The Champion of Playground 35

At Steinway Street and 35th Avenue, there’s a patch of pavement that since May 1947 has been designated a public playground. Nancy Silverman knows this not because she has children, which she does not. She knows this because it’s the only open space near her apartment, and she frequently walks or cycles by it. Imprisoned like a penitentiary by a sky-high chain-link fence, the space, which has been christened, inmate-like, as Playground 35, is not a pretty place. And it’s always crowded…

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The Creator of the Christmas Village

The lights and stars are twinkling in tandem. The women are shopping in the outdoor farmers’ market, and the men are sawing logs and stomping on grapes to make wine. A crowned king on a camel approaches, bearing gifts for Mary and Joseph’s newborn babe in the stable. It’s Christmas time in Jose Leon‘s village. Every time Jose looks at it, he thinks of home. Nativity scenes such as this are a tradition in Cabra, the rural town in Spain where he comes from. Most people…

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The Kick-Ass Trainer

It’s early in the morning when Nick Robyn sprints up the stairs of his three-floor walkup. He’s headed to the roof. He can tell you what he does for fun and for a living, but it’s easier if he shows you. He puts on his boxing gloves and strikes a fierce pose, his locks, the color of caramelized carrots, cascading down his back. He tosses the mitts aside kicks his leg into the air, scowling as a sign to all to beware. If these moves seem natural, it’s because Nick, a personal trainer,…

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The Seamstress Who Brings Daddies and Daughters Together

In a corner of the bedroom, on a tiny table, Evgeniya Bavaeva sets up her portable Brother sewing machine. It’s always at night, usually at 10, after her 3-year-old daughter, Celine, is in bed and while her husband, Serafim Ferdeklis, is working at his restaurant, BZ Grill. She listens to Ludovico Einaudi on her headphones to drown out the rhythmic sound of the needle marching through the fabric. “This is my time,” she says. “Serafim comes home around midnight. I keep working until…

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