Viewing NYC Articles Categorized Under Profiles

[WATCH] Amazing Inwood Man Snuck Into Vietnam During the War to Bring Beer to His Friends

2025-12-20T12:00:00-05:00

Pabst Blue Ribbon recently created this video retelling the amazing story of how Inwood's John "Chickie" Donohue snuck a few cases of PBR into Vietnam during the war in 1968 to bring beer to his buddies.

At a time when the Vietnam War was at its height, one man, John "Chickie" Donohue, snuck back into the war zone to find his 3 closest friends and buy them a beer. Crazy or caring, Chickie gave his friends more than beer, he gave them hope. Hope that helped each one safely return home when the war was over. Now, 47 years later, the group is reunited to relive the greatest beer run ever.

Incredible.

The post [WATCH] Amazing Inwood Man Snuck Into Vietnam During the War to Bring Beer to His Friends appeared first on Viewing NYC

[VIDEO] Meet Imad Khachan, Owner of the Last Chess Shop in New York City

2025-06-07T12:00:00-04:00

King of the Night is a fantastic short film from Lonelyleap that gives a touching profile of Imad Khachan, owner of the last chess shop in New York City: Chess Forum in Greenwich Village. Check it out!

“I came here to get a PhD in American literature, and here I am, with pictures of American writers on the wall—a chess vendor.”

That’s Imad Khachan, owner of Chess Forum, the only remaining chess shop in New York City. A Palestinian refugee with no family of his own, Khachan has become “the father of everybody” to a community of chess enthusiasts, those curious to learn more about the game, and those whom Khachan describes as the city’s “invisible people.”

“When no other place will welcome you, you have a seat [here],” Khachan says in Molly Brass and Anne Hollowday’s short documentary, King of the Night. The film depicts the chess shop as more than a home for chess players; Khachan’s open-door policy has provided refuge for many patrons with difficult lives at home. According to Brass, some Chess Forum regulars have no home at all.

“There are very few places in New York that accept and welcome anyone—really anyone—to sit and spend as many hours as they want to, at negligible or no cost,” Brass told The Atlantic. “It's almost a revolutionary idea at this point.”

"King of the Night" was directed and produced by Lonelyleap. It is part of The Atlantic Selects, an online showcase of short documentaries from independent creators, curated by The Atlantic.

The post [VIDEO] Meet Imad Khachan, Owner of the Last Chess Shop in New York City appeared first on Viewing NYC

[REPOST] Meet Teresa Youngblood, Inwood's Cat Queen

2025-04-09T12:00:00-04:00

Whatever the weather, cold or warm, rainy or windy, the cats that camp out in Inwood Hill Park must eat and be cared for. Teresa Youngblood is an Inwood resident who has made it a priority to feed and care for the stray cats—every day at 3:00 p.m. Youngblood, 64, suffered a brain injury four and a half years ago that hindered her memory, but one thing she always recalls is her dad’s wise words: “We’re all equal and we should care for everyone and everything.” And that’s the legacy she’s been carrying out her whole life, as a firefighter, nanny, and now through her love for the cats of Inwood.

The post [REPOST] Meet Teresa Youngblood, Inwood's Cat Queen appeared first on Viewing NYC

[VIDEO] Learn All About Stanley Weyman: The Fabulous Fraud from Brooklyn

2025-01-26T12:00:00-05:00

Historian and YouTuber The History Guy recently released this interesting profile of Stanley Clifford Weyman, a man known for being The Fabulous Fraud from Brooklyn. Learn all about him and his impersonations in this short 6-minute video.

Stanley Weyman was one of history's most prolific imposters. From the Mayor of New York to the President of the United States to the Queen of Romania, he bluffed his way through a life that was never boring.

The post [VIDEO] Learn All About Stanley Weyman: The Fabulous Fraud from Brooklyn appeared first on Viewing NYC

[VIDEO] Six Short Stories About Unique New York City

2024-11-22T12:00:00-05:00

Unique New York, unique New York. You know you need unique New York.

Watch as the famous tongue twister becomes reality in this collection of short videos from our friends at Great Big Story.

