tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15848652430811303682024-03-17T23:01:36.168-04:00Mr NYCBlogging the soul of the world's greatest city.<br>
Feel free to comment!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3107125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1584865243081130368.post-81904707890056709622024-03-17T15:35:00.003-04:002024-03-17T15:35:20.755-04:00Hamilton Grange <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Recently I visited <a href="https://www.nps.gov/hagr/index.htm">Hamilton Grange</a>, the home of Founding Father and first Secretary of the Treasury <a href="https://home.treasury.gov/about/history/prior-secretaries/alexander-hamilton-1789-1795">Alexander Hamilton</a>. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">You might know it as the "little place in Harlem" where Hamilton and his wife Eliza "figured it out."</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Located on a steep hill on 141st street, it now sits in St. Nicholas Park, surrounded by trees and lawns, a big standout to the urban landscape surrounding it.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The house has an interesting history. Hamilton built it at the turn of the 19th century, finally moving in with his family in 1802 -- after his public career was over. He only actually lived in the house, the only one he ever owned, for two years before his fatal duel with Vice-President Aaron Burr in 1804.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Also, it's original location was not on 141st street -- it was on 143rd before it was moved to 142nd street in 1962 and then, finally, moved again in 2008 to current location. Otherwise, the house remains completely intact. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The house is beautiful but simple, built in the Federal Style that was elegant, tastefully furnished, but not overly lavish or ornate like Baroque European architecture. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hamilton Grange is certainly worth a visit, it's a living piece of history to perhaps the single most important American who ever lived.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A few pointers: you can only see the house on the regularly scheduled tours that start every half-hour in the late morning and early afternoon. The tours are free but the house is relatively small so the size of the tours are too -- only about 14 people can go at a time. So you should show up early and put your name on the list for the tour unless you want to wait for another hour. However, there is also a great visitors center in the basement of the house that has a couple of short films and big exhibit about Hamilton's life and career.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And if you're wondering if there's a lot about the musical at Hamilton Grange, I hate to dissapoint you but, no. Besides one t-shirt with the words "It's Quiet Uptown" for sale (one of the show's songs), and book about locations where the show takes place, the musical barely has a presence at the museum. This is about the man, his life, and his impact on our country -- and what a life it was!</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhshysn6c4H8XUZUIbpSBqeSsNjl0QSA5xqe-jCSX_ps-779BPAyTkltLdxIEvWZ0BUFXGzOcXc9T1-f6tM6dO9gwBjbz9P1E2AeTB3GGYSyjISVKW6nXoMD-EBvzJldLlCX5qpfkXcJETN_VYT7ZZmvpvWmFb-BVm3ebTALRdCmFEUw3-HyHTFljnuKA0/s1920/thumbnail_IMG_4752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhshysn6c4H8XUZUIbpSBqeSsNjl0QSA5xqe-jCSX_ps-779BPAyTkltLdxIEvWZ0BUFXGzOcXc9T1-f6tM6dO9gwBjbz9P1E2AeTB3GGYSyjISVKW6nXoMD-EBvzJldLlCX5qpfkXcJETN_VYT7ZZmvpvWmFb-BVm3ebTALRdCmFEUw3-HyHTFljnuKA0/w400-h300/thumbnail_IMG_4752.