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Top Ten Things To Do In New York City During Christmastime 2013

Posted in Amuse-bouche du jour, BY THE WAY, New York Speaks, Only in New York, tagged , , , , , , , on November 24, 2013| Leave a Comment »

My previous blog(s) on what to do in New York City during Christmastime have proven to be among my most popular posts.  I’m including links to those two and am adding a few more fun things to do while you are here visiting.  You ARE coming to New York City during Christmas aren’t you?  So much to do, so little time….Top Ten Things To Do in New York City during Christmastime and the  later version: Top Ten Things To Do In New York City During Christmastime UPDATED!

The season really does officially kick off with Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade BUT each year retailers move the calendar dates closer to Halloween than Thanksgiving.  Literally I swear Duane Reade was decked out in red bows and candy canes the day AFTER Halloween.

1. ROCKEFELLER CENTER:  There’s so much holiday here that it makes the list every year. NOT only should you go and see the tree and watch  the ice skaters, you should also check out The Top Of The Rock.  With the country facing economic catastrophe and the world between two wars, John D. Rockefeller’s vision for his center never wavered. Rockefeller Center and the observation deck were his gifts to Manhattan- a place for locals and visitors to marvel at the city he loved.  Yo

u can visit this spectacular observation deck during the day or night.  I opted for a night when there was a full moon and all I can say OMG.

What You See

What You See

2. CATHEDRALS and CHURCHES:  Some of New York City’s grandest structures are the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and St. Patrick’s Cathedral.  Among the most accessible are St. Thomas’ on Fifth Avenue and St. Bart’s on Park Ave. Take a moment and visit one or more of these places of worship, you won’t be disappointed.  The peaceful atmosphere (although a bit hectic at St. Patrick’s during Christmastime), the magnificent altars laden with red poinsettias and the glory of their stained glass windows is well worth a drop in. 

English: Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, N...

English: Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, New York City – Shot from the northwest corner facing southeast (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

3. THE HIGHLINE and EATALY:  There are “touristy” things to see and do and there are some that are more so.  Apparently, Eataly has become a  must see, must stop for literally thousands of visitors.  This is the gastronomic retail empire created by Lidia and family and Mario Batali.  Go, see, eat, buy and who knows you might even have a Lidia spotting.  As for the Highline, so many of my friends and relatives take visitors there, I felt I should include it.  It is a 1 mile long linear park elevated above the City and affording fabulous views.  If it’s not freezing or windy when you are here, you might want to walk along this man-made wonder which actually preserved the a scenic path where the former cargo trains ran.  

The Highline Park

The Highline Park

4. CANAL STREET: If you haven’t picked up all your gifts yet, this is the place to go.  You will find a splendiferous display of wares you won’t believe.  Handbags, perfume, gadgets, scarves, hats, gloves, jewelry, more jewelry, watches – you are truly in a shopper’s paradise on Canal Street.

5. MUSIC, MUSIC, MUSIC:  There are so many venues for holiday music, I couldn’t possibly list them all.  A few highlights to consider are starting December 17th are:

17 — Gotham Holiday Swing, Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks, Garrison Keillor, Nellie McKay, the Hot Sardines, Jonathan Batiste & the Stay Human Band and others, 8 p.m., Town Hall, 123 W. 43rd St. $55-$65. (212) 840-2824 (the-townhall-nyc.org).

17-28 — Michael Feinstein’s Holiday @ Birdland, 8:30 p.m., Birdland Jazz Club, 315 W. 44th St. $75-$200. (212) 581-3080 (birdlandjazz.com).

19-20 — The New York Pops, “Under the Mistletoe with Ashley Brown,” conductor Steven Reineke, Essential Voices USA, 8 p.m., Carnegie Hall, Isaac Stern Auditorium, Seventh Avenue at 57th Street. $37-$112. (212) 247-7800 (carnegiehall.org).

21 — The New York Pops, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” narrated by John Tartaglia with Judith Clurman’s Essential Voices USA, choreography by New York Theatre Ballet and actors from TADA! Youth Theater, 2 p.m., Carnegie Hall, Isaac Stern Auditorium, Seventh Avenue at 57th Street. $75-$400. (212) 903-9734 (carnegiehall.org).

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Big and Little, Masks and Make-Up…Halloween Begins!

Posted in New York Speaks, Only in New York, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on October 30, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Always a place where bigger is better and more is nicer, Manhattan extends Halloween far beyond the usual Cabbage Night or Mischief Night and the actual Eve of All Hallows.  Almost everyone I have ever mentioned Cabbage night to in New York City has not known what I was talking about.  Do you?  Traditionally the night before Halloween, parents stayed home and tried to keep older kids in the house because  that was night that mailboxes were filled with  shaving cream , trees were wrapped with toilet paper and soap was used to scrawl messages on car windows.  And here you thought the kids in suburbia were so good!