Beyond Times Square and Central Park, there's a whole other New York City. In this reel, meet an underground opera singer, book a table (the only table) at the city's smallest restaurant and get wild with the parrots of Brooklyn.

The post [VIDEO] Six Short Stories About Unique New York City appeared first on Viewing NYC

[VIDEO] Founder Christina Tosi Discusses the Origins and Inspiration Behind Momofuku Milk Bar

2024-10-03T12:00:00-04:00

Flatt Magazine recently uploaded this great little profile of Pastry Chef Christina Tosi and co-owner of Momofuku Milk Bar in New York City. In the video, Tosi talks a little about her passion for baking, as well as the origins and inspiration behind her Milk Bar.

New York City can be a really funny place, but I think it's equally as important to sort of balance myself and dream about food but also remembering real life; that I came here to carve out my place and I have.

The post [VIDEO] Founder Christina Tosi Discusses the Origins and Inspiration Behind Momofuku Milk Bar appeared first on Viewing NYC

[VIDEO] Meet Freddy Zeideia, the "King of Falafel" in Astoria, Queens

2024-08-31T12:00:00-04:00

King of Falafel & Shawarma is a local middle eastern food restaurant in Astoria, Queens with three food trucks, all of which serve up some of the best falafel in all of New York City. In this profile video from our friends at Munchies, meet Freddy Zeideia, the "King of Falafel."

King of Falafel & Shawarma has been serving mouthwatering Middle Eastern cuisine on the streets of Astoria for the last 17 years. The falafel recipe, with its unique oval shape, is a guarded secret of owner Freddy Zeideia, who mastered it with techniques he learned while growing up in Palestine. After being dissatisfied with the falafel and shawarma offerings in New York, Freddy took matters into his own hands by starting King of Falafel & Shawarma in 2002. Since then, his enterprise has grown, with a truck in Astoria, a cart in Midtown, and a newly opened restaurant in Queens.

The post [VIDEO] Meet Freddy Zeideia, the "King of Falafel" in Astoria, Queens appeared first on Viewing NYC

[WATCH] Meet Jenny Kroik, Painter and Three-Time Cover Artist for The New Yorker

2024-05-16T12:00:00-04:00

Illustrator, painter and 92Y instructor Jenny Kroik tells us about her process, and how she landed her work on the cover of the New Yorker, three times!

Keep up with Jenny Kroik's art on Instagram @jkroik

The post [WATCH] Meet Jenny Kroik, Painter and Three-Time Cover Artist for The New Yorker appeared first on Viewing NYC

[VIDEO] Meet Nelson Molina in Fascinating 'Treasures in the Trash' Mini-Documentary

2024-04-27T12:00:00-04:00

For 34 years, New York Sanitation worker, Nelson Molina collected items in the trash on his route in East Harlem. Over 45,000 items, all catalogued and organized on the second floor of the M11 garage. Nelson retired from the job in 2015, but comes to the garage routinely to check in on his "museum." The collection is not open to the public since it is in an active garage, but our hope is to get a proper space with the help of this film.

If you want to contribute in helping Nelson Molina acquire a permanent museum space for his incredible collection of New York City trash, please visit NYC Strongest to donate!

The post [VIDEO] Meet Nelson Molina in Fascinating 'Treasures in the Trash' Mini-Documentary appeared first on Viewing NYC

[VIDEO] Meet Eddie Rapp, a Chef Turned Street Musician Busking in Central Park

2024-03-29T12:00:00-04:00

Former chef turned street musician Eddie Rapp only picked up the fiddle when he was 30 years old, teaching himself the craft by playing along with a Charlie Daniels album until he could emulate it. Years later, he found out that he taught himself how to play backwards and upside down!

Unlike those who are taught how to play the violin, Eddie holds the instruments in a different way, making it hard for him to play the higher notes. While he was playing the fiddle in Central Park, Mark Conner saw him & was amazed how, being self taught & holding the violin in an odd manner, Eddie managed to bring out such a variety of tunes.

In this video from Barbara Marcolini, Rapp explains why he comes out to Central Park every day to play the fiddle.

The post [VIDEO] Meet Eddie Rapp, a Chef Turned Street Musician Busking in Central Park appeared first on Viewing NYC