Recently we have been witness to the incredible strength of nature. Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria and the wild fires of California. Nature at its strongest....and worse. Last week, we were walking in the Town of Huntington and saw nature at its strongest. Against a barren brick wall, in the crack between the wall and the concrete sidewalk, a wh …
The flight had open seating. As we settled into the seats we had chosen, we heard coughing nearby. It was the young man in the seat in front of us. The young man with the eye patch. As he continued to cough, one of his colleagues asked how he was feeling. “Not so great. The medicine hasn’t kicked in yet...and the doctor isn’t sure whether it’s bac …
I gazed at the half-full coffee mug on my desk as I stood up. I had to walk down the halls to another attorney's office to discuss a case. I thought about taking the mug with me. Nice to be able to sip the rest of my morning coffee. But something made me think twice. I took the mug anyway. As I was walking back to my office someone came rushing aro …
An incident reported to me: Standing at the corner of Seventh Avenue and 53rd Street waiting for the light. A man in front is standing off the curb -- in a bike lane. A tandem bike going north on the Avenue (the wrong way) screeches as it glances the pedestrian. The bike stops for an instant, words are exchanged and the bike darts on its way. The p …
Last weekend, we were at a family wedding in Schroon Lake, New York in the Adirondack foothills. Many of the festivities were in the town of Lake George. Being there for a few days caused me to rethink my life-long voiced preference for beach over mountains. I love the beach. However, I have come to accept that looking o …
As I tore myself away from CNN to write this blog, a zipper across the screen reported that power would be restored in eastern Florida by this weekend and in western Florida by September 22nd. I reflected. That's about the length of time that it took to restore electricity to our home after Sandy. Empathy. "The capacity to understand or feel wh …
One of our annual traditions on Martha's Vineyard are challenge matches of Skee Ball and Air Hockey. So, after dinner nearby, Flo and I made our way up Circuit Avenue in Oak Bluffs to Ryan's Amusement Center. Our ferocious games of air hockey drew a crowd of young onlookers and we left the hockey table for them as we moved to Skee Ball -- our real …
There's a great (and famous) diner in Vineyard Haven, Martha's Vineyard. It's been around since the 1940's where Art and Cliff parked their truck on a lot a few hundred feet from Five Corners. The decor is reminiscent of the era of the diner's birth and the metallic menu signs over the counter offer such specialties as "Tendernived Steak" for $1.25 …
I was going to blog about our star -- the Sun -- and the eclipse. Where was I, where were you? But there was another "star" on Monday worth noting. At a concert at Madison Square Garden on Monday night, Billy Joel wore a yellow Star of David (actually, he wore two -- one in front and one on his back) reminiscent of the Stars of David that Jew …
It is against the backdrop of our day to day routines and the challenges of these interesting times, that I look forward to Monday's solar eclipse. My daughter and son-in-law are heading south to be in the Path of Totality. I'll settle for the partial eclipse here in New York. As I ponder the upcoming astronomical event (some say, of a lifetime), …
The other evening, we visited the Museum of Jewish Heritage A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in Battery Park to see the new exhibition on the capture and trial of Adolf Eichmann. The Museum is a special place in a special part of the City. On our way to the exhibition, I found myself before the display describing the plight of the SS St. Louis. I …
Welcome August. I love the month of August. It's my birth month (which I proudly share, both month and day, with fellow Gothamite, Lisa Waterman). I'm a summer person. Perhaps it has something to do with the timing of my birth. I like the heat of August and the cooler nights that descend as the month moves to September. August is ocean and sand …
The recent report confirmed what was generally believed. Football is dangerous. Brain damage was found in 99% of the professional players whose brains were studied post-mortem. Even providing for statistical variations, the results seem clear and are troubling. The NFL will, no doubt, take steps to address the problem -- changes to rules …
It was a perfect summer night for an outdoor concert at Jones Beach. As Rod Stewart expressed during the concert, it was much preferred to the rain that poured on one of his last concerts at the venue. I usually walk away from a concert with an ear worm--that lingering, repeating lyric that won't go away. "I wish that I knew what I know now, …
It wasn't exactly a scene from The Birds, but it was bad. We had a sense, but the full impact was not felt for days. We decided to go down to the beach one evening to try out the restaurant at TOBAY that is under new management. The write-up in the press made it seem worthwhile. So, after a walk on the Boardwalk at Jones Beach, we drove east along …
