As you know and feel, this summer has been extremely hot. The heat has been consistent with few days below 85 let alone 90. I am very lucky to have an escape that works so well and is so close and cheap ($35 for a Senior couple) Sea Cliff Beach on Hempstead Harbor (Long Island Sound) has a residents only beach with a cafe, umbrellas, chairs, sh …
The greatest champion in team sports has died. Bill Russell led the Boston Celtics to 11 National Basketball Championships in 13 years. The Celtics streak of 8 straight championships is the most in any professional sport. Bill Russell arrived in Boston in 1956 with 3 significant championships. He led his college, San Francisco, to the NCAA c …
A.O. Scott, NYT film critic, and Questlove, “Roots” drummer and Oscar winning filmmaker, have recently wrote about their collections of records, toys, CDs, books, memorabilia, etc. Scott inquires whether the things you loved when you were young will ever make you feel young again? Questlove asks whether collecting is an act of devotion or creat …
The Chinese Winter Olympics unfolded as a bland spectacle. The ratings were the lowest for any Olympics. An average of 11.4 million viewers watched each night as compared to the 19.8 nightly viewers for the Korean Winter Olympics in 2018. The reasons for the drop are varied. The time difference and the lack of fans are obvious. The COVID res …
I was fortunate to escape the cold and snow in Costa Rica last week. One surprising dividend in flying on Jet Blue is the wide range of movie choices at your fingertips. I went through the 100 or so selections, surprised by how tempting the old ones are for a re-watch. And, they also have new ones, including the new Bond film, “No Time to Die”. O …
It is almost 25 years since Diana’s death and she remains a focus of so much attention. We have Netflix’s The Crown, a CNN Documentary Diana, the film Spencer(D’s maiden name) about her family’s Christmas as the Princess. And, believe it or not, the Broadway Musical, Diana is about to open. Diana was 19, when she wed a future King. She won over …
The best Situation Comedies reflect the times and make us think about circumstances and experiences beyond our reality. A rating of the top 100 SCs in Rolling Stone covered a lot of territory. TV fans check it out. The top 5 in descending order are: All in the Family, I Love Lucy, Seinfeld, Cheers, and the winner-The Simpsons. The idea th …
It seems that movies, shows, plays, museums, gardens, and parks are always hyped as being “can’t miss”. I had heard for years about the Green-Wood Cemetery as a place that I had to visit. I was not motivated because I really did not know what all the fuss was about. A week ago, I finally took the plunge. First of all, it is beautiful. Green-W …
Did you miss the Bagel Festival that was held in Brooklyn last weekend? I did not go but I heard all about it on the WNYC-93.9 show All of It. Bagel purveyors and lovers came out in droves to taste and decide which were the best. The bagel’s first written reference was noted in the Krakow Jewish Council of 1610. The word beigen is the Yiddish w …
Music has had an ubiquitous influence on our lives and culture forever. I put on music when I come home and when I get into the car. Most shows, movies, and even commercials feature musical backgrounds. Music stimulates, soothes, energizes, and generally makes us feel better. I got hooked on rock and roll via American Bandstand. I purchased my …
I always look forward to the excitement of the Fall Cultural Season. The Sunday New York Times features a bunch of gigantic sections for the New Seasons of Movies, Television, Music, Dance, and Theater. But, the major essay about the fall season has this ominous headline. “The Thrill is Back, So is the Anxiety.” Earlier in the summer, the optim …
I became fascinated by Muhammad Ali in 1960. My father was a huge Olympics fan and the first one we watched together was the Rome Olympics. Ali’s style of punching and getting away from his opponents gracefully was unique. He was 18 when he won the light heavyweight Gold Medal. He quickly turned professional and won his fights as he grew in size …
Many of us, in the Gotham Community, are attending the historic 20th Year Anniversary Game of 9/11 between the Mets and Yankees this Saturday. Baseball has held a special place in American History. It has been a source of camaraderie, literature, art, and fierce fan passion. The decision by FDR to keep the “game” going during World War II was a …
I am the pinch hitter
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