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQaXqXgAdzS15PAlmK02SIXEhHmr8y7SZdQa-1W8Z3PUJYe8B6xNYDOUl1LpRN08iXwNtiD7G2DCaVHqLYvtqOn6U_mCtxXrQyFkgnMkGlhM4tbDzuopdAeES46ydhNUvfHu4FiVMfUJbAzNyRb9TZ28zYP-S0cd9K0i8LKE338wiYTTddqCh5H3gcQk8/s1920/thumbnail_IMG_4761.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCPEqbl3k2Kr14PC2d1bLxBXqqZywWXCQzKR_OzSVTw6zMXLsSyDFlidglmHranQs7Pq9CAy5sEm8y-JraMypZP1oKzHqrXz1GU0vu6I-pN1mKe2pWiofTlhlwKg52JmaHyyo5xO2otZBpyDa_STJJG2Cm8dCZzzR7wjyEh03rn_WJQwUA5x5Gx5y0ZjM/s1920/thumbnail_IMG_4816.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1440" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCPEqbl3k2Kr14PC2d1bLxBXqqZywWXCQzKR_OzSVTw6zMXLsSyDFlidglmHranQs7Pq9CAy5sEm8y-JraMypZP1oKzHqrXz1GU0vu6I-pN1mKe2pWiofTlhlwKg52JmaHyyo5xO2otZBpyDa_STJJG2Cm8dCZzzR7wjyEh03rn_WJQwUA5x5Gx5y0ZjM/w300-h400/thumbnail_IMG_4816.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDSRIyPdtcSTNN8x6CDwTPe-14VHFggwgaV_SVjsb3_BQbRFv9LCEKpa4BuqUe_MzAfhWT7ecIbGsfTpdFmibnFzvGEzS6MZTmDuHxG5zqv862QEcEm4BSr2PtOy7JSIMOTJRVxAWra6JbEsMUDN1e5nAuo084jKevwosTnVduSl7XTBVr_Hcnn1oaXtQ/s1920/thumbnail_IMG_4821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDSRIyPdtcSTNN8x6CDwTPe-14VHFggwgaV_SVjsb3_BQbRFv9LCEKpa4BuqUe_MzAfhWT7ecIbGsfTpdFmibnFzvGEzS6MZTmDuHxG5zqv862QEcEm4BSr2PtOy7JSIMOTJRVxAWra6JbEsMUDN1e5nAuo084jKevwosTnVduSl7XTBVr_Hcnn1oaXtQ/w400-h300/thumbnail_IMG_4821.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rn90wjBmtuY" width="320" youtube-src-id="rn90wjBmtuY"></iframe></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1584865243081130368.post-82508680857152997472024-03-16T18:05:00.003-04:002024-03-17T11:54:57.305-04:00Memo from NYC<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Great cities don't just have beautiful buildings, fun neighborhoods, vibrant economies, wonderful culture, and diverse populations -- they also produce fascinating people. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">New York City has produced so many such people over the centuries that it's impossible to fathom -- just look at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_from_New_York_City">this list</a> and it'll blow your mind.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Recently I blogged about <a href="https://mrnyc.blogspot.com/search?q=venice">Marco Polo</a>, the great Venetian explorer and chronicler. Venice is, obviously, one of the world's greatest cities -- a beautiful city of islands and business, just like NYC -- and not only did it produce history's most famous traveller, it also produced history's most famous lover -- Casanova.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And here's what's crazy to realize -- while Marco Polo lived in the late 13th and early 14th centuries, Casanova lived in the 18th century. That means there was a nearly five-hundred year difference between the lives of these two historic Venetians! And both men are my heroes because they did what any man would love to do -- travel the world, far and wide, and make love to numerous women.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">What more could a man want in life?</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So it made me happy to learn recently about another fascinating Venetian who lived between these two men -- and was a woman.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Veronica Franco was a 16th century poet and courtesan. She came from a modest, middle-class family in Venice, and into a world where the only thing expected of her was to get married. She did marry -- briefly -- and had several children, but she pursued a career as a high-class, intellectual courtesan in order to have her own money and control her own life. And while she was very beautiful, she was also so smart, so witty, and so intellectually vibrant that men not only paid for her sexual favors but also her company, her conversation, and her humor. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">She also published books of poetry, including one called <i>Familiar Letters to Various People</i>, which was dedicated to the Franch King Henry III (with whom she shared a night of passion and who subsequently gave Venice ships to protect the city from invasion).</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Franco was popular but also hated by puritan factions and was eventually put on trial for witchcraft -- but acquitted. She was a fascinating, self-made woman, a real feminist trailblazer.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The legend of Veronica Franco has persisted to the point where, in 1998, a movie about her life was made called <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dangerous_Beauty">Dangerous Beauty</a></i>. She wasn't royalty, she wasn't rich, she didn't travel far and wide, but she was a one-of-a-kind original, a fearless advocate for herself and all women, as well as fierce patriot of her city, and that's why she's remembered so many centuries after her death. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">P.S. If I had any playwrighting talent, I'd write one about Marco Polo, Veronica Franco, and Casanova meeting in heaven, discussing their amazing lives and life in Venice during their respective centuries. I'd call it the <i>Venice Trio</i> -- any playwright is free to take my bright idea and run with it (I just expect an invite to the premiere). </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/g8uVr5lQP2k" width="320" youtube-src-id="g8uVr5lQP2k"></iframe></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/n_g4qspx3es" width="320" youtube-src-id="n_g4qspx3es"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y0AP9rG970g" width="320" youtube-src-id="Y0AP9rG970g"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uPMdd0LvQh0" width="320" youtube-src-id="uPMdd0LvQh0"></iframe></div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1584865243081130368.post-22916262448894480262024-03-15T13:48:00.004-04:002024-03-16T08:58:21.417-04:00Willets Point Redux<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's been well over fifteen years since I last <a href="https://mrnyc.blogspot.com/search?q=willets+point">blogged about Willets Point</a>, the perennially blighted area in Queens, just a stones throw away from the mighty of Flushing-Meadows Park but existing in another world. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">F. Scott Fitzgerald immortalized it <i>The Great Gatsby</i> as the "Valley of Ashes" -- and that was nearly 100-years ago.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Back in the summer of 2008 there was a massive development plan from the then-Bloomberg administration about redeveloping it -- mostly centered around building a mall and convention center. It turned into a bitter, nasty fight between the city and residents of this area that, while forelorn, was theirs and they didn't want to change -- or get evicted from -- it.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I don't think any blog post I ever did triggered so many heated comments. People were pissed.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Well, malls and retails pace and convention spaces are fast becoming a thing of the past, and now, nearly two decades later, a <a href="https://gothamist.com/news/a-once-in-a-generation-project-nears-final-ok-at-willets-point-queens">massive redevelopment project</a> for Willets Point is on the cusp of approval by the city -- and the resistance doesn't seem quite so strong.