By Elissa Gilbert

We set out from the island of Caye Caulker in Belize in our small boat, turning off the motor and poling slowly through the mangroves. At first we saw manatees, those ungainly mermaids, simply as distant gray lumps. But finally one chose to swim to our side and hung there beside us, only its nostrils poking above the water. We stayed until our guide insisted we leave to go snorkel with stingrays and nurse sharks; a dolphin swam ahead of us leading the way. Such is a morning in Belize.

Vermont native Charlotte Moats, 27, won a gold medal in the Junior Olympics before becoming a professional freeskier in 1999. The Dartmouth grad now lives in Jackson Hole, Wyo., and continues to train for competitions. She answered the Resident’s questions about her favorite slopes and how she stays in championship form.–Cotton Delo

Oscar-nominated actor Chazz Palminteri, 55, got his big movie break with the 1993 release of “A Bronx Tale,” an adaptation of his one-man play that appeared Off-Broadway. Now showing on Broadway, it’s the story of a boy named Calogero – Palminteri’s first name – torn between his law-abiding bus driver father, and Sonny, the charismatic gangster whom he befriends after witnessing him kill a man. Dressed all in black and sipping water backstage before Wednesday night’s performance, Palminteri talked to the Resident about returning to work after the strike, fatherhood and his undying love for the Yankees.—Cotton Delo

By Talia Berman

This fall, Park Avenue Restaurant, on the Upper East Side, closed its doors for a three-day whirlwind of renovations: a new menu, a new facade, new interior design—a new restaurant, in fact, called Park Avenue Autumn.

By Sue Kernaghan

Imagine it’s mid-winter, somewhere in British Columbia. You’re curled up by a roaring fire, snug inside a cosy cabin or a romantic inn, as a thick fall of powder drifts over the forest outside.

An open letter to Mayor Bloomberg about tax reform
By Charles Rangel

Dear Mayor Bloomberg:
I was interested in recent comments you made on your radio show regarding my tax reform proposal. You said that my bill would “certainly hurt New York.” Given that so many individuals and businesses in New York City would benefit from my bill, I would like to understand exactly what parts of the plan you find to be troubling.

City Schools Offer American Sign Language As Foreign Language Alternative

Merced, a junior, is taking American Sign Language at this public school in the South Bronx. Starting this academic year, students at Bronx Leadership can select American Sign Language to fulfill their language requirement instead of more traditional, spoken languages.

Multimedia Story: Scroll Down To Hear A Sample Of New York City Bluegrass Band Citigrass

By Aisha Gawad

I packed my bags and saddled up my gear