Anyway, in the City, Halloween fun began last weekend.  There was a “kids happening” in Central Park where kids of all ages and sizes were present to participate in the many events.  There was also that hot hot Halloween display at the Band Shell in the park; see previous post; “It Was A Hot Time In The Old Town Tonight” OR Was It Central Park?

Murray was in the park taking photos of all and here are some of the Big and Little, Masks and Make-up

BIG Guy - Make-up

BIG Guy – Make-up

Little Guy - Make-up

Little Guy – Make-up

Big Pumpkin Man

BIG White Face Pumpkin 

Little White Face Zombie

Little White Face Zombie

Pumpkin Dog - No Mask No Make-up!

Pumpkin Dog – No Mask No Make-up!

Hot Dog-No Mask No Make-up

Hot Dog-No Mask No Make-up

BIG Zombie - Make-up?

BIG Zombie – Make-up?

Little Zombie - Mask!

Little Zombie – Mask!

Headless Horseman No Make-up No Mask

Headless Horseman
No Make-Up No Mask

All photos courtesy of Murray Head

So there you have a glimpse into the beginning of Halloween Week!

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DAY 3 – Como Say____In Espanol? Galaxy 4 to the Rescue!

Posted in BY THE WAY, Finley Ray, Frankie, Friends, Smooth or Crunchy, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 10, 2013| Leave a Comment »

OH, didn’t I tell you that my daughter’s Nanny does NOT speak English?  Oh yes, that little detail adds so much more to the running of the household, the raising of the kids, not to mention general communication.  It’s been a learning experience  for all.  I believe Belle joined the family in July, my daughter spoke no Spanish, my son-in-law speaks no Spanish, Francesca knew a little bit of Portuguese from the previous NY nanny and Finley was getting bits and pieces of Spanish at school.  That was then.

Fast forward to October and I find that my grandchildren can understand directions and instructions from Belle in Spanish, (most evident at mealtimes) and my daughter can have a conversation (albeit somewhat limited in subject matter) with her.  As for myself I am at a loss as to why only French words come to mind,  since I took in high school and you don’t really want to know how long ago that was!    I never took Spanish and never spent any time with someone who spoke it, but thought since French and Spanish were both Romance languages I would stand a chance communicating.  NOT SO!  There is very little resemblance between the words and of course the spoken word is completely foreign to me when pronounced with her Colombian accent.

This morning, Belle and I were the only ones up after the girls went to school.  We were in the kitchen together so we attempted some sort of conversation.  It’s amazing how much you can say and understand when you combine French, Italian and hand-gesture sign language.  BUT it’s not enough.  Galaxy4 to the rescue.  I have two apps on my new phone that have enabled to actually get a question answered or to say something to Belle.  One is Voice Search and that one is a riot.  Most of the time it gets it right but a couple of times the response were really crazy.  It operates on my voice asking how do you say___in Spanish.  Then the electronic voice ( I don’t know her name but she’s not Siri because this ain’t no Apple) comes on speaking my words in Spanish.  So I talk to the phone and then hand it over to Belle to listen to.  You can see how easily conversation flows NOT.  The second app is called Translate.  I type in a sentence and the phone translates it into Spanish, so again I’m on the phone and then I hand it to her.  This all makes for a discussion that no one else can hear.  Mmmm possibly a good thing!

We talked about the girls and about food and cooking.  We compared some notes and traded ideas.  She likes to cook with coconut oil and I’m into olive oil.  This morning I showed her how to fork split a Thomas’ english muffin so there would be nooks and crannies for the butter to ooze into.  We, as the older and wiser parental units, talked about child rearing and how the younger generation does things differently (do not read better).

Five friends are coming for lunch today to see the new baby.  Belle has been cooking quinoa with pistachio nuts, craisins, parsley and lemon juice as one of the dishes.  A vegetable lasagna is also prepared to be heated and there will be salad.  I’m not sure if I am included in this luncheon, but either way is fine with me.  I wouldn’t mind delving into my book for a while or actually going outside other than to get in a car to drive somewhere.  There is a pool outside but it appears to be black – the bottom is painted black Tom calls it The Black Lagoon.  No one is swimming in it, we think the filter is broken

INTERMISSION:

The Lake Ida gang of good friends arrived not just to meet and greet Fletcher BUT also to learn the gender of Leslie’s impending birth.  She brought dessert and very cleverly had one cup cake decorated in the appropriate colors.  Bets all around;  5 of us said it’s a boy and Chiara forecasted a girl.  You guessed it right?  The cupcake had pink frosting on it!

