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Which New York 'Hood Would You Name Your Baby After?

Marisa Tom — Fri, 20 May 2011 12:50:47 EDT

It's not just A-list celebrities who bestow bizarre names on their offspring; normal folks do it, too. The Beckhams chose "Brooklyn" as their first son's name, and the NYT finds a few other NYC-inspired names cropping up lately.

Because these monikers aren't typical run o' the mill monikers, it can take a little getting used to - Bronx, Harlem, and Dumbo aren't exactly on par with the little Suzies and Bobbies of the world. But to be fair, being named for some of the coolest 'hoods in the greatest city in the world isn't half bad. Prideful much? I can't knock a New York-inspired trend; in fact, I may just be warming up to it. Which NYC 'hood would you name your baby after?

Source: Getty

Snake on the Town: Adventures of the Bronx Zoo's Egyptian Cobra

Marisa Tom — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 08:30:00 EDT

A deadly Egyptian cobra slithered out of safekeeping last week at the Bronx Zoo (2300 Southern Blvd., 718-220-5103). Good news is the snake was found yesterday. Even better news? What started as general ophidiophobia morphed into a hilarious hunt for a snake, mostly spurred by the creation of its eponymous Twitter account. In seven days, the tweeting cobra earned close to 200,000 followers, and things like souvenir mugs were created in its honor! The snake's charming, silly updates gave us some "insight" into its whereabouts. Asking questions like, "Does anyone know where Rebecca Black lives? No reason," and "Donald Trump is thinking about running for president?! Don't worry, I'll handle this. Where is Trump Tower exactly?" lightened the missing-snake hysteria with a much-needed dose of New York sarcasm. Here are some of our favorite spotsss this Bronx Zoo runaway managed to hit up as a #snakeonthetown.

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New Year's Resolution: Get Organized, Courtesy of GrowNYC's Swap Meets

Marisa Tom — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 08:06:00 EST

Here's an easy mantra for 2011: get organized. With the help of nonprofit GrowNYC, an organization dedicated to cleaning up New York and encouraging the principles of "reduce, reuse, recycle," you can organize the stuff you've accumulated in that apartment of yours, share a thing or two, and maybe even pick up something you need . . . for free.

Starting on Saturday, Jan. 8, GrowNYC will set up its swap shop on Staten Island, just a block away from the ferry terminal. Every week following, the Stop 'N' Swap will migrate to a new location - Manhattan, Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn are all up next. It's not a place to discard your actual trash; rather, these swaps help find your (less loved) goodies a new home where they can be properly utilized and appreciated. Here are three reasons I'll be all over this, come mid-January.

Swap meets make me feel like I'm truly part of a bartering community, and who doesn't love to barter?
I'm preventing waste and contributing to what I'd like to call the Toy Story effect - finding new homes for household items that don't deserve to be thrown out!
Recycling while keeping a New Year's resolution is a win-win.

But first thing's first, time to go pick out my swap items from my kitchen and closet.

Source: GrowNYC