Reviews
Hundreds of resources to help you teach yourself
Queen Sofía Spanish Institute
Spanish, Museums/Cultural, Classes/Conversation, Kids
Founded in 1954, this organization “promotes the understanding of Spanish culture, past and present, and its influence in the Americas through a variety of programs.” These include exhibitions, lectures (including medical ones!), book presentations, symposia, classes, and more. It is housed…
Black Sea Bookstore
Russian, Bookstores/Libraries
This bookstore is full of Russian books. It is located in the heavily Russian neighborhood of Brighton Beach, so you can enjoy a book-shopping adventure and then go off and eat at a Russian restaurant or, depending on the time…
National Council of Teachers of English
English, Websites, Organizations
I think years ago I might actually have been a member of this organization, but I can’t remember for sure. In any case, they have a lovely mission statement: “The Council promotes the development of literacy, the use…
Rio Market
Portuguese, Food and Drink, Shopping
Rio Market sells many Brazilian products: food, beverages, cosmetics, etc. It includes a travel agency and a restaurant as well; together, they take up a large swathe of the Astoria block on which they reside. A Brazilian customer leaving…
Lower East Side Tenement Museum
General, Museums/Cultural, Kids
This remarkable little museum teaches visitors about New York City’s immigrant past. You can enjoy it in several ways. First, you can tour 97 Orchard Street, which was constructed in the middle of the 19th century and served as home…
Japan Society
Japanese, Museums/Cultural, Classes/Conversation, Kids
For New Yorkers interested in Japanese language and culture, the Japan Society is a remarkable resource. Events here embrace many spheres of human activity: politics, finance, food (I even noticed a talk on the power of miso!), music, and more. …
China Institute
Mandarin, Museums/Cultural, Organizations, Classes/Conversation, Kids
China Institute was founded in 1926 by a group of American and Chinese educators, John Dewey among them. It resides in an Upper East Side brownstone from which it offers an array of lectures, symposia, films, exhibits, educational programs, corporate programs,…
AFFOI
French, Organizations
AFFOI, short for Assemblée des francophones fonctionnaires des organisations internationales, seeks to safeguard the linguistic diversity of international organizations. On its website, AFFOI asserts, “La diversité linguistique, culturelle et conceptuelle est une condition sine qua non…
Columbus Park, Chinatown
Mandarin, Parks, Sports/Fitness, Kids
You might think Columbus Park is an odd name for a Chinatown park, but as one of New York’s oldest neighborhoods, this area has had many incarnations, and the park itself has had various names, among them Mulberry Bend…