After the ladies left, there was maybe 15 minutes before the before the next visitor arrived;  I picked up Francesca at school (solo) (aren’t you impressed?) This visitor arrived with a bundt cake and 3 kids!  The cakes looked delicious and with a devil-may-care attitude, the mothers gave the kids slices of cake (Gigi does not approve of cake before dinner).  Now with 5 kids wired on sugar, let the fun begin!  Lots of racing around, lots of shrieks and then my sister called.  

Silly Putty

Silly Putty

She wanted to visit to see the new baby and the girls and me.  This would be the only time I would see her before she moved to Las  Vegas to marry her beau, Nick and start a new career as a hostess in the high roller room at a casino.  Nick has made all of the arrangements and she has assured me everything is on the up an up.  She needed directions to punch into her GPS.

This is when the real drama began;  Francesca needed me in the bathroom with her with the door closed.  About 4 minutes later I emerged to the sound of wailing, and I mean REAL loud crying.  What happened?  Well, if you’ve been to Florida you know the builders penchant for stone tile floors, granite counters and ceramic tile foyers?  Apparently during a wild chase through the rooms, one of the visiting kids slammed into the kitchen counter on the island AND knocked out a tooth!  She had a baggy of ice on her mouth which did little to muffle her crying!

Chiara says: ” I think Aunt Mardy called on your phone”.  I called her back and was greeted with: “It’s about time you picked up your phone”.  OHHHHHKAAY!  I just bit my tongue and calmly explained I had been otherwise occupied and did NOT bring my phone into the bathroom considering the fate of the iPhone5  the other night.  

She arrived laden with Halloween bags for the girls and gifts for Chiara, Tom and Fletcher.  And what do you think was in the goodie bags?  Glow in the dark Silly Putty – all the better to locate when stuck onto the couch, a microphone (batteries required) so one can be a Rock Star, Glo-sticks which she opened into glass jars with the girls to make Fairy Dust! and Hair Chalk!  Yes now the girls can paint their own hairs pink or purple, how convenient.  AND then the floor and leather chair were sprinkled with  blue powder! Fairy Dust? No, Finley opened up a small cylinder of this powder and spilled it.  She didn’t know it was the 2013 version of Pixie Dust which in my day, came encased in a straw – all the easier to suck up.  This innovation had a big sucker attached to a handle that after you sucked, you could dip it in the blue SUGAR!  Clearly by now you know my sister has NO children of her own!

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SOooo You Want To Live In Manhattan?

Posted in Amuse-bouche du jour, Only in New York, tagged , , , , , , , on September 24, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Hey everybody knows that the First Rule of Real Estate is Location, location, location.  Or is it?  Maybe location is reality based in  one’s own perception.   I sell real estate in Manhattan, I know it’s expensive;  I think everyone knows it’s expensive or if they didn’t believe it, when they got here and tried to rent an apartment they quickly understood the Manhattan Mantra:  “Yes, but real estate in Manhattan is different from the rest of the country”.

This is the answer given to the transferee who is vacating his 8 room Colonial in Ohio and is trying to find a 3 Bedroom apartment  at about the same price he sold his house – $895K – NOT!  Or to the recently-graduated-new-hire to the financial world and is told that in order to rent a 400 sq.’ Studio (about the size of a dorm room) for a meager $2000 a month, he would have to earn $90K per year and that’s more money than his father ever made!  Oh, in that case, maybe he could get his parents to be guarantors;   If they don’t live in the try-state area, NOT!  Do your parents make at least $160K? No? Then NOT!

So yes Manhattan real estate is different from the rest of the country and also the rest of the world!  Check out these comparisons.  They’re supposed to be funny although I guess that might depend on what zip code you live in or want to live in!

$1,621,200

$1,621,200

This 13,993 square-foot, 6-bedroom castle sits on 24 acres of land overlooking the countryside of Midi Pyrenees. Features include a large entrance hall opening to the courtyard, salon with a fireplace, grand staircase, elevator, large dining room with fireplace, two kitchens, a bedroom wing with a hall onto the courtyard, study rooms in the towers, two garages, and access to the chapel and east wing.

$1,650,000

$1,650,000

Here’s a 1-bed, 1.5-bath 1,200-square-foot apartment on E. 30th St. It’s conveniently located near nothing interesting.

$2,325,956

$2,325,956

Chateau Blavou is a 10-bedroom, 8-bathroom castle set in a peaceful 27-acre section in Normandy. This property comes complete with a vaulted cellar, a dining room that seats 60+ guests, a cellar/bar area with access to the garden, a wine cellar, food preparation room, two greenhouses, a caretaker’s house, a guest house, and a function room that seats 210 people.

