It’s that awkward moment. “Hello Ben” she says as she smiles and extends her hand. I have no idea who she is. Several ideas quickly go through my head as I smile and extend my hand to hers. Do I pretend to know her without mentioning a name? Do I apologize and ask her who she is and how she knows me? All the while, I wonder when my puzzled …
This weekend we will be celebrating my mother’s ninetieth birthday at a small gathering of family and her friends. As the day approaches, I contemplate what few words I might say in her honor and I realize that the words of others would add immeasurably to the predictable words of a biased son. Many of you in the Gotham family have met Esther. …
Do you use straws? Do you like them? Do you care what they are made of? I ask these questions because I have been encountering a growing opposition to straws. We have actually converted to reusable hard plastic straws. The "last straw" was when I recently saw a restaurant’s admonition that “we only serve straws upon request”. But, somehow, it …
We were in Falmouth for the 47th running of the prestigious Falmouth Road Race — a 7.1 mile run from the drawbridge in Woods Hole to the British Beer Company tavern in Falmouth Heights. Our Inn was right on the path of the race about a tenth of a mile from the finish. The porch gave us a perfect view. Watching the runners was inspirational and a …
You’ve got to discard (recycle) things from time to time. Advice I've heard is that if you haven’t used it in a year or two, it’s time to clean it out. I have followed that advice as best I can...usually without regret. This year we’ll be in Falmouth Massachusetts on the weekend of the famous Falmouth Road Race. I’ve been to Falmouth many times …
It is a small theater in the Berkshires and we settled into our seats looking forward to the show. Soon after we were seated, a patron came in and sat behind us. The gentleman carried a portable oxygen concentrator that was providing air flow to the tubes leading to his nose. As he sat and the lights dimmed the noise - a whirring sound - comin …
It's summer and that means t-shirts and hats. I have too many t-shirts and too many hats. Many reminders of places visited. Something about probably being meaningful when I got them. Last weekend we were in the Berkshires and I donned a t-shirt from Tobay - the South Shore beach of the Town of Oyster Bay on Long Island --- and my baseball cap b …
How do you get to work? I’m thinking about this as I ride the Long Island Railroad for a day of meetings in the City. Over the years I have “commuted” for untold hours in almost every imaginable mode of transportation. I have read, sometimes with amazement, sometimes with admiration, about commuters who retire and celebrate forty years of conti …
As I do every morning, I opened the doors and looked out at the deck as the early sunshine foretold a very pleasant summer day. I gazed across and admired the large potted tomato plants which were progressing nicely for early July with buds abound and several tomatoes in the making. Then I saw it. There was a bee moving from flower to flower on …
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.
