Reviews
Hundreds of resources to help you teach yourself
Jackson Heights, Queens, for Many Languages
General, Hindi, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Neighborhoods
This is a fantastically polyglottal community in northwestern Queens. Take the subway to Roosevelt Avenue/74th Street and you will find yourself in possibly the most diverse community in the world. You can hear massive amounts of Spanish along…
Interdisciplinary Centre for Social and Language Documentation
General, Websites, Organizations
Founded in 2010 and based in Minde, Portugal, the Interdisciplinary Centre for Social and Language Documentation (CIDLeS) is “dedicated to the documentation and preservation of the linguistic and cultural heritage in Europe.”
Google Translate (App)
Arabic, Dutch, English, French, General, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Yiddish, Apps, Dictionaries
I have a tendency not to get around to downloading iPhone apps onto my iPhone, but fortunately I have a husband who will take my phone and do it for me. I’m very glad he stuck this app on…
Craigslist
General, Websites, Classes/Conversation
I used Craigslist for language purposes just once, to find an Italian conversation partner in late 2009. He was a very nice guy, and the exchange, while short-lived, was pleasant and productive. While writing this review about three years later, in…
Rizzoli Bookstore
English, French, General, Italian, Spanish, Bookstores/Libraries, Kids
This is a truly gorgeous bookstore with a wonderful selection of books—in English, Italian, Spanish, and French. There are not many stores in New York with a meaningful supply of foreign-language books. This is one, and it seems to…
SocialEyesNYC
General, Websites, Fairs/Festivals/Parades
This website includes listings of events around town, to enable you (according to its tagline) “see the city like a native ‘New Yawkah.’” I am including it here primarily because of its extensive list of fairs, festivals, and parades, which…
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…
Dictionary.com
English, General, Dictionaries, Websites
I love this free resource. When I need absolute certainty about what I am looking up, I will go to my beautiful and totally current hardcover American Heritage dictionary, but for a quick check of a word’s…