Potential Backyard

Potential Backyard

$2,550,000

$2,550,000

The ad from Craigslist says that this 4-bed townhouse in Williamsburg Brooklyn has the “potential” for a backyard.

There were MORE of these worldly comparatively-priced properties on the web site Buzz Feed Community. Check it out – I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry or move to Europe!  Thanks to my friend, Helen who sent me the Buzz Feed Community post.

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Time Waits For No Man or Woman (for that matter)

Posted in BY THE WAY, Friends, Only in New York, tagged , , , , , , , on August 15, 2013| Leave a Comment »

If two weeks ago when I last wrote a blog, I thought it would be two weeks before I sat down at the keyboard again, I would have said, “Oh no, not me, I’m committed to blogging”.  Well so what happened?  I’d say one part life happened, one part physic overload and one part computer game junkieness.   I just made up that last word.

Work has been feeling like 24/7 and I have to get a handle on that.  I’m letting a client/customer run my life and she/he has me jumping through hoops.  Of course I’ve had enough therapy to know that can only happen with my permission.  Oh those intelligent sounding, pragmatic answers are just so…..what?  I don’t know, just so true? hard to do? Yup all of that and more.

And then the worst thing is this new word game that I started to play on Facebook.  If Steven Covey could only see me now, spending hours in Quadrant 4 – time wasting and my numbing!  My Scrabble addicition was bad enough, Lexolous was getting intense and now this – Word Wonder or something like that.   All I can say is it’s a good thing I can’t seem to go any further without paying, something I refuse to do.  Hey even us junkies have our limits!

Lots of things have been going wrong too lately – time-consuming and annoying.  We’re not talking life or death here, just annoyances that seem to piggyback on one another.  Here’s how Monday went:  My intention was to pack up the cottage as quickly as possible and get back to NYC because I knew I wouldn’t be around on Tuesday all day.  That’s a perfect example of my neurotic guilt and sense of obligation.  Gee do you really have to be at someone’s beck and call every day, all day?  OK, well I hustled around and got food packed, windows closed and locked while Peter filled the bird feeders and gave the squirrels fresh corn.  Now for the record, I did strongly suggest we put the car into the garage on Sunday night as well as drop off some stuff with Jane at the hotel.  Didn’t happen – now it’s Monday morning and I’m short-tempered and curt barking orders as to what needs to be done to get this show on the road!   BAD KARMA!  The Metropolitan would not start…. Are you frigging kidding me? We drove it Saturday night to Spring Lake and back. Now it’s raining and it won’t start.  Of course I didn’t know it wouldn’t start because I had already left for the garage to pick up a picnic basket I was lending to a friend in Manhattan and to put away the booster seat we had to purchase when Finley was with us for 3 days!

I realized that the basket would not fit in the car the way it was packed now and you know I didn’t pack it that way!  So I unloaded the whole car and re-arranged everything and put in the picnic basket.  Still raining and where is he anyway?  I called his cell phone and he informs me the car won’t start!  Ay yii yi!  I lock up the garage and zoom back.  He’ll have to call our auto mechanic who just installed a new starter last week.  That’s right, last week.  We’re leaving it out in front of the house and the mechanic will see to it – we leave.  I realize that I’m wearing soaking wet shoes.  Why am I not wearing my usual flip-flops?  Well because I was thinking ahead and wanted these espadrilles to be in NYC so I could wear them on the bus tomorrow to West Hampton.  Do all espadrilles have roped soles?

BAD TRAVEL KARMA is an all day thing I guess, because by Monday evening when I have to get myself to East 50th Street to meet my Mah Jongg group, things are still going badly.  I left the apartment in plenty of time with the intention of taking the cross town bus to 2nd Ave and then switching to the 2nd Ave local to go south.  But as I walked out of my building, I saw the cross town bus heading up the block – I had just missed it.  I waited a while and no bus came.  So I walked to 2nd Ave and one block south to the bus stop and waited and waited and waited.  Not one but two Select (express) buses went by but no local. I kept looking at the time and said to myself “take a cab”.  I hailed the cab down and just as I was about to open the door I realized that I did not bring my handbag with me and had only my Mah Jongg money and no credit cards.  “Sorry” I say to the driver, “I made a mistake”.  This being New York, he’s probably used to a lot of crazy people.  Still no bus.  The Select bus stops two blocks north so I take a long look up the avenue and don’t see any buses coming and decide to walk north to that bus stop.  Walking as fast as I can in my flip-flops I scurry northward.  As I am approaching the block, I see that a local bus has stopped there and if you can picture a woman of a certain age and somewhat overweight trying to run in flip flops down the busy block then you are probably laughing your you know what off right now!  The bus pulls away.  Buses wait for no man or woman either by the way!  The express and local stops are both located on this block.  I’m sure another bus of either type will appear on the horizon soon.  WRONG! Almost 10 minutes later, an express bus pulls up, I get on and thank God for the air-conditioning because I had clearly worked myself up into a physical and mental frenzy.  

