We recently flew to Michigan overnight to attend a long-time friend’s son’s wedding. The wedding was beautiful and a reflection of the love and affection everyone who attended had for both families. Going to and from the airport and the venue from our hotel required a few Uber trips for us. I always try to strike up a conversation with our car …
Yesterday, Gotham (& FDR Lodge 613 Knights of Pythias co-) hosted an afternoon at a warm Citi Field. Perhaps "hot" better represented the day, not just for the heat. Each team -- the New York Mets and the New York Yankees -- blasted three home runs; albeit none by Friday's fave Yankee who wears #99. The difference involved the three Mets blas …
Not long ago, the South Shore Mall on Sunrise Highway in Bay Shore was a bustling hub of activity with families shopping, teens hanging out, and department stores like Macy’s anchoring the experience. But two weeks ago, the Macy’s sign was taken down. A metaphor for the shifting landscape of retail. It’s not that people have stopped shopping. The …
Prominent people who came into the world on the anniversary of the birth our nation include:Meyer LanskyMitch Miller"Dear Abby"Leona HelmsleyEva Marie Saint (101 today!)Gina LollibrigidaNeil SimonAl DavisBill WithersFloyd LittleMichael MilkenHowever, in my opinion, the most prominent person born on this day is "The Boss", George Steinbrenner, the d …
Thursday, July 3rd … and we’re in Great Barrington (Massachusetts) awaiting the arrival of our children and grandchildren for our third annual July Fourth family reunion.From Washington D.C., Alexandria, Virginia, Brooklyn and Manhattan, they will journey to the Berkshires for a weekend of fun, sushi at Bizen (our cousin’s famous restaurant), and, …
For months now, I’ve been getting a lot of phone calls from numbers I don’t recognize. I don’t answer and they always leave a voicemail about a personal loan that I never applied for. The voicemail indicates that if I don’t respond and complete my application, this loan opportunity that I never asked for will go away. Of course, I’m on the “do n …
No, not that one. Baby birds happily floating from the antennae on top of my roof to the long branch of a well rooted tree. Mama bird showing her babies how to take advantage of the musical bird feeder next door. The warmth of the sun dancing through the leaves while watching this season’s nests build way up high in the tree. Dinner on the …
I decided to do some spring (maybe now summer?) cleaning in my closet this week. Cleaning out my closets was long overdue, and I finally tackled the chaos head-on. I found clothes I hadn’t worn in years, mystery cords, and more than a few forgotten memories. Letting go of clutter felt surprisingly liberating—like making space for a lighter, clear …
Gotham allows its members to post promotional messages to its Promo@GothamNetworking.com listserve on Tuesdays and Fridays. I moderate that and the weekday more general Fredslist Gotham listserve and encourage members to use the "Promos" opportunity -- many more should -- as I did last Tuesday: I shared about an interview I did the two weeks befo …
Last Saturday, I asked my 94-year-old mother what she had for breakfast. She paused and said with complete sincerity,"I forgot to remember." And honestly… I didn’t know whether to laugh, put it on a T-shirt, or adopt it as my personal life motto. At 94, she’s earned the right to forget a few things. Breakfast, lunch, or even a thought. …
When I was young I did not drink coffee. As the years passed, I slowly developed an affinity for a cup of black coffee, which I nursed through the day at my desk .What's more, I loaded up on cups of black coffee (containing caffeine, a legal performance enhancing drug) before my marathons for an extra beneficial boost. Then there's espresso, usua …
We were just seated in a restaurant at 20th Street and Tenth Avenue.“Hi Flo, hi Ben …. Steve, what are you doing in my neighborhood?” as he moved on to a nearby table.A familiar face but no quick recognition. After a while, we figured it out.Later, as he was leaving, he said, “Let Fred know that there was another “Gotham Sighting”.I hadn’t heard th …
You set a password every 60 to 90 days. Then you have to re-set it. For security reasons of course. Its not easy to think of a good password, something you like, something you can remember. Then you think of one you really like, then you have to change it. And you cant re-use the password again, its basically gone from your rotation. This is the be …
Do you give it? And if so, how? Constructive criticism is not always easy to give. Both of my kids (now very grown) will tell you that when they were young, if I started a sentence with “Can I make an observation . . . “, they knew what was coming. I suppose for better or worse, but I always thought better. They may not have agreed. In th …
