I am a member of a quarterly Gotham breakfast group (pictured). Members are Corey, Bruce Swicker, Robert Intelisano, David Oralevich, Craig Shink, Alan Kreit and David Abeshouse. At our most recent breakfast we discussed the sad news of the passing of David's beloved younger brother Adam and resolved to attend the Shiva together at David's house. …
What do you do with a line from a play that stays with you?You share it.We saw “Magnificent Bird” and “Book of Travelers” — written and performed by Gabriel Kahane — at Playwrights Horizons.“Envy is the opposite of gratitude.”A line that resonated for me when I first heard it and has periodically surfaced for consideration and pondering since then. …
When I decided to go to law school despite having two young kids and no money, I was told I’d never make it. I did make it, and I made it Cum Laude. When I started my business, I was told I’d never be able to build a J+ Franchise in NYC – nobody had been able to do that. I did build it, and it’s been going strong for over 16 years! When I was …
What does it say about my family that our vacations turn into a food tour? This past week we visited my son and his girlfriend. They live in Southern Virginia. We were there for shy of four days – including a full 24 hours of a fasting holiday. Yet somehow, we cooked two huge (delicious) meals, enjoyed a new brunch spot serving potato pancake …
I was having trouble thinking of a blog topic this week. Nothing came to mind. Then I started to think about the concept of nothing. In a world constantly buzzing with information, sometimes the most refreshing thing is. . . nothing. Nothing doesn’t demand attention or push for productivity. It simply exists, waiting for you to notice its quiet …
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 …
Have you noticed that you tend to think negatively when you don't hear back from others? I tend to fill the silence with negative assumptions—maybe they’re upset or maybe I said or did something wrong. I think this response is from our need for social connection and validation. When I don't hear back from someone, my mind seems to try to solve …
As a lifetime NY Yankee fan I have been called out by many for being hypocritical (or worse) for wearing a Met hat and colors while chanting "Let's Go Mets!"Well, there is a back story and a method to my madness. First the back story: I have been a Met fan too, since their 1962 inception, had Met season tickets (which explains my son's Met fandom …
There are two roads leading out of our development. Both lead onto the same four-lane main road. One exit has a traffic light whereas the other does not.I’ve always preferred the exit with the traffic light. There is the security of making a left turn into the main road with the light, while you can make the right turn on red under the right circum …
We take so much for granted in life. We become accustomed to things just appearing on a regular basis without giving any thought to how they get there. Take the Gotham Blog for example. Hopefully those who read it every week enjoy it. Hopefully more Gothamites become engaged. It doesn’t just appear in your inbox by itself. There is a behind t …
We have entered a very exciting baseball playoff season for our NY teams. In that spirit, I had a super fun conversation with my aunt this weekend. I learned that she was a huge Brooklyn Dodgers fan and spent many an afternoon in the mid-1950s at Ebbets Field. With crystal clarity, she recalled watching exciting games with family and friends, …
I am getting so tired of updating my phone. It seems as if, everyday, there are more updates for Apps on my phone. If I go a few days without updating my phone, the amount of updates grow exponentially. While looking at my phone my grown children have reprimanded me for not updating sooner. They also reprimand me f having too many unread emails …
Last week (No matter last night’s outcome as this got drafted before the NLDS game that matters to this commentator.) was a rather nice. In the middle of the summer I made plans with Marisa to take my daughter who likes live music at least as much as her dad to see the Doobie Brothers at the Capitol Theatre in Portchester last Monday eve. I was alr …
Fred had a big ask the other day. He wanted me to gather all of the blogs he had written and publish a book of them. Now I know that's quite a task given that the site has gone through several iterations (another one right now in fact:) and acquiring the older blogs was going to be problematic. I started digging and found a data dump from 201 …
When you're wrong, you're wrong and must own up to it!I was wrong about Met Shortstop Francisco Lindor and here's why. Rookie New York Met owner Steve Cohen traded for and signed Lindor in 2020. The deal was for 10 years for the then astronomical sum of $341,000,000. In the years following the signing I was of the outspoken opinion that Cohen ha …
