The Jelly Firkin, a $35 plastic handbag shaped like the iconic Hermès Birkin, has gone viral across the U.S., and women who spent six figures on the real thing are watching its cultural cachet dissolve. On the Upper East Side of Manhattan, 40-year-old Natalie Mileo strolled through one of the wealthiest zip codes in America […] The post A $35 plastic purse is humbling the $100,000 Hermès Birkin — and its owners aren't taking it well appeared first on American Almanac .
The Jelly Firkin, a $35 plastic handbag shaped like the iconic Hermès Birkin, has gone viral across the U.S., and women who spent six figures on the real thing are watching its cultural cachet dissolve. On the Upper East Side of Manhattan, 40-year-old Natalie Mileo strolled through one of the wealthiest zip codes in America carrying a gummy, translucent purse made from the same material as a gym-class kickball. She paid $35 for it. She also owns ten real Hermès bags. She is not confused about the difference. She just does not care. The bag is called the Jelly Firkin, and it has become the most unlikely fashion phenomenon of 2026, a cheap plastic knockoff that is not just undercutting the Birkin's price tag but openly mocking the status…Open
The students at Mis Amiguitos preschool may never know why someone ripped their corn stalks from an Upper East Side sidewalk. But they turned it into an opportunity.
America's second-richest woman has spent more than $108 million acquiring properties on Southampton's Meadow Lane and is now renovating them into a family compound for her three children, all while rarely appearing in public. Julia Koch, the widow of industrialist David Koch and the controller of an estimated $81.2 billion fortune, purchased a 22,000-square-foot Tudor-style […] The post Julia Koch quietly assembles a Hamptons compound on Billionaire Lane appeared first on American Almanac .
America's second-richest woman has spent more than $108 million acquiring properties on Southampton's Meadow Lane and is now renovating them into a family compound for her three children, all while rarely appearing in public. Julia Koch, the widow of industrialist David Koch and the controller of an estimated $81.2 billion fortune, purchased a 22,000-square-foot Tudor-style home on Meadow Lane in 2022 for $75 million. The property sits on 500 feet of ocean-front beach and holds 15 bedrooms. A neighbor told Page Six at the time that the house "had fallen into a bit of a state of disrepair" and that Koch's team was "in the very early stages of exploring different options [for restoration], and that might be years away." Years later, the…Open
The police said a man on Friday night struck a congregant at the prominent Upper East Side synagogue, as Jews in the city contend with threats, fears and internal divides.
AI:An assailant physically attacked a congregant at Manhattan’s prominent Central Synagogue on Friday night, marking yet another violent incident amidst a climate of escalating threats and security concerns facing the Jewish community in New York City. This assault occurs against a backdrop of recent targeted violence, including previous vehicular attacks on Chabad headquarters and disruptions of worship services, highlighting a systemic failure to ensure public safety as antisemitism and civil lawlessness continue to permeate urban centers.Open
A deadly Legionnaires' disease outbreak on Manhattan's Upper East Side has now killed seven people and sickened 92, matching last summer's Harlem death toll and raising pointed questions about whether New York City's inspection regime failed again. New York City health officials confirmed the seventh death Thursday evening, announcing that one of six patients still […] The post Manhattan Legionnaires' outbreak claims seventh life as building violations pile up appeared first on American Almanac .
A deadly Legionnaires' disease outbreak on Manhattan's Upper East Side has now killed seven people and sickened 92, matching last summer's Harlem death toll and raising pointed questions about whether New York City's inspection regime failed again. New York City health officials confirmed the seventh death Thursday evening, announcing that one of six patients still hospitalized had died from the bacterial lung infection. Five people remained hospitalized as of Thursday. The Health Department said no new cases had been identified since July 21, but the rising body count has done little to quiet critics who say the city moved too slowly to enforce its own rules. The outbreak has centered on cooling towers, rooftop units that regulate…Open
A Legionnaires' disease outbreak in New York City has claimed its fifth life, with at least 72 people infected and health officials still investigating the source.
A Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in New York City has claimed its fifth life, with at least 72 people infected and health officials still investigating the source. PULSE POINTS WHAT HAPPENED: A fifth person has died in New York City ‘s Legionnaires’ disease outbreak , which has sickened at least 72 people over the past month. Health officials continue investigating the source of the infection, and eight people remain hospitalized, while 56 have been discharged. DETAIL: The city’s health department has detected Legionella bacteria in 34 cooling towers across 33 buildings, all of which have since been cleaned, though investigators have not confirmed the outbreak’s origin. Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia…Open
A third person has died in a Legionnaires' disease outbreak that has sickened at least 74 people on New York City's Upper East Side, and city health officials say the source of the bacteria has only "likely" been eliminated. New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Alister F. Martin announced the death Sunday, the third fatality […] The post Legionnaires' disease cluster on Manhattan's Upper East Side claims third life appeared first on American Almanac .
A third person has died in a Legionnaires' disease outbreak that has sickened at least 74 people on New York City's Upper East Side, and city health officials say the source of the bacteria has only "likely" been eliminated. New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Alister F. Martin announced the death Sunday, the third fatality linked to a cluster of cases concentrated in the Carnegie Hill and Yorkville neighborhoods of Manhattan. Eight patients remain hospitalized. The city's Health Department has urged anyone who recently spent time in the affected area and develops flu-like symptoms to seek medical attention immediately. All three deaths were announced within a three-day span, Breitbart reported , even as health officials insisted the…Open
A Legionnaires' disease outbreak in New York City has now been linked to contamination in 76 buildings, including notable landmarks.
A Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in New York City has now been linked to contamination in 76 buildings, including notable landmarks. PULSE POINTS WHAT HAPPENED: New York City health officials have identified 76 buildings with cooling towers testing positive for Legionella bacteria, the source of a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak that has infected 63 people and hospitalized 12. Three new cases were reported on Tuesday, though the spread appears to be slowing. WHEN & WHERE: The outbreak is ongoing and concentrated in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, Yorkville, and Carnegie Hill. KEY QUOTE: “[E]very building identified has been ordered to clean and disinfect its cooling tower immediately out of an abundance of caution,” stated NYC…Open