@norbertobriceno | Creator profile on Nutcake

What kind of content does Norberto Briceño make?

Norberto Briceño offers a captivating deep dive into the heart of New York City. Through engaging video essays on Instagram, he explores the rich history and architectural marvels of iconic landmarks, from the Empire State Building to lesser-known urban development projects. Norberto also uncovers fascinating cultural anecdotes and highlights the city's vibrant art scene, making him an ideal partner for brands looking to connect with an audience interested in urban exploration and cultural discovery.

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Kinda Interesting Things #329: Martha Graham, The Mother of Psychological Dance, a free exhibit at @nypl_lpa at Lincoln Center

You don’t have to understand dance to be moved by it. You just have to be human. Some emotions are too difficult to explain with words. Grief. Love. Fear. Hope. Sometimes a single movement can express what an entire conversation can’t. That’s the idea Martha Graham spent her life proving.

Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Martha Graham Dance Company, this exhibition explores how Graham transformed dance into something entirely new.

Instead of simply creating beautiful movement, she used the body to express emotion, memory, and the unconscious mind. She believed dance could reveal what was happening inside a person—not just what they looked like on the outside.

Martha Graham founded her dance company in 1926 and went on to create an entirely new movement vocabulary known today as the Graham Technique.

Built around contraction and release, it broke away from the traditions of classical ballet and forever changed what dance could be.

A contraction begins in the center of the body, followed by a release that expands outward. Instead of trying to make movement look effortless, Graham embraced weight, gravity, breath, and even struggle. She believed movement could express emotion, turning the body into a vessel for human experience rather than simply a display of athleticism.

Today, dancers around the world still train using the technique she pioneered.

The exhibition draws from the extensive Martha Graham archive, acquired by the Library in 2020, and features rarely seen photographs, handwritten notes, costumes designed by Graham herself, films, and sculptural stage sets created by Isamu Noguchi, one of her most celebrated collaborators.

Together, they reveal not just the evolution of an artist, but the birth of an entirely new way of telling stories through movement.

Kinda Interesting Things #328: The Story of the Charlotte Russe, the Disappearing NYC Dessert

A hundred years ago, you could find this little dessert in bakeries all over New York. Today, it’s almost extinct. But on Staten Island, one bakery has been keeping the tradition alive for five generations. This is the story of the Charlotte Russe.

Let’s rewind a little bit. I was watching Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America when there’s a scene where a young boy, Patsy, buys this dessert topped with whipped cream and a bright red cherry, intending to give it to an older girl waiting upstairs. But temptation gets the better of him, and he ends up eating the whole thing himself.

But as I watched, I kept wondering: what is that pastry that he was eating.

The Charlotte Russe originated in Europe in the early 1800s and is often credited to French chef Marie-Antoine Carême, who named it after Princess Charlotte of Wales. The original dessert was a molded cake lined with ladyfingers and filled with custard or Bavarian cream.

When it made its way to America, it evolved into something much more portable. New York bakeries began selling individual Charlottes Russes made with sponge cake, a swirl of whipped cream, and a maraschino cherry, all tucked inside a fluted paper cup. By the early 20th century, bakeries across New York sold them for just a few cents, and they became a childhood staple.

There was even an incident back in 1921 involving a wagon full of Charlotte Russes that crashed in Harlem. Apparently, kids swarmed the wreckage and feasted on the desserts.

But as neighborhood bakeries disappeared, so did the Charlotte Russe. As I looked up where to get one in NYC today, only one bakery kept popping up: Holtermann’s Bakery in Staten Island.

So was I going to travel all the way to Staten Island for a Charlotte russe? Absolutely.

Source:
“Lost foods of New York City: Charlotte Russe” (Politico, Leah Koenig, 2012)
“The Charlotte Russe? It Survives” (The New York Times, Richard F. Shepard, 1976)
“CHARLOTTE RUSSE DEBACLE; Manhattanville Youth Have Fluffy Feast After Wreck” (The New York Times, 1921)

Kinda Interesting Things #327: The Woolworth Building aka “The Cathedral of Commerce”

REMINDER: The Woolworth Building is NOT open to the public. The only way to experience it is through a guided tour with @woolworthtoursnyc

If you’re walking through Lower Manhattan, you’ll come across a building that was once the tallest in the world. But inside is a lobby with soaring ceilings and hidden details that have been preserved for more than a century. This is the Woolworth Building.

Completed in 1913, the Woolworth Building was commissioned by five-and-dime pioneer Frank Winfield Woolworth and designed by architect Cass Gilbert. More than a century later, its breathtaking interior is still one of New York City’s greatest architectural treasures, filled with intricate details and incredible craftsmanship.This building is a work of art that’ll transport you back to the early 20th century.

Follow @woolworthtoursnyc and experience this iconic NYC masterpiece for yourself!

Kinda Interesting Things #326: The Cross Bronx Expressway, one of the most controversial roads ever built in NYC

The Cross Bronx Expressway is a six-mile highway built to move cars and trucks across the Bronx, carrying Interstate 95 and serving as a key link between the George Washington Bridge and the region’s major highways.

Before the expressway, neighborhoods across this part of the Bronx were thriving working- and middle-class communities, home to generations of Jewish, Italian, German, Irish, and Puerto Rican families.

In the late 1940s, city planner Robert Moses proposed running that highway straight through the heart of the Bronx. Rather than following routes that would have displaced fewer residents, his plan cut directly through established neighborhoods.

While the highway did create a faster path for cars and trucks, it dismantled neighborhoods that had taken generations to build. Thousands of homes and businesses were demolished, displacing around 60,000 residents. Over time, the expressway became one of several factors that reshaped the South Bronx.

Today, the Cross Bronx remains one of the busiest freight corridors in the country, and nearby communities continue to experience disproportionate impacts from traffic, noise, and air pollution.

Sources:
The Power Broker (Robert Caro, 1974)
“New Highways for a Better New York” (The New York Times, Robert Moses, 1945)
“REIMAGINE THE CROSS BRONX EXPRESSWAY” (NYC DOT, NYS DOT, 2025)
“Protest Cross-Bronx Road” (The New York Times, 1946)
“Robert Moses Tore the South Bronx in Half. Is It About to Happen Again?” (The New York Times, Ginia Bellafante, 2025)
“OUR FORGOTTEN BOROUGH | Seven decades of pollution and division: The fight over the Cross Bronx Expressway” (Bronx Times, Shea Vance, 2026)
“Inside the fight for cleaner air, dignity and the truth about the Cross Bronx Expressway” (Bronx Times, Sadie Brown, 2026)
“NEW ROADS TO SPEED TRAVEL” (The New York Times, 1949)
“The Bruckner Interchange Open at Last” (The New York Times, Frank J. Prial, 1972)

Who is Norberto Briceño’s audience?

Norberto Briceño's audience is likely comprised of individuals with a strong interest in New York City's rich history, landmarks, and urban development. Their engagement signals suggest a deep curiosity and appreciation for architectural history and NYC culture, as evidenced by an exceptionally high Instagram engagement rate of 8.89%, significantly surpassing benchmarks like TikTok (~3.0%), Instagram (~1.5%), and YouTube (~2.0%). This indicates a highly dedicated and interactive community, eager for detailed insights and visual storytelling about the city.

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