Yes I made it there, late of course and missed the first round, oh well no big deal.  However,  bad luck follows you around stuck to your shoe like a piece of toilet paper.  I sit down and start to play.  My hand looks pretty good.  I’m not going to go into the strategies of Mah Jongg here but you must always be careful not to throw someone else’s winning tile.  Because if you do you have to pay double.  Well you know where this is going…I threw the tile.  Now I had to pay her double her hand.  Oh but she was also East and therefore she gets doubled again, and Oh she threw doubles so she gets doubled again!  And Oh the bettor bet on her so she also gets the same amount of money.  When I tell you I lost $8 in one round, you can believe I was ready to pack it in for the night!  I actually had to owe the bettor $2 and pay it off as I won other hands!  

I sure hope tomorrow is much less uneventful!

English: blue espadrille from Los Espadrilles.com

Espadrilles ARE NOT water proof

May the craks and bams be with you!

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TOP TEN THINGS To Do In New York City In The Summer

Posted in Thursday's Top Ten, tagged , , , , , , , on August 3, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Interior of John Leavitt's Tavern, Joseph Warr...

Interior of John Leavitt’s Tavern, Joseph Warren Leavitt, Chichester, c. 1825, American Folk Art Museum (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One of my most popular blog posts is the one about the top ten things to do in New York City at Christmastime.  So I decided to try writing one about what to do in The City during the summer months.  The City is filled with tourists all summer, well you don’t have to be a store owner to know that, just try walking along Madison Avenue, or try to do an errand in SoHo.  However, that’s just the thing, tourists come to New York City and just do touristy things like Broadway and Times Square, maybe go to the Empire State building, rush to Canal Street thinking they’re getting a deal (only now they can be arrested too) or get on one of those god-awful double decker sight-seeing bus tours. Geez!!!

Listen people, there are SO MANY things to do in New York City, your vacation won’t be long enough;  These are free and if you’re staying in one of our hotels, you need to go to a couple of free events!

SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK

During the months of June, July and part of August, you can enjoy watching a Shakespeare production in Central Park.  To obtain a ticket, most people get in line in the morning and at 1:00pm the free tickets are distributed (two per person).  This summer they are doing A Comedy of Errors, and Love’s Labor Lost.  You can bring your own picnic supper or order one from the Public Cafe located near the Delacorte Theater.  For complete information go to www.shakespeareinthepark.org/about.aspx

STARGAZING ON THE HIGH LINE

From dusk to 9:30 or so on Tuesdays, from April to October, amateurs and experts gather for an evening of seeing the stars from one of the nicest parks in Manhattan. Folks from the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York are on hand to help you focus the telescopes, explain the difference between a supergiant and supernova, and understand the night sky. When you’re finished gazing, you can do some grazing at one of the nearby food stands, including barbecue from SmokeLine and pretzels from Sigmund’s.

HBO BRYANT PARK FILM FESTIVAL

The Lawn
New York, NY
212-512-5700
http://www.bryantpark.org/plan-your-visit/filmfestival.html
Grab something to eat at ‘wichcraft and stake out your favorite spot on the lawn because this popular summer series is back through August 19th. Get ready to watch Academy Award-winning actresses like Sally Field star in Norma Rae (8/5) and screen legends like Bette Davis play the lead in Hush…Hush, Sweet Caroline (7/15). Gates open at 5 p.m. and admission is free.

RIDE THE STATEN ISLAND FERRY

Whitehall terminal
4 South St
New York, NY 10301
(718) 876-8441
http://www.siferry.com/Default.aspx
Sure, the Staten Island Ferry’s primary purpose is to transport residents to and from the Island of Manhattan. But just think about this: The boat ride is a free, 5 mile (or 25 minute) ride around offering views of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty — and booze. Kind of romantic, no? Bring a date or bring your friends for a night on the water.

AMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM

2 Lincoln Sq
New York, NY 10023
212-265-1040
folkartmuseum.org/
Admission and tours are free at the American Folk Art Museum. Opening June 11 is Bill Traylor: Drawings from the Collections of the High Museum of Art and the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts. Bill Traylor was born into slavery c. 1854 and lived on the plantation even after emancipation. Late inhis life, he created more than 1,000 works of art — now considered some of the most iconic works of 20th century art. The museum also features Free Music Fridays with performances from folk, indie-pop, and other performers.

GOVERNOR’S ISLAND

Catch the ferry at 10 South St
New York, NY 10004
http://www.govislandpark.com/
More: 10 NYC National Monuments
Chock full of history and spots to sunbathe, 2013 highlights at Governors Island include Army Heritage Day and the traditional walking tours. Catch the ferry, leaving from the Battery Maritime Building, to the national monument and spend the day relaxing at the park. Hit the water for kayaking from Pier 101, or stay high and dry with bicycle rentals, music concert, nature exhibits or hiking tours through former military outposts. Check out our guide to Governor’s Island for a look at the exhibits, restaurants and sights available at this city gem.

UNIQLO FREE FRIDAYS AT MOMA

1 West 53 Street
New York, NY 10019
212-708-9400
http://www.moma.org/visit/plan/offers#admission
Admission is free for all visitors at one of New York’s most recognizable museums during UNIQLO Free Friday Nights, held every Friday evening from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. Tickets for UNIQLO Free Friday Nights are not available in advance. The ticket gets you access to to all of the historic museum’s galleries, exhibitions and films.

AFRICAN BURIAL GROUND

One of Lower Manhattan’s most fascinating, and controversial, stories of recent years circulates around the new African Burial Ground National Monument site. It began when a construction project in 1991 uncovered a burial ground of slaves – more than 400 caskets were found – from an age when New York had more slaves than any American city outside Charleston, South Carolina. Outside you can see part of the site now enveloped by buildings, and the compact visitors center does a masterful job at retelling African-American history in the city. See our 76-Second Travel Show episode on the museum’s opening. 290 Broadway between Duane & Elk Sts, Lower Manhattan.

CHELSEA GALLERIES

New York’s most concentrated area for a gallery crawl is in Chelsea, mostly in the 20s Streets between 10th and 11th Avenues. Check westchelseaarts.com or Gallery Guide for listings. All are free, no pressure to buy. And try timing for wine-and-cheese openings on Thursday evenings.

FORBES COLLECTION

The lobby galleries of Forbes magazine have some various curios from the late Malcolm Forbes’ collection, most notably early versions of Monopoly boards. (Or watch our tour of Monopoly sites around the properties’ namesakes at Atlantic City, New Jersey.) 62 Fifth Ave at 12th St, Greenwich Village.

I hope you enjoy your visit to our fabulous city.  You too will be singing “I Love New York”

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Comings and Goings

Posted in Smooth or Crunchy, tagged , , , , , , , on July 17, 2013| 1 Comment »

NYC Subway 6 Train

NYC Subway 6 Train Otherwise Known As The Green Line.

 

Oy has it been a crazy past couple of days.  I left the shore on Sunday (a glorious sunny day I might add) to return to New York City by train so I could conduct an open house at one of my listings.  I gave myself just enough time with a very narrow margin for error but that wasn’t because I like to live on the edge, rather, I was dependent on the NJ Transit system to get home.

 

I made it to the train on time in New Jersey and as I sped away from the station, I reached into my handbag for my cell phone and uh oh it was still at the shore.  I decided not to panic, well there was nothing to be done anyway.  My concerns were not phone calls as much as possible emails and texts from brokers trying to register customers or worse from my seller who would not know why I was incommunicado at this time.

 

Things were moving along nicely;  the connecting train at Long Branch was there and so we took off on time.  I had my Kindle with me and not much else since the plan was that Peter and our grandson return sometime on Monday.  In the meantime, Cash’s mom arrived in NJ to spend some beach time with her father and son.  They got the sun and the sand and I got the Open House   😦Just outside of Secaucus the train stopped and I started to fidget.  THIS is exactly what I was afraid of!  What if? I don’t even have a cell phone to contact either the seller or a colleague to pinch hit for me. And since we are all now SO DEPENDENT on our electronic devices, I don’t even know what time it is because I don’t have a watch on!

 

The train eventually got moving and we slid into the tunnel of Penn Station and I prayed I would be able to find a rest room quickly and get on the subway to head uptown.  Oh but I forgot to tell you, I didn’t have my Metro card;  No, that was still in my apartment!  After a quick trip to the ladies’ room and boy did I ever luck out!  The line coming in as I was leaving would have given me the figurative heart attack.

 

I headed for the red line – Peter hates it when I refer to the subway lines by their color dots;  he sometimes refers to the IRT, whatever that is lol lol.  Really, I’m from Connecticut, to me the colors make sense.  Anyway, in order to get on the subway I had to buy a Metro card because I left mine in my apartment (like I somehow forgot I planned on taking the train back on Sunday). The line to the ticket booth was about 20 deep.  There were two lines to the two machines and each was LONG and filled with tourists.  I figure they were tourists because three quarters of the line did NOT know how to use the machine.  I tried to practice some form of total Zen zoning and not tap my foot too much.  When finally it was my turn at the screen don’t you know the cursed hunk of no good metal and electronics would not let me purchase a Single Ride.  Ever mindful of the crowd behind me I just said, “what the f__?” and bought a $10.00 card.  I have a senior citizen discount Metro card and am totally annoyed that I had to buy this card so I could get home and work.

 

I thought I should take a cab across town on 86th St but since everything else was going  askew and downhill, of cou

 

English: An Old sign for the IRT at the Wall S...

 An Old sign for the IRT at the Wall Street 2/3 stop. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

rse there were no cabs.  I wondered if they were on strike.  A bus came along and I hopped on and at least had the gratification and satisfaction of getting a transfer for my $10.00 splurge.  The bus made pretty good time or so I thought because as you know, I had no watch or phone.  I dashed across the street and flew into my building only to come face to face with the seller who was as surprised to see me as I was her.   “Did I get her text?”  Uh no, and I have to explain how I left my phone in NJ.  And by the way, please excuse me I have to run upstairs, change my clothes, brush my hair and teeth and get to your apartment if you please.

 

Peter on the other hand and in the other state had his daughter and grandson to entertain.  He’s not really used to being a solo host.  Well, at least they had great weather and spent two days at the beach.  They were supposed to come home on Monday which turned into Monday night and then he called to ask what did I think about them spending another night at the cottage and he would return during the day on Tuesday.  I had appointments to show my listing on Tuesday but our cat, Nicky also had an appointment at the Vet’s on Tuesday.  It was going to be grueling round trip to bring guests back to NYC, take the cat to the veterinarian and when I finished doing the laundry he brought back, we would return to NJ.  In between appointments and his return I even managed to go to Starbucks and get a pedicure.  He looked like he had been doing battle for two days.

 

Back and forth, up and down and around and around we go.

 

 

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A Raptor Repast or A Hungry Hawk Hunts

Posted in New York Speaks, Nick & Nora and Flora & Fauna, Only in New York, tagged , , , , , , , , on July 6, 2013| Leave a Comment »

They live among us and yet how often have you seen a hawk?  I mean other than circling high above in the sky when you’re driving or soaring on a wind current?  No, I mean a real live close-up view of a Red Tail Hawk.  Most everyone thinks New York City is just a teeming mass of people hurrying from one place to another, ginormous stone and granite buildings, miles of sidewalks, chugging buses and speeding taxis….and of course the Empire State building and Times Square.

Of course there is more to our city than that, so much more I should actually start another blog just about NYC.  But until then, let me remind you about Central Park.  Purposefully planned by the city commissioner and executed by the world class team of Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, Central Park is a verdant oasis in the middle of the high rise landscape of Manhattan.

And it is here, in Central Park, where much wildlife abounds;  One of my favorite denizens are the Red Tail Hawks.  The life and times of Pale Male and his famous mate Lola and the removal of their nest from a Fifth Ave Co-op and the uproar and scandal that ensued have been well-documented in the newspapers and in film.  Well, Pale Male may have lived on Fifth Avenue but he surely ate in Central Park.

Here are some wonderful photos taken by Murray Head of a young Red Tail Hawk who went out looking for his lunch.  

Off To Find Something To Eat

Off To Find Something To Eat

First, A Canape

First, A Canapé

Mmmm Tasty Little Morsel

Mmmm Tasty Little Morsel

They Live Among Us

They Live Among Us

What's This?

What’s This?

Oh Boy, Look What I Got!

Oh Boy, Look What I Got!  I Think He’s Smiling!!!

A Beautiful Young Red Tail Hawk

A Beautiful Young Red Tail Hawk

All Photos Courtesy of Murray Head

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New York City-How Long Is Too Long or You’ve Gone Native!

Posted in New York Speaks, Only in New York, tagged , , , , , , , on June 25, 2013| 9 Comments »

Today is a very hot and humid day in The City!  I know because so far today I have walked about 25 blocks, in TEVA wedge-hi flip flops and carrying what I call the typical NYC handbag.  Today it only had 2 folders in it and no Kindle (thank God).  I could itemize the numerous objects and necessities in my pocketbook but I bet there are thousands of woman all over the country carrying the same home away from home – what if I need…. bag!  Although many of them have it on the front seat while they drive around and are not carrying it in the asphalt jungle. Let’s just say, it’s always heavy and on a day like today, unwelcomely heavy.  With each block, my mood darkened.  Peter wanted to know when I would stop complaining about how hot I was and my response was….well that remark is probably better left unsaid in print. I arrived home (finally), stripped off my clothes and hopped into the shower.  What a fabulous feeling.

