Over the years, I’ve seen several iterations of the highway message warning people that driving and alcohol don’t make for a good combination. The messages range from the relatively mild “Don’t Drink and Drive” to those which suggest the penalties that may be inflicted for a violation. I wonder who composes the succinct words and decides the precis …
Do you need a bathtub? The question was raised by an exhibit at a design show in which students from Pratt Institute, sponsored by American Standard (manufacturer of bathroom appliances), displayed futuristic alternatives to the bathtub. The exhibit presented statistics regarding the bathtub: People’s preferences for showers (90%) and the water-co …
Like Nancy - see her blog this past Tuesday - I value tradition. And so it was that Flo and I had dinner the other evening at LeCoucou to celebrate our anniversary. In addition to a phenomenal meal in a relaxed causal, albeit upscale place, we reminisced about how, a few years ago, we shut our phones to enjoy our dinner. When we turned the phon …
There is an exhibit at the Museum of Jewish Heritage-A Living Memorial to the Holocaust on Battery Place in New York City that is not-to-be-missed. “Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away.” is not only compelling but it draws you in to, in the words of the promotional brochure, “an unparalleled opportunity to confront the singular face of human evi …
How often do you wish you could be in two places at the same time? Last weekend, we were supposed to be in Washington for an Crafts Fair and in New York City for the Annual Gathering of Holocaust Remembrance. We had a tradition of attending both; however, this year both fell on the same weekend. We stayed in New York and attended the Annual Gather …
There were nine of us around the conference table. As the meeting came to a close, we decided to schedule another meeting. Six smartphones appeared. Two laptops were opened. And my Personal Pocket Journal came out of my pocket. Yes, I have my iPhone and there’s a calendar application that links to my office calendar and our family “shared” calend …
This is a continuation of Nancy’s blog on Tuesday. The vision was familiar. Flames from an iconic building in the City’s skyline. As I watched, the feelings of 9/11 percolated through me. I then remembered. The visits. Walking through the massive doors. The beauty. The history. And I remembered visiting Paris in December after 9/11. It was c …
It was a small innocuous message in a plastic stand on the restaurant table. It could have easily been confused with an invitation to try the breakfast special. But the message was different. It informed the patron that the restaurant was “cashless”. No further explanation…. just information. I have mixed feelings about cashless. On the one hand …
Do you answer calls to your cellphone from numbers that are not in your contacts or recognized by you? I try not to. I never answer a call from the same exchange (first three numbers) as my phone number. I find that the “local caller” phenomenon is also spreading to nearby locales. I have a harder time with Blocked/No Caller ID numbers because s …
When Fellow Gothamite and co-chair of the Long Island Dinner Group, Laurel Scarr-Konel asked me whether I would like to judge a high school Moot Court competition, I paused for a few moments before volunteering with an enthusiastic “Yes”. In those few moments, my thoughts went from my time commitments to “could be interesting” to giving back to …
Flo was curious. So she asked the first Millennial she saw — he happened to be a salesperson at a department store — what his favorite app for comparing air fares is. He immediately replied with the names of two apps on his phone. I don’t have an app for comparing air fares but I have plenty of other apps on my iPhone. Though not as many as othe …
This blog had to be rewritten. My blog asked the question “would you fly on a 737 Max 8?” The question has been rendered moot by the grounding of the planes in the U.S. yesterday afternoon. However, the issues remain and the question can be simply rephrased: “Would you have flown on a 737 Max?” Two accidents seemingly of very similar circumstance …
It was one of those tough decisions. We were in Aruba and scheduled to fly back to New York last Sunday. The weather forecast in New York was for a snow storm and the prediction was ominous. We called the airline. The flight had not yet been cancelled but the airline would change our reservations to a flight on Monday. Thoughts of being stuck a …
Greetings from the Happy Island of Aruba. So, we’re walking on the beach and see two women taking pictures of delicious-looking fruit bowls. Couldn’t resist asking where they (the fruit bowls) were from. “Eduardo’s Beach Shack just over there.” As they pointed away from the water. We walked a little longer before turning around and began search …
I was listening to a discussion among news commentators about the Jussie Smollett situation. I am reluctant to characterize it as a hoax, alleged attack, alleged hoax, or anything else. One commentator’s take away rang most true for me. He (I think it was Jeffrey Toobin) noted all of the quick reactions—from public figures and others — when the al …
