The Midtown Gazette

A Columbia Journalism School newsroom covering Midtown Manhattan in the heart of New York City.


Author: Kamakshi Ayyar
  • Renewed Attempts to Preserve “New York’s Temple of Power”

    The Interborough Rapid Transit Powerhouse might fall off the city’s historical map, unless protected.

  • Portraits from Midtown Manhattan

    Portraits from Midtown Manhattan

    The people in midtown Manhattan are as diverse as the city. Here are a few portraits of some of its characters.

  • Crowds Get Sneak Peek of the Macy’s Parade Balloons

    Macy’s began inflating their Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons in the streets around the Museum of Natural History, between 79th and 81st street, at 3 p.m. the day before the parade, drawing huge crowds. Visitors were allowed to enter the enclosure at 79th Street and make their way around the museum before exiting at the same spot.…

  • The Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting Approaches

    The 80th Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, a Norway spruce from Joseph Balku of Flanders, New Jersey, will be lit with 45,000 lights on November 28. Along with Saks Fifth Avenue’s holiday windows and the Radio City Music Hall’s Christmas Spectacular just blocks away, the Rockefeller Center tree is a staple of New York City’s holiday. Visitors…

  • Saks Unveils Holiday Windows

      Amid much fanfare, Saks Fifth Avenue revealed its legendary Christmas windows to over 100 people lined up along the sidewalk in front of the store. This year’s window theme revolves around the snowflake – with tableaus involving snow globes, snowflakes as kaleidoscopic images and a snowball fight. Earlier in the day, while the windows…

  • No Buyers for the Statue of Liberty?

    Despite stocking low-cost, outsourced goods, souvenir stores have had a rough year.

  • Voters Ask: Does My Vote Matter?

    To vote or not to vote, that is the question — and all over Midtown West, people are coming up with different answers.

  • Midtown Poll Watch

    Crowds clogged the CUNY Graduate Center polling place today, both locals who planned to vote there and displaced voters who hadn’t. A completely unscientific exit poll predicted President Obama the winner.

  • Election Day: Pennsylvania Station

      The early morning rush at Pennsylvania Station revealed a varied mix of people – some who had already voted, others who would vote later in the day and a few who just didn’t care. Jonathan Flowers, a 38-year-old Brooklyn resident and New York University scientist, 38, voted by absentee ballot, as he knew he…

  • The Aftermath of Hurricane Sandy

    Chelsea was among the neighborhoods badly hit by Hurricane Sandy. The day after the storm, residents coped with massive power cuts while trying to get back into their daily routines.   As of 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 30, there was no power south of 25th street.   The much-publicized collapse of a building façade,…

  • Elder Abuse Gets a New Online Forum

    Agencies and organizations dealing with elder abuse now have more virtual options to communicate.

  • Men in Pink: The Other Breast Cancer Patients

    Shedding light on the lesser-known form of breast cancer.

  • Beyond Pink

    Beyond Pink

    One woman walks in a pink-product fashion show, while another can’t afford treatment without help from a local financial support network. The Midtown Gazette reports on what awareness means, day to day.

  • Gauguin with the Grandparents

    Museums make access to art easier for older people with targeted tours and programs.

  • Fresh Produce Program For Seniors Launched

    Fresh Produce Program For Seniors Launched

    Council Member Gale Brewer of District 6 launched the Westside Senior Supported Agriculture (WSSA) Food Bag Program as part of her “Grow Green, Age Well” initiative. The program, the first of its kind in Manhattan, has had mixed reviews from area seniors.