Wars can be fought and lost in a century; love can be found and won in a century; the previously perceived “impossible” can become reality, and a person can live their lives witnessing it all in a century. Thus is the case for East Harlem resident Catherine Knowles, who celebrated her 100th birthday last week. Assemblymember Eddie Gibbs was there to commemorate the occasion.  

“I feel good,” Knowles said with a laugh. “I don’t feel no different so far.”

Knowles was born April 10, 1924 at Harlem Hospital in Manhattan. She was educated at parochial Catholic schools in her adolescence, she said. As a young woman, Knowles worked for Macy’s on 34th Street in Manhattan. She retired from Macy’s in the late 1980s at age 62, after working there for 32 years. 

Knowles and her late husband, Nathaniel Knowles, raised their family in Harlem. She had five children, two of whom are now deceased. Her family said she is an attentive grandmother with her grands, great-grands, and great-great-grandchildren. 

A huge proponent of friendship and traveling, Knowles was a part of a women’s social club called The Friendly Dozen. Social clubs for women were popularized in the 1920s. Some had political affiliations while others offered a sense of community and support. Knowles said her club was primarily for trips, dinners, and monthly gatherings.

“We called them the Dirty Dozen though,” joked her youngest daughter, Darlene. Knowles kept the same energy of “ripping and running in the streets,” having fun at the casino whenever she could, and constantly traveling after her retirement, said her family. Right up until the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, she had all her wits about her.  It’s only in the last four years that Knowles’ life has slowed down, said her family.

Knowles’ birthday party, held at the community center in the Franklin Plaza apartments, was a festive affair with at least five generations in attendance.

“I became the first formerly incarcerated New York State legislator. Born and raised here in East Harlem. Always said I’m gonna give back and never gonna forget those who brought me in,” said Gibbs at the party as he presented Knowles with a citation, which recognizes individuals and groups/organizations within the district who are commemorating a significant occasion.

Knowles is one of many from Harlem and East Harlem that make up the district’s Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORC), which is how primarily senior communities are described. There are 60 official NORCs in the city, but about half are funded for services to older residents, said the Department for the Aging.

The secret to her longevity? “Taking care of myself. Don’t get into no arguments or anything. Just being myself, doing what I had to do. Being in company with my friends and going on trips,” Knowles said.

Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about politics for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.

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* This article was originally published here

Tran Anh Hung’s sumptuous French drama The Taste of Things offered up some of the finest food-on-film moments in recent memory, so much so that it’s hard not to want to jump right through the screen and stir that simmering sauce alongside Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel’s characters. And for one night only, Cathédrale is offering up the next best thing, with a four-course menu inspired by the acclaimed foodie flick. 

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For one night only—on Wednesday, May 8—the East Village restaurant will transform into a rustic French countryside to curate a culinary experience by candlelight inspired by the award-winning film. Crafted by Tao Group Hospitality’s Chief Culinary Officer Ralph Scamardella and executed by chef Jason Hall, the “Pot-au-Feu Tasting Menu” will feature plates like Soft scrambled egg tartine with carp roe, guinea hen breast with black truffles and a classic baked Alaska.

The prix fixe is set at $145, with optional add-ons of paired wines and libations for $75 more. The experience will be an immersive one, with the venue reserved all night for the experience, with doors opening at 7pm and dinner to follow beginning at 7:30. Limited seating is available so make sure to snag your spot with a reservation. And if you want to keep all of that rustic French immersion going, in partnership, the IFC Center will host several special screenings of The Taste of Things in the leadup to the dinner at Cathédrale. Think of it as a cinematic amuse bouche!

Check out the full Pot-au-Feu Tasting Menu below, as well as photos of the dishes:

First Course
Canapes “Trio” 
Soft scrambled egg tartine with carp roe 
Oysters with Caviar and Mimosa 
Green Pea Veloute 

Second Course 
Guinea Hen Breast with Black Truffles, Savoy Cabbage, and Sauce Supreme 

Third Course 
“Pot-Au-Feu” of Pheasant, Beef Short ribs, Sweetbread Crepinette, Winter Vegetable Consommé 

Fourth Course
“Pears & Cream” dark chocolate and almond nougatine 
Baked Alaska 

* This article was originally published here

If you’re a fan of bees—which you should be if you like flowers, trees and the continued survival of human beings on the planet—then you’re going to find these new “bee hotels” around New York City absolutely adorable. 

The New York Department of Transportation and the Horticultural Society of New York teamed up to create these cute designated habitats in public plazas and across streets for bees to take refuge in. Dubbed “bee bunkers,” they will be used as pit stops for bees that are on their way to access larger green spaces.

In fact, in the city, the insects have difficulty surviving, mostly given the relative lack of vegetation and limited access to nature.

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Don’t worry about potentially getting stung: The bee hotels were meant to attract tickle bees, a small native species that rarely stings humans, according to NYC DOT. 

“Through this work, we are creating living spaces for native bee pollinators in the city, including both flowers and appropriate nesting sites,” Dr. Kimberly N. Russell, undergraduate program director/associate professor of teaching at the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources at Rutgers University said in a statement. “Most bee species cannot live in hives, so we need to give them other materials to build their homes.”

The “bee bunkers” will look like small bird houses filled with natural materials and soil where females will be able to build their nests and lay eggs. Researchers at Rutgers will be monitoring the new bee hotels to learn how they move across the city. To minimize potential interactions with people, the nests will be built inside of existing planters. 

The bee hotels were already tested at Parkside Plaza in Brooklyn and Fordham Plaza in the Bronx last year. The expanded project is going to bring the bunkers to Cooper Square Plaza in Greenwich Village; Quisqueya Plaza (Dyckman Plaza) in Inwood; Water Street in Staten Island; Gates Ave in Brooklyn; and 34th Ave in Queens. 

“Bees are our friends, a key to literally sustaining life on this planet,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi said in a statement to DOT NYC. “The least we can do is to make our city welcoming to them, an urban environment full of color and biodiversity.”

* This article was originally published here