We’ve eaten at several “No Tipping” establishments over the past few months, most recently at two bars with lite food fare in the City. I didn’t notice a significant increase in the prices of the food or drink, which was a bit of a surprise. The service was fine and the staff was friendly. There was, perhaps, a sense of relief from the burden o …
As I walked away from the recycling bin in our community, I pondered the sign that had recently been placed on the nearby fence. It advised that the recycling area was under twenty-four hour camera surveillance and enumerated the permitted and prohibited disposals. I considered who put up the sign and the cameras. Who looked at the tapes? I a …
Sitting at a playground in New York City… Observing. A playground not unlike hundreds in the City. Something for everyone between the ages of 6 months and the teen years and older. Swings for parents to push to the glee of their riders. Climbing and sliding challenges. Maybe not today - but there is tomorrow. By the end of summer, th …
Gothamite Carol Schiro Greenwald visited Gotham’s Long Island Dinner Group on Tuesday evening and presented eye-opening insight, and vibrant discussion, of Referral Etiquette and the interplay of the Connector, the Referrer, and the Referred. The takeaway is straightforward. (And if it requires clarification, Carol will provide.) “Please”, “Thank …
We recently attended a destination wedding. It was extended family. As with many destination weddings, the “events” often consist of more than the actual wedding ceremony and reception. Due to restrictions and/or limitations on the hosts that we were not privy to, we weren’t included in the welcome dinner. Not sure where the line was drawn; but …
The hotel is losing its soul. The building hasn’t changed. Rooms are as nice as ever. But people have left. Others may be leaving. The friendly welcome at reception is not what it used to be. The people whose smiles greet us are not happy and we feel it. The soul of the hotel is the people. The soul is leaving.
Over the years, I’ve seen several iterations of the highway message warning people that driving and alcohol don’t make for a good combination. The messages range from the relatively mild “Don’t Drink and Drive” to those which suggest the penalties that may be inflicted for a violation. I wonder who composes the succinct words and decides the precis …
Do you need a bathtub? The question was raised by an exhibit at a design show in which students from Pratt Institute, sponsored by American Standard (manufacturer of bathroom appliances), displayed futuristic alternatives to the bathtub. The exhibit presented statistics regarding the bathtub: People’s preferences for showers (90%) and the water-co …
Like Nancy - see her blog this past Tuesday - I value tradition. And so it was that Flo and I had dinner the other evening at LeCoucou to celebrate our anniversary. In addition to a phenomenal meal in a relaxed causal, albeit upscale place, we reminisced about how, a few years ago, we shut our phones to enjoy our dinner. When we turned the phon …
There is an exhibit at the Museum of Jewish Heritage-A Living Memorial to the Holocaust on Battery Place in New York City that is not-to-be-missed. “Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away.” is not only compelling but it draws you in to, in the words of the promotional brochure, “an unparalleled opportunity to confront the singular face of human evi …
How often do you wish you could be in two places at the same time? Last weekend, we were supposed to be in Washington for an Crafts Fair and in New York City for the Annual Gathering of Holocaust Remembrance. We had a tradition of attending both; however, this year both fell on the same weekend. We stayed in New York and attended the Annual Gather …
There were nine of us around the conference table. As the meeting came to a close, we decided to schedule another meeting. Six smartphones appeared. Two laptops were opened. And my Personal Pocket Journal came out of my pocket. Yes, I have my iPhone and there’s a calendar application that links to my office calendar and our family “shared” calend …
This is a continuation of Nancy’s blog on Tuesday. The vision was familiar. Flames from an iconic building in the City’s skyline. As I watched, the feelings of 9/11 percolated through me. I then remembered. The visits. Walking through the massive doors. The beauty. The history. And I remembered visiting Paris in December after 9/11. It was c …
It was a small innocuous message in a plastic stand on the restaurant table. It could have easily been confused with an invitation to try the breakfast special. But the message was different. It informed the patron that the restaurant was “cashless”. No further explanation…. just information. I have mixed feelings about cashless. On the one hand …
Do you answer calls to your cellphone from numbers that are not in your contacts or recognized by you? I try not to. I never answer a call from the same exchange (first three numbers) as my phone number. I find that the “local caller” phenomenon is also spreading to nearby locales. I have a harder time with Blocked/No Caller ID numbers because s …
