A week ago this morning found Shelly and I at the Legislative Breakfast of the Queens Jewish Community Council (“QJCC”) at the Young Israel of Jamaica Estates. Shelly does not usually join me at these breakfasts but this year our daughter got installed as a director by Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. I posted the proud parent moment to …
The Football playoffs started yesterday and I paid no attention with my team (way) out of it. I did notice that I picked correct on yesterday’s outcome for a pool with my friend Eric that started with two seasons back. It often put us in the hate position of picking our team’s opponent even while we rooted for our team to prevail. That all said my …
“Have your people call my people” – one of those catch phrases that I’ve heard over the years and never paid much attention to until recently when I noticed that there are no “people”. The “people” have been replaced by scheduling apps. I am intentional when it comes to my calendar – perhaps it’s a control thing - but I also appreciate the many …
Most folk know this commentator’s affinity for live music. I enjoy attending concerts – immensely. I was viewing a YouTube video and I saw a few links to top 10 live albums. Both I checked out involved vinyl. I had a few on each list. While I like such lists, I never thought to list a top ten of my live LPs. It got me curious to how many Live …
For years I have been part of a study group that explores ancients texts. It serves as a religious exercise, a connection to our history, and for me it serves as an exercise in self-exploration. At times we have spent an hour focused on the meaning of one word and how it might apply to modern life. Recently we studied a passage focused on bles …
Shelly likes to ride her bike and this hobby involves visits to different parks in Queens (so far). One Sunday, it was Cunningham Park. For several times over the summer, we headed over to Little Bay Park across from Fort Totten from where she rode the Joe Michaels Mile nestled along Little Neck Bay and the Cross Island Parkway. Alley Pond Park has …
This commentary's title reflects more than a great song. It reflects the feeling last week following my baseball team in the NLDS. It also became the name of great song and video lists I got moved to create after the Mets clinched their divisional series at home and joined some labor colleagues outside at a fire pit. Let me start by sharing I wa …
New York City is a city of neighborhoods, each distinct yet inextricably linked to the others, a clear example of the “whole being greater than the sum of its parts.” The borders are sometimes stark and other times blurred – they create containers for myriad human activities. At the core, neighborhoods are all about the people who live in them an …
So a funny thing happened on X last week. At least I thought so. Daughter Marisa texted a link to a post to X by Politico's Jeff Coltin that included a pic of buttons a former City Council Member and State Senator from my home borough of Queens posted for sale on Facebook. Marisa noticed some of the buttons also "appear" in my two collections dis …
First off, I thank my friend, architect and Gotham GREEN® co-chair, Josh Zinder for pinch-hitting in this space for me last week. Shelly and I attended a Pythian Supreme Lodge Convention in Roanoke, Virginia, Monday through Thursday where good friend and Gotham Queens member Craig Shink got elected and installed as Supreme Master of Arms (If all p …
In the dog days of summer, I went to Montana to fish in the Madison, Yellowstone, and Beaverhead rivers. On the third day of amazing fishing my guide helped me hit the Montana Grand Slam and caught all 4 species in the Yellowstone watershed Whitefish, Rainbow trout, my first ever Cutthroat trout, and my personal best Brown trout. All in the longes …
While most of the world fixated on two presidents for a variety of reasons, some not so good, last week I explored two earlier presidents who hailed from New York. My wife and daughter like brief jaunts to the Hudson Valley and this one featured visits to Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) Library and Museum and National Historic Site in Hyde Park and the …
Making the move from the City with its bright lights, noise, and crowds to a urban residential neighborhood where I can see the stars, hear the sounds of birds singing songs I’ve never heard before, was a wonderful opportunity for change. Neither here nor there is better – they’re just different. I still have parks that offer an opportunity …
A June at Madison Square Garden just shy of five decades ago was the last time I saw this band live in concert. I won a lottery then. You needed to mail in a self-addressed stamped envelope to get an opportunity to purchase. Oh how times have changed. You just need to get on the right presale list, sign on to your Ticketmaster or LiveNation acco …
I start most days early and almost all of my work – in fact a good bit of my life - is online via phone, zoom, and various chats and apps. To connect with the West Coast, I am often online at night too, making for long and productive days. My time spent looking at the screen - both on the phone and computer - has gotten longer. Picking up and looki …
