Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

 

 

Arts & Entertainment

Nikki Lewis, School Administrator


By

Gothamist Staff

Published Feb 26, 2004

Modified Mar 6, 2008


Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail


Never miss a story

 Email address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .


By

Gothamist Staff

Published Feb 26, 2004

Modified Mar 6, 2008


Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail


We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

nikkilewis_big.jpgThe Basics
Age and occupation. How long have you lived here, where did you come from, and where do you live now?
I am 28 years old and I run the business side of an experimental private school for disadvantaged youth in East Harlem. I grew up in East Harlem about 5 blocks from where I now work, and I currently live in sunny downtown Brooklyn (although I spend most of my free time below 14th street, and so by genealogy and habits I still think I qualify as a Manhattanite!)

Three for Thee
1. You've lived in NYC your whole life, are a product of the public school system, but now you are a private school administrator. Reconcile please.
Well, I went to really good schools, but the problem was I was the only one like me there. It's taken me years of therapy to even begin to recover from my predilection for white boys. But seriously, at the school I work at now you get to study your classics and college prep stuff uptown in your own neighborhood, and you're guaranteed not to be asked any funny questions about your hair.

2. Is it still your parents' Harlem?
My parents still live in Harlem but it's not still my parent's Harlem. Crack addicts have been replaced with those who roll every weekend.

3. This is something I like to ask native New Yorkers, and you're an actual Manhattanite. Gimme your quick take on the following.
Bronx: Get a car
Queens: Get a tetanus shot
Brooklyn: Get a Corcoran Group broker
Staten Island: Get a civil rights attorney
Jersey: Get a life

Proust-Krucoff Questionnaire
Time travel question: What era, day or event in New York's history would you like to re-live?
Gangs of New York/Tammany Hall era, cause unlike Bill the Butcher, I DO fancy girls with scars.

9pm, Wednesday night - what are you doing?
Honestly, I'm catching up on my Smallville slash.

Describe that low, low moment when you thought you just might have to leave NYC for good.
When I lost my 30 day unlimited Metro Card that still had 24 days on it! If you've been there, you feel my pain.

Finish one of the four following sentences:
2) "She took him to the Whitney Museum where Vladimir admired a row of...
giant droopy plastic toilets and shuttlecocks, and then they both simultaneously realized that they were either actually at the Gugg and not the Whit, or they were tripping on acid, or both. Then Vladimir put his hand down his own pants, let rip a rather wet one, and wept softly for his daddy."

What happened the last time you went to L.A.?
I got loudly ridiculed by a fellow native New Yorker when I asked him to drive me two blocks to my car.

Medication: What and how much do you take?
Fluoxetine 20 mg chased by a double shot of Tequila, baby!

Tagged

baby

bronx

brooklyn

civil rights

college

Corcoran Group

crack

downtown

east harlem

gangs

hair

harlem

history

interview

Krucoff Questionnaire

metro

museum

new york

new yorker

new yorkers

nyc

private school

public school

queens

schools

staten island

tammany hall

The Basics

travel

Wednesday

When I

whitney museum


Gothamist Staff

Read more

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


MORE arts-entertainment

The real race at the NYC Marathon is getting to the front of the toilet line

"I have to pee so bad."

By

Samantha Max

Published Nov 7, 2026 at 8:00 a.m. ET


On HBO's “The Gilded Age,” Ben Ahlers is New York high society’s man of the hour

The actor plays Jack Trotter, a fictional inventor of an impressive alarm clock. He’s developed an enthusiastic following.

By

Sonia Rao

Arts & Entertainment

On HBO's “The Gilded Age,” Ben Ahlers is New York high society’s man of the hour

The actor plays Jack Trotter, a fictional inventor of an impressive alarm clock. He’s developed an enthusiastic following.

By

Sonia Rao


Bowling, burgers and civilian housing: Life on the Fort Hamilton Army installation

By

James Ramsay

When turning back the clock means going under an NYC sidewalk

By

Hannah Frishberg

Yes, Stevie Wonder is playing MSG. No, you can't afford tickets. See these shows instead.

By

Hank Shteamer


Never miss a story

Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.

Sign upEmail address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .