Tag Archives: nyc

On Bagels and On Selling Children

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    I thank my friend Joyce, who was the source of the following two articles, which moved me in different ways. The first is the story of bagel making in New York City. If you are from NYC–especially Brooklyn, you’re gonna LOVE this. If you are not from NYC, you’ll get an education. This is what real bagels are all about: The boil>bake process with NYC WATER. The bagel originated in POLAND and is considered to have Jewish roots. The Wiki page on bagels is fairly good.         I hope that left you sated and happy. … Continue reading →

Fascinating: Link to Article About Stuyvesant Town History

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  Lee Lorch click the link below Lee Lorch, Desegregation Activist Who Led Stuyvesant Town Effort, Dies at 98 The New York Times   In the early years of Stuyvesant Town’s creation, I was too young to know about, let alone understand, racism. My parents were original tenants in Stuyvesant Town, in lower Manhattan. It was developed to help alleviate the housing shortage after the end of WW II. We had a one-bedroom apartment that had a large walk-in closet. From the windows we saw windows and more windows. A reminder that we were all the same. We were all … Continue reading →

Fascinating: Links to Vintage New York City Photos And More

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    Click the links below for a treat– Forty-five Vintage Photos of Manhattan in the 1940’s Twenty-six Vintage Photos That Show How New York Has Transformed Since The 1970’s Forty Gorgeous Photos of Brooklyn in 1974 The Last Days of Sleazy Times Square in the 1990’s Some San Franciscans Waited in the Rain For 2-Day Old New York City Bagels (There is no such thing as a “bagel” outside of New York City. A “bagel” is a bagel if it is made with New York City water. Ask any New Yorker.) Most Amazing Sculptures By A Chinese Artist   … Continue reading →

Part 73: Breaking Down, Building up

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  I have returned. I received a few notes from friends asking me when I was going to post, wondering if they were no longer on the subscribe list. I am still here and trying very hard to organize my thoughts before the auto-alert goes out and tells you: Sans Souci’s words of wisdom are out there. I have no idea what I will call this until the end. I have no idea where this is going but I feel compelled to write. It’s about cats and mothers and things falling apart and being fixed. Literally, figuratively.   The City … Continue reading →

NYC Photo Journal: At The Lake, Yes, This is NYC

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    There’s a lovely lake at the end of my block the iPhone camera is not bad at all and the new iOS7 offers a few new features. I didn’t realize that I had it set to take HDR photos: High Dynamic Range: a burst of three photos at different exposures that are combined to form the best one. That’s a standard on many new cameras. Sometimes I like the “normal” photo better than the HDR which seemed to produce a lighter version of the scene, at times it appeared to be clearer and more detailed. It’s nice to … Continue reading →

9/11 The Falling Man: The World Trade Center Blogs: Index to 6 part multimedia series (updated 9/13)

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*click the links *Lead-in: From Brooklyn to Lower Manhattan/A visual essay and a prelude a visit to the area triggers memories   *Part 1: Windows on the World Video: Building the World Trade Center Introduction George Willig, the wire walker Memory: dining at Windows On The World   *Part 2: Audio Walking Tour: A thousand pictures from the sounds “Featuring voice messages, interviews, eyewitness accounts, live music, audio artifacts–the elevators, revolving doors, the piano in Windows on the World…stories and sounds from the world Trade Center and it’s neighborhood.” Follow the map 102 facts   *Part 3: Poetry: Billy Collins/The … Continue reading →

NYC Photo Journal: ART: Reginald Marsh/Swing Time/Thirties New York

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The Battery   There is a spectacular exhibit of 1930’s art by Reginald Marsh (also, Raphael Soyer, Isabel Bishop). Swing Time, was at the New York Historical Society from June 21, 2013 to September 1, 2013. I was able to see the exhibit on its last day. Reginald Marsh (1898-1954) was an American artist who focused on the mundane, the daily, the profane, the exuberant. He saw the energy and captured it in his interpretation of light by use of color and brush stroke. Some of his work reminds me of the WPA style if there is such a thing. Common … Continue reading →

New York City and Mayor Michael Bloomberg

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    It is Michael Bloomberg’s final year as Mayor. We think. He managed to break the rules and the odds and stay beyond what we expected, stretched two terms into a rare three, and continued his one dollar a year token salary. (Bloomberg has been in office more than eleven years catching up to Mayors LaGuardia, Wagner, and Koch served twelve years.) Mayor Bloomberg was not the favorite of teachers; he ran, or tried to run the Department of Education as a business. It just doesn’t work. However, Mayor Bloomberg improved the quality of life in the city, in … Continue reading →

NYC Photo Journal: The NYC Riviera

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  New York City is an island nation of sorts. We forget that so  much of the city is surrounded by water and now that its shoreline development and waterfront parks have been getting their due, ferries are popping up. It used to be that “the ferry” meant the Staten Island Ferry. Yes, there always was a ferry to Liberty Island, Ellis Island, Governor’s Island, but beyond that, people can now travel between boroughs, commute to work or just have some time out at sea. My day began at LIC Flea and Food where food is wonderful and the variety … Continue reading →

NYC Photo Journal: “H-M’Art”: Food and Packaging as Eye Candy

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H-MART is a Korean food chain that has put down roots in New York and New Jersey and is spreading into other states. It is a hit because it is clean, the food is fresh, the prices, especially the produce is competitive, there are plenty of samples, the workers are respectful and helpful and it is just plain interesting; it is a cheap trip to another country. Experience the flavors and colors of food shopping in Korea. This is one of H-MART’s latest store openings. I stuffed myself with Korean snack food so I can work on this post and … Continue reading →

NYC Photo Journal: An Afternoon at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

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There is always something to see at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.   Sometimes it is as interesting outside of the building as it is inside. There is always a crowd if people on the stairs, street food, and most likely music and entertainment. And it’s fun. To wit: check out the cool African American dude in the white outfit, playing Hebrew Bar Mitzvah tunes on his sax. Grab a felafel from the food truck and then do the Hora. Or bop along to the group singing the Temptations’ songs. Yep, don’t be self-conscious, it’s New York. Share my day. Click … Continue reading →

NYC Photo Journal: Getting Hives: Just Call Me, “Honey.”

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So, I didn’t run away, I flew away and spent some time at a place I knew nothing about, a place ensconced in the neighborhood where my mother now lives, Flushing, Queens: The Voelker Orth Museum, is also a bird sanctuary and Victorian Garden. From the website: __________________________________________________________________________________________________ From Immigrant Home to Neighborhood Museum 10th Anniversary Exhibition August 24 – November 24, 2013 Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, 1-4pm From Immigrant Home to Neighborhood Museum takes a look at the transformation of the property from the late 19th century through the restoration of the house and opening of the Voelker Orth … Continue reading →

NYC Photo Journal: Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY

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This past weekend I declared REST. I had a headache that persisted on and off into Monday. Saturday I enjoyed sleeping for a couple of hours here and there. Sunday was relaxation and escape day and as you know, I never leave without you. My father was born in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn in the early nineteen-teens. His family was poor. His father was a tailor and if memory serves me correct, they lived behind the tailor shop. At one point there were nine children or births, six of them made it, my father was the oldest and lived … Continue reading →

NYC Photo Journal: Louis, Louis! Hot Jazz!

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Louis Armstrong’s favorite food was rice and beans. That’s what is served along with hot jazz in the cool garden, a summer concert series held under the trees in Louis’ yard in Corona, Queens. There is a fascinating house tour, films and audio tracks that illustrate how remarkable this man was and how he lives on. Louis’ birthday party was celebrated on July 4th with the usual rice and beans, lemonade and a celebratory birthday cake. Bria’s Hot Five with Bria Skonberg was the billed show. This is one amazing young lady.

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A Slice of Life …

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The Lower East Side of Manhattan Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village Are Highlighted     The following video is a segment of a PBS broadcast about Robert Moses and the post-war re-building of New York City. Mid-way, it features the development in which I grew up, Stuyvesant Town and how it replaced hundreds of tenement buildings and displaced thousands of people. It is interesting to note that the original purpose of the building of Stuyvesant Town was to provide affordable housing to the World War II veterans and their families. At this time the management has changed hands several … Continue reading →

A Wonderful, Nostalgic New York City Video

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  My friend, K., brought this video to my attention and I sat there for almost a half hour glued to it: I had a bad case of nostalgia. I miss the old simple New York City of my childhood, the young ladies in white gloves and dresses, the young men in suits and ties, the Mamie Eisenhower outfits on mothers. This is one of the kitschiest “tours” of New York City I’ve seen. Of course the young man in the horse drawn carriage on a date was smoking–it seems so passeé. The streets that are now so impossible to … Continue reading →

The New New York on Wheels

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Did you fellow New Yorkers ever think you’d see the day when there would be bike stations in Manhattan and Brooklyn for a quick rental and ride? You can read about how it works here. The station map is here. The cost is here. The rental agreement is here. (Hmmm) A re-cap of day one is here. An article is here. [ti_audio media=”13506″ autoplay=”1″ autoresume=”1″]    

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Part 29: Running Away to Brooklyn: Finding Solace in Art … and in Hot Pastrami

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1. Brilliant painting Time for a break from ringing phones, and sick pets. My break of choice is in Brooklyn: a little culture never hurt anyone and it was opening day for the John Singer Sargent watercolor exhibit  at the Brooklyn Museum. It  will travel to Boston and Houston. Some works by Sargent. His work in water colors with variation of translucence and opacity, some with the technique of wax resist creates wonderful texture and light.   2. Brilliant Photography In addition, the very haunting photography exhibit of La Toya Ruby Frazier should not be missed.   LaToya Ruby Frazier, … Continue reading →