his supporters - including the Reverend Al Sharpton and John J. Sweeny of the AFL-CIO - will march across the Brooklyn Bridge and head over to the Tombs, where he needs to report at 6PM. But supporters will also......

This week, planning to go explore the 116th Street stop on the 6 train, we popped out of the subway on a chilly Saturday afternoon. After a few minutes walking around, scoping some West Indian shops, talking to locals and seeing the barren marketplace under the Metro North Viaduct above Park Avenue we decided to return there in the warmer months. We will probably wait till La Marqueta Internacional opens in the summer, all......

On what was surely one of the most beautiful "last day of the summer" in recent memory, millions of people celebrated in Brooklyn at the 38th West Indian American Day Carnival and Parade. While people with roots in the Caribbean were the main participants, they weren't the only ones: The NY Times reported that "four rabbinical students donned do-rags with the colors of the Jamaican flag." And Gothamist's favorite quote comes from Newsday, where......

Mayor Bloomberg criticized federal efforts to help Hurricane Katrina victims as he also reassured New Yorkers that our Office of Emergency Management had an evacuationg plan for the city if needed. At the West Indian Day Parade yesterday, the Mayor told a crowd:The sad fact is that the vast majority of those who were left behind in New Orleans were either black or poor, or both. How could we have turned our backs on those......

Head over to Brooklyn for the West Indian Day Carnival and Parade on Eastern Parkway. The parade started 11AM, but festivities will continue until 6PM. Dancers with gorgeous costumes and wild floats will be out in full force, as well as Caribbean cooking. Plus, except to see a lot of local politicians gearing up for next week's primary. More from Newsday. And Gothamist on last year's parade.......

Xavier, Rising Star...

Over a million people headed to Brooklyn yesterday to celebrate the West Indian Day Parade, where glorious costumes, delicious food, and hot beats convened with Wyclef Jean as grand marshal. Newsday reported that Mayor Bloomberg tried to play a steel drum and Police Commissioner Kelly attempted the pan pipe; still, festivals goers had a great time, with one telling Newsday, "I am African-American, but you can call this an everybody day. It doesn't matter if......

Frances can not only move, it can remove. Hurricane Frances continues to slowly make her way toward Florida this morning. The hurricane has weakened a bit but is still a dangerous storm. Swells from the storm have started affecting south facing beaches in our area. The swells may make for interesting surfing conditions. Swells often also generate dangerous rip currents, so be careful if you're at the beach this weekend. A rip current is......

In an interesting but non-groundbreaking report, it seems that most taxi drivers are immigrants. The Times, knowing how cynical people are, points out that this is the first time real numbers have been found to back up what everyone who rides cabs knows. Taxi travel expert Bruce Schaller released a new study showing that nine out of ten drivers are immigrants, as well as other interesting facts like West Indian drivers are the biggest group......