The Soloist

Why? Even for Yomar Ramirez, who is an introspective woman, it’s not always easy to come up with a simple, satisfying answer. Sometimes it’s better to shrug and go on, which is what she does. Yomar, a blithe blonde, is sitting in her living room, clutching a 30-ounce beer stein of raspberry tea.Yomar is from Bogota, Colombia. Actually, it’s only a section of her living room. Hers is a one-bedroom apartment. She erected a wall down the center to partition her twin bed, giving her…

Continue Reading →

The Man Who’s Redrawing His Life

The painting, a brooding tattoo of black and white shapes flowing together like a raging river, is wrapped in a cage of thin clear plastic. Anthony Cardillo releases it and holds it in front of his body like a warrior’s shield. Anthony’s art gets him through life. expresses what Anthony felt like when he was painting it. Happy. Sad. Scared. Depressed. Angry. The painfully personal painting possesses a precarious off-kilter balance that slyly shifts with each viewing. “It glows,”…

Continue Reading →

The Creek Chronicler

It’s going to be a good day. Mitch Waxman knows this because he just saw a black cat with yellow eyes. Mitch on the waterfront. He’s not particularly superstitious, but every time he’s crossed paths with a fiery-eyed feline who’s the color of midnight, he has persuaded the Newtown Creek to talk to him. “When I say that it speaks to me, I mean it says things to me because I am informed of its history,” he says. And Mitch, the volunteer historian of the nonprofit…

Continue Reading →

The Biz Brothers

As soon as Dan and Shaun Dougherty sit down, they start reminiscing. The brothers come from a large family — they are two of nine — so there were few times when they were growing up that everyone gathered at one table. It’s still a rarity to see the two together even though they are business partners. Their farm-to-table New American Cuisine restaurant, Crescent Grill, has been open for a year and a half, and it keeps them too busy to socialize. Crescent Grill opened in the summer…

Continue Reading →

The Team Player

The first thing you see when you enter Pete Silletti‘s office is the company logo. If you don’t recognize the “you’re in good hands” corporate art, it is spelled out in huge, shiny silver letters: Allstate. Pete owns the Allstate office on 23rd Avenue. Pete’s profession is about helping people in need. He sells auto, home, life and business insurance. What he likes to think of as peace of mind. Clients only contact him when disaster strikes — the car crashes,…

Continue Reading →