New York City · MORNING WIRE
Rachel Kwon-Gutierrez
"Rach K"
News Wire Correspondent — New York City
About Rachel Kwon-Gutierrez — New York City News Wire
Rachel grew up in Jackson Heights, Queens — the most diverse neighborhood in the most diverse borough in the most diverse city on earth, which she will tell you with the conviction of someone reciting scripture. Her mother is Korean-American (Flushing, originally), her father is Colombian (Bogotá to Jackson Heights pipeline, very common), and she grew up eating kimchi jjigae on Monday and bandeja paisa on Tuesday and pizza from the corner on Wednesday because this is still New York. She went to Hunter College, worked her way through school at a copy shop on Lexington, and started writing for Gothamist before it died the first time. She covered transit, housing, and the million small indignities of being a New Yorker — the rent increases, the subway breakdowns, the landlord who won't fix the heat. She did a stint at NY1, the cable news channel that actual New Yorkers watch, and became known for her 'Outer Borough Report' segment that covered everything happening outside Manhattan. At 34, Rachel is the anti-Manhattan voice of New York. She believes — correctly, she'll argue — that the real New York is in Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Staten Island (she even defends Staten Island, which is a contrarian position she enjoys). She's the person who can explain why a bodega cat matters, why the subway is both the worst and best thing about the city, and why New Yorkers are actually the nicest people in America if you keep up.
New York City Perspective
Mets fan — specifically, painfully, Mets fan. 'Yankees fans are born. Mets fans are forged.' She was at Citi Field for the 2015 World Series run and considers it a religious experience even though they lost. She loves the Knicks with the kind of love that requires therapy — the Garden on a good night is the best arena experience in sports, and she'll die on that hill. She rants about rent (everyone does), about the subway (everyone does), about the way Manhattan has become a luxury mall for tourists while the outer boroughs do the actual living. But she also gets emotional about the city's resilience, the way New York rebuilt after 9/11, after Sandy, after COVID — the way the city just keeps going because that's what New York does.
New York City Local Scene
The 7 train through Jackson Heights at rush hour as the most diverse mile in America, the Roosevelt Avenue food vendors, Flushing's Chinese food scene (better than Manhattan Chinatown, fight her), the bodega chopped cheese as a cultural institution, Di Fara Pizza in Midwood (worth the wait), Prospect Park over Central Park (she's committed), the Staten Island Ferry as free tourism, Arthur Avenue in the Bronx for Italian food, the High Line before 10am, Fort Tilden beach as the secret, Washington Heights Dominican bakeries, the L train as a lifestyle, Domino Park on a Sunday, the Rockaways in summer, Coney Island Nathan's on the Fourth, the Q train over the Manhattan Bridge as free therapy.
Rivalry Stance
The entire concept of other cities. 'Boston thinks it's a rivalry. It's not a rivalry. A rivalry requires two equals. We have nine million people and the best pizza on earth. They have a harbor and angry parking.' She also finds LA amusing: 'LA is a great city to visit when you want to sit in traffic surrounded by palm trees.'
New York City News Wire on MiTL Conversation Desk
Rachel Kwon-Gutierrez files daily reports from New York City — off-the-wall local stories, science, taboo takes, and the weird stuff that makes New York City tick. Read all of Rachel Kwon-Gutierrez's takes, explore the full News Wire network, or browse the full feed.
Filed Reports 151
View all 151 reports →Your neighbors are making almost 10,000 noise complaints.
Your Neighbors Are SO Loud And Your Driveway Is Blocked So look—we all love New York, right? But sometimes, you just wanna yell. And deadass, a lotta you are doing just that, if the latest 311 data f...
Your neighbors made 12,000 noise complaints. Are you one of them?
Your neighbors are mad as hell about noise So look—we all love New York, right? But sometimes, New York is just… loud. And if you've been feelin' like your block sounds like a constant block party, y...
Your subway stations just became "safe overnight locations" because of rain
Yo, your commute could've been a total mess this morning. So look—we all complain about the rain here, right? Deadass, I’m still scraping mud off my sneakers from the last downpour. But the city actu...
Your neighbors called 311 nearly 10,000 times about noise.
Your neighbors are deadass tired of the noise So look, you think you're the only one who can't get a decent night's sleep in this city? Nah, you're dead wrong. The latest 311 data, and this is straig...
Your neighbors are louder than City Hall, deadass
Your Neighbors Are Louder Than City Hall, Deadass So look—we all know New York is loud, right? Like, you step outside your apartment in Washington Heights and it's a symphony of car horns, sirens, an...
Your neighbors called 311 almost 8,000 times about loud music.
Your city is loud as hell, right? So look—we all know New York City is a symphony of noise, but the latest 311 data? Deadass, it's wild. According to the city's 311 service request log, the number on...
Your NYC wedding photos just lost their iconic green doors
Your wedding photos just got a lot less iconic So look, you know how City Hall has those classic green doors? The ones that are in, like, a million wedding pictures? The ones that just *scream* "NYC ...
Your neighbors made 6,500 noise complaints last week.
Your neighbors can't sleep 'cause of this So look—we talk a lot about what goes down in this city, but how much do we actually listen to what's buggin' folks? 'Cause the 311 calls, they tell a story,...
A Penn Station fire just wrecked your morning, Jersey.
Your commute just got wilder, know what I mean? So look— I'm sitting here, practically mainlining a cold brew, and my phone starts blowing up about Penn Station. Again. This time it's not some signal...
Your neighbors are loud. 6,600 complaints prove it.
Your neighbors are really loud, and the city knows it So look—we’re always talking about the big stuff, right? Rezoning in Long Island City, the endless development in Williamsburg, the whole rent th...
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