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The proposed redevelopment will include a soccer stadium, a public school, a hotel, and around 2500 affordable housing units. It sounds like it'll be more mixed-used and community-focused which is a very good idea. Still, I'm sure some long-term residents will resist it changing it all.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">But, if this plan comes to fruition, it'll soon become a major new neighborhood and attraction in this already mighty city.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9zOKJY6p0sg" width="320" youtube-src-id="9zOKJY6p0sg"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KVXYDEwLNwE" width="320" youtube-src-id="KVXYDEwLNwE"></iframe></div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1584865243081130368.post-37420323233944986112024-03-11T10:37:00.003-04:002024-03-11T10:47:19.630-04:00Power of the People<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">If you want to understand, I mean really see and feel the consequences of living in a democratic country with a free press, then look no further than the intersection of Northern Boulevard and Douglaston Parkway in Queens. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here stands what used to be the Congressional office of indicted felon/huckster/serial liar George Santos. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This <a href="https://mrnyc.blogspot.com/search?q=santos">blog has chronicled</a> the bizarre rise and fall of this Only-in-America political conman. And during his truncated term in office, this is what his district office looked like:</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBoZl22G6565KilgCzsPll66O0WFijmYp8kT1Eq0Tfu5gBp-0Aur7BvKsGxLj-f0OreH5nPceG0LpbBMSVkIIEEVnsPlHaA3RxSamgH3cUKlbk-8VLcO_lXz9bHGSpf_iS7X06pmkRyNYbqI3ejGQNmCGxjgMkfq1B6zeKrTDXKbZmQ8ygpfp98CPMir4/s2560/Office_of_Congressman_George_Santos,_Douglaston,_November_8,_2023.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1707" data-original-width="2560" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBoZl22G6565KilgCzsPll66O0WFijmYp8kT1Eq0Tfu5gBp-0Aur7BvKsGxLj-f0OreH5nPceG0LpbBMSVkIIEEVnsPlHaA3RxSamgH3cUKlbk-8VLcO_lXz9bHGSpf_iS7X06pmkRyNYbqI3ejGQNmCGxjgMkfq1B6zeKrTDXKbZmQ8ygpfp98CPMir4/w400-h266/Office_of_Congressman_George_Santos,_Douglaston,_November_8,_2023.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">But thanks to his being exposed as the fraud that he is by the press, thanks to the citizen activism that got him expelled from Congress, and thanks to the voters who replaced him with a real public servant, Tom Suozzi, this is what the office looks like now:</span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3otLrtS-KqKTRWxV4LD-UTOosXShzbbK35plthkUrYOs86Bi8QdxYguFbQM16U_L_y0kb0uIGVo2qE80PuBr18cmvhyphenhyphenYV6R79bMjkqjdVrWS3veTvYYBkYmqkCfmpKoNJ97EfTyUlcw4z6yIfL3xYzltHD7nj449QR_767brKd4Y5yhgPDfWcUazXDAc/s1920/thumbnail_IMG_4737.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1440" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3otLrtS-KqKTRWxV4LD-UTOosXShzbbK35plthkUrYOs86Bi8QdxYguFbQM16U_L_y0kb0uIGVo2qE80PuBr18cmvhyphenhyphenYV6R79bMjkqjdVrWS3veTvYYBkYmqkCfmpKoNJ97EfTyUlcw4z6yIfL3xYzltHD7nj449QR_767brKd4Y5yhgPDfWcUazXDAc/w480-h640/thumbnail_IMG_4737.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">We did that. We the public, the ordinary citizen of this great city and country, exersied our power and literally got him out of office. Now this same place is being prepared for a real Congressman. </span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's easy to be cynical about politics and government, and many of us are for good reason, but when you see this, when you see a mistake literally being corrected in front of you in real time, powered by the people, you can't help but be grateful to live in this great, free, amazing country. </span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1584865243081130368.post-63626639586174050862024-03-08T15:27:00.001-05:002024-03-08T15:27:36.453-05:00Mr NYC in Boston<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">For reasons that defy logic and simple comprehension, in my nearly half-century wandering the earth, and despite travelling multiple times to Europe, Asia, and all over the USA ... I never made it to the city of Boston, just a few hours away.