This blog is written with my wife Joanne’s permission because, at times, she is forgetful and relies on me to remind her of things. We good naturally refer to this practice as her short term Rent-A-Memory and it is my pleasure!I still have lots of room in my memory bank and I remember much. I awakened to Jackie Robinson’s earth shaking/game changing debut in 1947 and others that followed such as Mohammed Ali, Tommy Smith, Curt Flood and Colin Kaepernick. I remember the Brown ...

Monday was another birthday.  I was born 2,461,622,400 seconds ago in a raging, flash, New York City snow storm at Women’s Hospital. I came in an innocent at the weight of 9 pounds 8 ounces.  Little did I know! My life’s dark corner stones: Pearl Harbor, “JFK Shot!”, 9/11 and now this presently incurable Pandemic! What next?   It can only get better!...

Have you ever thrown a Surprise Party?   Was it a success?  Was the Secret kept?  Was the recipient surprised?Well on Tuesday night Gotham held it’s annual Holiday Party and we did it all as surprises abounded!By my count there were at least 7 surprises and it was just great, as it’s always better to surprise than be surprised. The first surprises were the announcement of our 2019 Networkers of the Year:  Shelley Simpson (Business Breakfast Group) and Robert Esposito (South F...

The words Labor Day conjure up images of end of Summer enjoyment on a sandy beach.  However, on this Labor Day, as is our contrarian wont (see previous blog re our recent visit to the Guggenheim) we went away from the beach and into the city for a day in lower Manhattan at the Whitney Museum of American Art. We zoomed into the city in record time (the sign on the Expressway said 17 minutes to the QMT as we passed under it in Nassau) and easily found a street parking spot. We...

Joanne and I are not world travelers, nevertheless, in an adventurous moment we decided we wanted to travel to Italy with our friends Ennid and David Berger and we planned a year ahead and decided upon Sorrento, Italy.  Laney Sachs and her company Ortensia Blu Italian Adventures helped us find a beautiful cliff side hotel in Sorrento, over looking fabled Mount Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples (pictured).  What’s more, she helped us plan excursions to Pompeii, Capri and the Ama...

When I was young I was afraid of the dark and everything that went with it, imagined, real or suggested.  So fearful that I had extreme trouble falling asleep. Yesterday was the winter solstice, the shortest (day light) day of the year.  One could call it Heart of Darkness Day and say it is the worst or best day of year, as darkness bottoms and starts to bounce back to light. Day Light Savings Time only confuses things (circadian rhythm) and in my opinion should be banished. ...

Tuesday night was our annual Holiday Party, at the Friars Club, and it was attended by about 100 people despite the rain (how come it always rains when we have our party?).Highlights were the announcement of the 2 well deserving 2017 Networkers of the Year, Susan Zinder and Carly Meyer (pictured above) who continued our winning red heads tradition. Jason Greenberg was the recipient of our Red Bandanna Award for exhibiting selfless sacrifice in the memory of Welles Remy Crowth...

We all know the benefits of a reverse commute, well a creative variation is heading into the city from Long Island and away from the beaches and Hamptons in Summertime. It is a little known fact that the city is "dead" in the long hot Summer-especially on Holiday weekends when residents escape to beat the heat.  Consequently, Joanne and I enjoyed 2 World Class museums over the 5 day July 4th weekend.  We visited the Guggenheim and Whitney.  There were no lines or crowds, just...

Friday is not Black for this Fred!Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday on which families gather to feast and give thanks. This year I have so very much to be thankful for:I was born in America the Free and fortunate to have parents who wanted to make a better life and provided me and my sister with excellent values and extensive education.  Yes, I came up in the halcyon 50s and survived the caldron of the tempestuous 60s.  I married very very well to my High School Swe...

I know some label Mother's Day a "Hallmark Holiday" (does anyone know the first such holiday?), but as the years go by the day becomes more and more poignant to me.  On Sunday I posted the above beautiful photo of my mom on fredslist saying "Happy Mother's Day mom.  I miss you!"Oh how I wish she was still here and how well I remember her constant admonitions to be a "Good Boy Freddy". If your parents are still here take the time to treasure them. Tell them you love them and h...