Single or not, maybe Valentine's Day rubs you the wrong way.... This year, try one of these alternative activities for a new Valentine's Day experience -- including tree planting and an art exhibit on Love and Hate -- for a new Valentine's Day experience.VIDEO More...

Watch out Spike Lee -- the young directors featured in the New Voices in Black Cinema festival bring tales of love, loss and hope back to Brooklyn, raising issues of police brutality, absentee fathers and fear of commitment. VIDEO More...

Paper Tiger Television -- the NYC public access show that set the stage for a generation of media critics, alternative news organizations and pranksters -- is celebrating its 30th b-day. VIDEO More...

Who makes minimum wage? The guy who serves you coffee? Your buddy at the gym? MetroFocus recently spent a day talking to New Yorkers working at or near minimum wage to see what they thought of the proposed wage increase. More...

Musical theater star Elaine Paige describes a brilliant Midtown public school teacher who takes full advantage of his school's proximity to the Great White Way. More...

The redistricting maps for the New York State Legislature have been called "the most gerrymandered" in recent New York history. How exactly do districts get gerrymandered, and where is it happening? More...

Want to make money off your hobby? MetroFocus profiles several New Yorkers who have taken their talents to YouTube and say they are making a living at it -- from cooking Korean food to performing Britney Spears in sign language. VIDEO More...

Does New York City need an independent agency, like other big cities have, to oversee the scandal-scarred NYPD? MetroFocus looked at the effects these watchdogs have had in other cities.VIDEO More...

A lot of songs have been written over the years about work, from Dolly Parton's "9 to 5" to Rose Royce's "Car Wash." Elliot Shapiro works in a field that does not exactly lend itself to song -- he's a criminal defense lawyer in the Bronx -- but that sure hasn't stopped him. VIDEO More...

What drew the likes of Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote and James Baldwin to New York City? The author of a new book on prominent 20th century gay writers considers the intellectual -- and physical -- pursuits that attracted some of these literary giants to our very own city. More...

Bagel or baguette? Shake or kiss? Amélie or Carrie Bradshaw? A visual take on the differences -- and similarities -- between two of the world's greatest cities... More...

NYC has an abundance of almost everything (except cheap rent) but often that "you can get anything here" feeling can be overwhelming. In different ways, this week's Kickstarter projects are about curating the city, making urban life just a little bit more manageable by appreciating the little things that get lost in the shuffle.VIDEO More...

Women’s social clubs are popping up all over New York City. But unlike the days of yore, the emphasis is on fun rather than social causes. What is it about the feminine mystique these days?VIDEO More...

As the redistricting charade continued, the race to replace south Brooklyn's Carl Kruger got a little "racy" and Professor Cuomo continued to give lessons in "Expanding Executive Powers 101." More...

"The rodents don't grow their own food, nor do they go shopping at the market," says State Sen. Bill Perkins, who believes that banning straphangers from eating on subways will curb the city's rat problem. Read what else Perkins has to say about his controversial new bill... More...

From tales of unearthing environmental scandal to participating in a medical study gone too far, the science-based stories spun in the creative collective The Story Collider are seriously weird -- but true. More...

Plenty of caffeine-fueled laptop commuters have taken to working from coffee shops. But what about those who need something a little harder? Ladies and gentleman, we give you the boffice. More...

What are five religious leaders in Flushing, Queens -- perhaps the most theologically diverse neighborhood in America -- thinking, preaching and teaching about climate change?VIDEO More...

The Garden State appears to be making good on its name as it moves forward with plans to set up medical marijuana dispensaries across the state. Since federal prosecutors went after similar facilities in California, what makes New Jersey think it will escape the same fate? More...