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Last month -- finally! -- I did. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And I loved it! It's a great town, and very much an East Coast city -- compact, dense, highly walkable, history bursting out of every corner. Having spent time in Midwestern (like St. Louis) and Western cities (like Kansas City, Denver, and Phoenix), which are much more spread out, much less dense, much less walkable, much more industrial, and much less historic, Boston shares an obvious kinship with NYC but also feels distinct with a much more British, much more Old World feel.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I did and saw a lot when I was there and it'd be exhausting to write about it all but here are some of the many highlights that I saw, including a few snaps that I took:</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We got around town on the <a href="https://www.mbta.com/history">T, Boston's subway/trolley system</a> that is actually the oldest urban subway system in the USA (starting in 1897, about seven years before the first NYC subway line opened). I loved how, when the train approached, it dinged -- love me some dinging! </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GRJ0emUD-hQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="GRJ0emUD-hQ"></iframe></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">One of our trips on the T took us to the <a href="https://www.gardnermuseum.org/">Isabella Stewart Gardner museum</a>. Built by its namesake in the style of a 15th-century Venetian pallatzo, it houses a great collection of European and Asian art, all in rooms that are made it look like part of great historical houses. It also has a gorgeous, greenhouse-like courtyard and stainglass windows, just a beautiful and invigorating place to enjoy gorgeous art.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsAI5fkz1qtmFSF_FayLB2_bEjtOyfvbvGnvRAAFuUdmv0XlwpSpNBLtHcKohYkyCfE3GjhMDEu-i9062qElsI8ezb5Z6Kbrit2VDoO6Hfn_B0PIo93zgpV1O42W2useuUOR9dXB9rv74_hFHJoCBkQwcbYdEvfVtEEkm8NhWQ6zfVaPRFZ9g1GGhT6U0/s1920/thumbnail_IMG_4596.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsAI5fkz1qtmFSF_FayLB2_bEjtOyfvbvGnvRAAFuUdmv0XlwpSpNBLtHcKohYkyCfE3GjhMDEu-i9062qElsI8ezb5Z6Kbrit2VDoO6Hfn_B0PIo93zgpV1O42W2useuUOR9dXB9rv74_hFHJoCBkQwcbYdEvfVtEEkm8NhWQ6zfVaPRFZ9g1GGhT6U0/s320/thumbnail_IMG_4596.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR-QLy35tS6XbiMlX2piCXuzpFoGCk1krIRVFGpOs7wj6VJQM2Y_YdED8G7wVNqqglwsG3uoTcVKMOPWYioQ0-uQ79SpNK6F3ZfUlCYr5_McetKvHga75JVko_3Dsv_b0XftFbRYlx8Q8APuX3QnnXTkzLmkU7lMD34-8WAEdG82MvW_DNNKKAYLGZvFo/s1920/thumbnail_IMG_4602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR-QLy35tS6XbiMlX2piCXuzpFoGCk1krIRVFGpOs7wj6VJQM2Y_YdED8G7wVNqqglwsG3uoTcVKMOPWYioQ0-uQ79SpNK6F3ZfUlCYr5_McetKvHga75JVko_3Dsv_b0XftFbRYlx8Q8APuX3QnnXTkzLmkU7lMD34-8WAEdG82MvW_DNNKKAYLGZvFo/s320/thumbnail_IMG_4602.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg03nw90YOPp2KzxQ8LLUhy1LucOEO-ZmR2sC4OC578I9W6gUyt0qBlO6BXsbjmTInTbFJ0PugLMqJwTvWT8S2PZ4CkUF02Rxu0l-vB1Afw2_AFlfth7QdO02i7ksJaaWDUTjznX6YHxKylaWJJ-jrW0z1a3Ca3jRFae5gbG7Mus9m_ataTOFEvEI1k_a4/s1920/thumbnail_IMG_4618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg03nw90YOPp2KzxQ8LLUhy1LucOEO-ZmR2sC4OC578I9W6gUyt0qBlO6BXsbjmTInTbFJ0PugLMqJwTvWT8S2PZ4CkUF02Rxu0l-vB1Afw2_AFlfth7QdO02i7ksJaaWDUTjznX6YHxKylaWJJ-jrW0z1a3Ca3jRFae5gbG7Mus9m_ataTOFEvEI1k_a4/s320/thumbnail_IMG_4618.