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 …
We packed a deck of cards, Scrabble and books for our long holiday weekend in the Berkshires. The weather app was predicting a likelihood of rain and we wanted to be prepared. The cards, Scrabble and books came home unused. With the exception of brief localized thunderstorms in late afternoon on two days, the weather was perfect. Maybe I read …
I met Bill a few months ago. Or, I should say, I reconnected with Bill at our 50th High School reunion a few months ago. When I heard that Bill played golf, I parked that bit of information in the back of my mind in anticipation of Gotham's annual golf outing. As the Golf outing, which was held on Monday, approached, I thought of Bill and invited …
Last weekend, Alexandria, Virginia. I followed as Flo and Jackson, our 4 and a half year old grandson, got on the free "Trolley" that makes its way up and down King Street in Old Town. Flo found a seat on the front bench next to a pleasant looking woman with her child. They made room for Jackson on the bench as the Trolley started moving. The …
First, I was just always around to see my Father. Then I was taken to see my Father. I was then reminded to see my Father. I then remembered to see him on my own. I then looked forward to seeing my Father. I became a Father and they came to see me. And now they are fathers and ......
An aphorism is a short phrase that expresses a true or wise idea. We all encounter them and fall back on our favorites from time to time. For years I have enjoyed the aphorisms posted in our local bagel store. Steve, the owner of Town Bagel in Plainview, takes pride in the aphorisms that he changes every Tuesday and have become a tradition. But it …
I was reminded of Rona's blog of a few weeks ago about armrests when I went to an off-Broadway last week. (Rona's armrest incident was on an airplane.) As I found my seat in the small theatre, I could have been mistaken for taking the seat already occupied by the woman in the next seat. When she re-arranged herself, her coat and her pocketbook, I w …
I have been privileged to have been to the Western Wall in Jerusalem several times. There is an awesome and unavoidable sense of history and, for me, a holiness that encompasses the historical and more. There is a custom of inserting little slips of paper inscribed with personal notes, perhaps prayers, in the crevices of the Wall. It was reported …
"Please silence your cellphones." An often-repeated admonition that has become part of our everyday lives. Sometimes heeded, sometimes not. So, heeding the advice, and, more significantly, wanting to enjoy a romantic anniversary dinner, Flo and I silenced our phones and tucked them out of sight. About an hour later, when we were brought desser …
When I go to a live concert I go to enjoy the music and the rapport with the artist. I prefer when the performer connects with the audience. We saw Barbra Streisand at Barclay's last week. A wonderful evening. She is a great performer and still has that great voice. And she certainly connected with the crowd in Brooklyn (where she grew up). B …
Last weekend, we went to Washington to visit our children, Jeremy (and Stephanie) and Mea (and Charles), who live in the nation's capital. We like Washington and having family to visit makes the trips their even more special. But this trip was very special. We drove down to D.C. with a very special passenger. When she heard that we were drivin …
Last Sunday, I attended the annual Commemoration of the Holocaust at Temple Emanu-El in New York. I watched, as I have for so many years, my Mother light a memorial candle with other survivors. We remembered. During the ceremony, survivors were honored and as I listened to their stories, a theme resonated. The majority recounted how they fled and …
At Tuesday's meeting of the Long Island Women's Group, the guest speaker, Joshua Lafazan, told us how, as a high school student, he started an anti drunk driving program that provided safe and free rides to students to avoid driving while intoxicated or being a passenger. Three hundred and fifty rides were provided in 2016. This relatively sm …
I have often written about tradition and I very proudly relate yet one more story. At the Passover Seder (the traditional meal at which the story of the exodus from Egypt is retold), we eat bitter herbs (to remember the bitterness of slavery). For the bitter herbs, my family uses raw horseradish. I remember my father grating the large horseradish …
I wasn't sure what to expect as we entered the restaurant last Saturday for the 50th anniversary dinner reunion of my high school class. Brooklyn Tech was a ‘commuter’ school with students coming from all over the City. So, interaction was limited to school and after-school activities. You didn't have a lot of friends among your classmates. …