If you are wondering what that first paragraph has to do with the title of this blog, it’s actually a precursor to why sometimes living here gets you down, beats you up, changes your outlook on life and makes you wish it was Friday so you could run not walk to your weekend getaway.

So how do you know when you’ve lived in New York City too long?

Dinner – hitting up your slice place at 1:00am

PIZZA!!!

PIZZA!!!

2. Nothing fills you with more rage than getting on a crowded subway car and hearing, “It’s showtime”

3. $12 cocktails and $20 yoga classes seem normal now!

4.You’ve considered moving into your office to save on rent since you spend so much time there.

5. You’ve Seamlessed lunch and dinner in the same day  and not given a shit.

Who cooks anymore?

Who cooks anymore?

6. In the summer you consider the wind coming from an approaching subway to be a nice breeze.

7. You’ve flipped off a tourist bus.

WHAT are they looking at?

WHAT are they looking at?

8. When you visit the suburbs and try to sleep, the silence scares you.

9. You wear ear buds to the grocery store.

"Stayin' Alive," - I Need Endive

“Stayin’ Alive,” – I Need Endive

10. You walk faster than most people run.

Thanks Gail for sending me this hysterical web link.

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Alive and Well

Posted in Amuse-bouche du jour, BY THE WAY, Smooth or Crunchy, tagged , , , , , , , on June 7, 2013| Leave a Comment »

English: Albert Einstein, official 1921 Nobel ...

Albert Einstein

Seriously, yes I am! I know I have been MIA for a couple of weeks and one might think the worst;  like “oh dear, she must be really sick” or “oh my things must be going badly for her right now”…

Well I’m here to say NOT SO!  I have been busy, busy, busy.  And of course I am over-committed so unlike Einstein, for some reason I don’t have enough hours in the day to do all that I want to do and I have pushed off writing a blog.  On the other hand since I am a staunch believer in the fact that people do what they want to do all the time, I may have to try to be more honest with myself and my readers.  

It’s true I have been working and the fruits of those labors came true when I was able to list a property for sale in my building.  It took a few visits and a lot of time spent staging it but it was well worth it.  I put it on the market on Friday and the first showings and Open House were on Sunday and on Monday we had one offer, on Tuesday we two offers, on Wednesday we had three offers. On Thursday I l left town to fulfill my other business obligation.  It’s not very easy to serve two masters in two different states even if they are adjacent.

Someone will surely suffer or both and neither will be happy and then I’ll be out on both accounts.  So this weekend I have to settle the issue and am dreading the conversation.  I don’t want to let anyone down, I commit and I stay with it, I take responsibility to a degree that actually is self-destructive by putting other people’s needs above my own.  This time my own level of stress has been so great that I am going to push through my anxiety and confront the issue.  So many factors to consider.

So busy with two jobs, running between two states and all the rest of life’s miseries still in place, although I haven’t written any blogs in two weeks, I have found time to play Scrabble, I did get a pedicure, I did have breakfast with a friend, I did play one game of Mah Jongg and I did go out one night to dinner and a show with friends and I did go to the doctor’s one day.   Well that’s the truth dear readers and I did all that rather than try to write a blog.  

Did I have writer’s block? No, my friend Gail has sent me several articles I have saved because I want to use the material.  There was one reason I postponed and postponed and it began on Mother’s Day.  I wanted to write a loving blog in memory of my mother but instead we were out and then back in the car to NYC and then back into a grinding routine.  My birthday followed shortly after and I wanted to write about this particular birthday and my mother.  I started many times to formulate it in my head.  I knew it was going to be heavy and so I kept procrastinating.  Memorial Day came and went and we had company and we went to a barbeque and we went out to dinner and then we worked here in NJ and then home again-still the blog haunts me.  

I may have to try to write it soon, I think it will be cathartic.

This weekend is for seeing a first cousin who I haven’t seen since she was little and I have no idea of how many years have passed. She and another first cousin who I have never met – And this is on my mother’s side….the unwritten blog is sending me a message. But doesn’t it know I have to work tonight, tomorrow, tomorrow night and Sunday and then drive back to NYC really early Monday so I can go to work there?  Have mercy!

It happens to be pouring rain outside this morning which is making the whole yard a deep bright green.  I glanced out the window and am wondering where the newspaper is, perhaps it floated away.  

Have a delightful day, I’ll be back.

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