BY Led Black (@Led_Black)
Let’s get right to it people. Here are the Top 10 Posts of 2013.
#10 – Riverside Jam 2013 – A Night To Remember…
Our good friend and director of Trouble In The Heights, Jon Ullman, penned an awesome recap of the old-school Riverside Jam that went down in the shadows of the George Washington Bridge this past summer. On a beautiful summer night hundreds of people came from far and near to groove to the masterful mixes of Hex Hector and Julio “One Ton” Rodriguez.
Check out: Riverside Jam 2013 – A Night To Remember…
#9 – The Incredibly Spectacular Dyckman Fireworks Company
In the summer of 2012 as we were filming Nutcracker Inc. we were simply blown away by the way the people of Dyckman City celebrated the 4th of July. This year we decided to really capture that magic and gathered some really talented people to produce a short film, The Incredibly Spectacular Dyckman Fireworks Co, that will make it’s debut this coming Summer.
Check out: The Incredibly Spectacular Dyckman Fireworks Co.
#8 – The 2013 Dominican Day Parade In Pictures
The Dominican Day Parade is one of the biggest events of the summer and as usual we were there to participate and to document the festivities.
Check out: The 2013 Dominican Day Parade In Pictures
#7 – Mira CoNYo: A Skate Scene Blossoms Uptown
This is one of my favorite posts of the year; Art By Dj Boy, Emil Baez, Ray Rodriguez and myself chopped it up with the Mira CoNYo crew and talked about the trials and tribulations of being a skater Uptown.
Check out: Mira CoNYo: A Skate Scene Blossoms Uptown
#6 – The Dyckman Beer Company – Una Vaina Bien
This was, for me, the most fun I had the whole summer. Art By Dj Boy, Ray Rodriguez, Emil Baez, Jon Ullman and myself embarked on a pilgrimage to the brewery where Dyckman Beer works its magic. It was our good fortune to be joined by the acclaimed and masterful cinematographer Nelson Salcedo who just so happens to be a beer enthusiast and one of the creative geniuses behind MTV’s Washington Heights. It was an utter and complete blast. Good laughs, great beer. Really, what more could a man ask for?
Check out: The Dyckman Beer Company – Una Vaina Bien
#5 – Will Teez Speaks: An Open Letter to My People
Early this year, Uptown lost a giant – Will Teez Alicea succumbed to his fight with cancer. His Open letter to his people that we published in November of 2012 is searing and I still have a hard time getting through it. Will Teez Lives!
Check out: Will Teez Speaks: An Open Letter to My People
#4 – The Washington Heights Riots of 1992 Remembered – Part 1
Even though this post was originally posted on July of 2010, the dearth of facts and photos of the riot have made it a favorite every year since then.
Check out:
The Washington Heights Riots of 1992 Remembered – Part 1
The Washington Heights Riots of 1992 Remembered – Part 2
#3 – MTV’s ‘Washington Heights’ – The Weekly Breakdown
Shout out to all the talented folks that made MTV’s Washington Heights show a reality. The show literally put Washington Heights on the global map. Tons of folks, myself included, looked forward to the show and the weekly recaps of the series by our very own Sarita Martinez.
Check out: MTV’s ‘Washington Heights’ – The Weekly Breakdown: Episodes 1 & 2
#2 – The House on the Hill: A Murder in Washington Heights
This post was published on Halloween of this year and was read, shared and enjoyed widely. The research and inspiration came from Emil Baez, who took the awesome pictures and brought the story to my attention.
Check out: The House on the Hill: A Murder In Washington Heights…
#1 – The Nutcracker
For the 4th year in a row, the Nutcracker story has been the most popular on the site. This post was the starting point for the definitive documentary on the infamous libation that Jon Ullman and I are working on. By the way, shout out to the NY Times and Alex Vadakul for the excellent profile of our project.
Check out: The Nutcracker
Related: An Underground Drink Cast as a Film Star | NY Times
Related: The Top 10 Posts of 2012
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James Bosley
December 31, 2013 at 6:37 pmLed, thank you. You document our streets and lives thoroughly and with great passion. The cloth you weave unites us in a wild and colorful and sometimes sad pattern. Life here certainly would not be the same without the UPtown Collective.
admin
December 31, 2013 at 7:59 pmJim – once again thanks for your love and support for all of these years. I am humbled by your kind words. Happy New Year!