A pair of Ray‑Bans I bought in the mid‑80s resurfaced nearly forty years later, still immaculate. What began as an impulse purchase became a quiet symbol of pride, responsibility, and the life I was building.
Tag: Bronx Stories
A City Within a City – The Floating City, Part 2
Written by Dennis Harvell A City Within a City | The Floating City | Part 2 Race, Engineering, Climate, Transit, and Life in 2026 When the rent strike ended and the residents took control, Co‑op City wasn’t just a political experiment anymore — it was a city they now had to maintain, repair, and live… Continue reading A City Within a City – The Floating City, Part 2
A City Within a City: A City Built On a Dream, Part 1
Written by Dennis Harvell A City Within a City | A City Built On a Dream | Part 1 From Marshland to Freedomland to the Great Rent Strike Before the towers rose, before the buses looped through the crescents, before the word “Co‑op” meant anything at all, the land was nothing but water and wild… Continue reading A City Within a City: A City Built On a Dream, Part 1
The Flying Hitmen of Pelham Bay
Pelham Bay isn’t just a subway stop — it’s a high‑altitude battleground run by pigeons who strike with precision and celebrate like champions.
The Antidote to Digital Drift
Written by Dennis Harvell The Antidote to Digital Drift Our attention is being relentlessly auctioned to the highest bidder, leading to a state of constant Digital Drift. We are always reactive, always “on,” always drifting from one notification to the next without ever dropping an anchor in the meaningful present. We are losing the fundamental… Continue reading The Antidote to Digital Drift
The Day I Stopped Being Ashamed
I began the moment I stopped hiding from where I came from. Written by Dennis Harvell The Day I Stopped Being Ashamed There was a time when I carried my past like something I needed to hide. Growing up in the Mott Haven Houses felt like a mark I had to outrun, a story I… Continue reading The Day I Stopped Being Ashamed
Forging Strength in the Forge
Written by Dennis Harvell Forging Strength in the Forge We often speak of resilience as if it’s an armored coat we put on, but true, sustainable Strength is forged internally through the very experiences we wish to avoid. Consider a blacksmith working steel: the metal is heated, folded, hammered, and cooled, repeated dozens of times.… Continue reading Forging Strength in the Forge
The Mirror in the Gym: Finding a Brother in Jacinto Bonilla
Written by Dennis Harvell The Mirror in the Gym: Finding a Brother in Jacinto Bonilla They say everyone has a doppelgänger somewhere in the world, but I never expected to find mine in a viral photo of a legendary athlete. When someone first showed me a picture of Jacinto Bonilla, I had to stop. I… Continue reading The Mirror in the Gym: Finding a Brother in Jacinto Bonilla
The Symphony of the Unseen
A memory of the Bronx years when music erased every boundary and turned strangers into family. Written by Dennis Harvell The Symphony of the Unseen The Unusual Arrangement People think they know the sound of the Bronx in the late 70s and early 80s. They imagine a drumbeat, a microphone, and a block party. But… Continue reading The Symphony of the Unseen
The Power of the Soft Reset
Written by Dennis Harvell The Power of the Soft Reset In a world that pressures us to push through fatigue, the ability to recognize when we need a “soft reset” is actually a sign of sophisticated strength. A soft reset isn’t a long vacation; it’s the 10-minute walk, the full minute of silence, or the… Continue reading The Power of the Soft Reset