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjolFGGNvhEyx1M3o1R3gFj2xsAtNCiiNQZUFWDTZrFM6WEiUv3mJZhNk8MGyivjO8gzZFXIacixT4yd_-tpaGs_QJCCenu_W9POPbzkFPeYTa0Avmp2p2OzG5c62MuoZIIzDRk1lbb-RQYSi55y6aM_emm0x1GPcC4X16PK5weUpOr0ozj8J4ZYap1vd0/s1920/thumbnail_IMG_4622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjolFGGNvhEyx1M3o1R3gFj2xsAtNCiiNQZUFWDTZrFM6WEiUv3mJZhNk8MGyivjO8gzZFXIacixT4yd_-tpaGs_QJCCenu_W9POPbzkFPeYTa0Avmp2p2OzG5c62MuoZIIzDRk1lbb-RQYSi55y6aM_emm0x1GPcC4X16PK5weUpOr0ozj8J4ZYap1vd0/s320/thumbnail_IMG_4622.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht9eyzP4O0ZgEmKwOEBb5hnX-oXTE9SJ-oyGla4kiz4-iSlhKk2jlI0zvhyftNXW5F3tMGz1Zn_InHCABBjLOQgkufbqybCmwWW_BiDAgUrSAtCktIXjjmohFl-IcS9yUNarHzlTyTMx4FPs1wlm1jltkfv2JR9XB1FzCN-qD678pLRCr5SevFsyyIwQw/s1920/thumbnail_IMG_4624.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht9eyzP4O0ZgEmKwOEBb5hnX-oXTE9SJ-oyGla4kiz4-iSlhKk2jlI0zvhyftNXW5F3tMGz1Zn_InHCABBjLOQgkufbqybCmwWW_BiDAgUrSAtCktIXjjmohFl-IcS9yUNarHzlTyTMx4FPs1wlm1jltkfv2JR9XB1FzCN-qD678pLRCr5SevFsyyIwQw/s320/thumbnail_IMG_4624.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The museum is also the site of the <a href="https://www.gardnermuseum.org/about/theft-story">biggest art theft in American history</a> which happened on March 18, 1990 -- and remains unsolved. </span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Later we walked around <a href="https://www.boston.gov/neighborhood/beacon-hill">Beacon Hill</a>, the central historic and upscale residential neighborhood of Boston, and also the location of the State Capitol. It is full of gorgeous Federal-style townhouses (notable residents include poet Robert Frost, Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Homes, Daniel Webster, Senator John Kerry, and many other historic figures), and it's also the location of the bar from <i>Cheers</i> -- which still draws a crowd more than 30 years since it went off the air. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMPOpzfs0NilApsriJWVqsM_KsTNXgoqE2Bs__2v1-kzR6n-rBziK7MPnrHAr_zMoHyHl6Y69HT3R3mrqXUli8nIllvHOV3mDs4Y6WaXWubZwpmDor7syHE0QdJzagNgIrRS71Wlm6l13sDe0UkzXLezvtxm_NqAImfVAbyESeV_aJisknhCefrqcLe-k/s1920/thumbnail_IMG_4633.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMPOpzfs0NilApsriJWVqsM_KsTNXgoqE2Bs__2v1-kzR6n-rBziK7MPnrHAr_zMoHyHl6Y69HT3R3mrqXUli8nIllvHOV3mDs4Y6WaXWubZwpmDor7syHE0QdJzagNgIrRS71Wlm6l13sDe0UkzXLezvtxm_NqAImfVAbyESeV_aJisknhCefrqcLe-k/s320/thumbnail_IMG_4633.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_dRsUZmMniLuM5HteE0daKzv_vkx-jOin5UUDLo3a3Tf3gWYEQ6xRiKtqnvQclUmO-xwaY5I6m3olOx1ByRegkzhmABLOFw-LS5SERG07S_XDZd6092AEhKDskp0DNSvtEDbbcD5PlGBEfZNkjYhIHRCPYnQkl_HtvmicjS47AvLhIjk76wCxwwTcrFQ/s1920/thumbnail_IMG_4636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_dRsUZmMniLuM5HteE0daKzv_vkx-jOin5UUDLo3a3Tf3gWYEQ6xRiKtqnvQclUmO-xwaY5I6m3olOx1ByRegkzhmABLOFw-LS5SERG07S_XDZd6092AEhKDskp0DNSvtEDbbcD5PlGBEfZNkjYhIHRCPYnQkl_HtvmicjS47AvLhIjk76wCxwwTcrFQ/s320/thumbnail_IMG_4636.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjryT3i3XEDJn8I8yIDTNmCI8v08OMzgnhUmGnENKHJjYl4BCtK25Dn4IYd1b4sLgdjs8n2kkbC15hBNKI4hVdruNUuRH2AE1RiuVvWrROUMYZuErNSVK_r4X_NTACbxZqXKBZeHtZEHpZZJjZh1o2zJZBnz1RaU_hyphenhyphenYami8FoAh_MvNk9NvggrhyF5h-E/s1920/thumbnail_IMG_4638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjryT3i3XEDJn8I8yIDTNmCI8v08OMzgnhUmGnENKHJjYl4BCtK25Dn4IYd1b4sLgdjs8n2kkbC15hBNKI4hVdruNUuRH2AE1RiuVvWrROUMYZuErNSVK_r4X_NTACbxZqXKBZeHtZEHpZZJjZh1o2zJZBnz1RaU_hyphenhyphenYami8FoAh_MvNk9NvggrhyF5h-E/s320/thumbnail_IMG_4638.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ZWWnt55Q_5nZPheEgnmcyf0h8HfrRVNLYQyh6HITdsrTvrreOwByIuYJ8iPAS-q4SgMTfxHAog11Zd9XhqlD7RHsThyphenhyphen2cccvY_R-WwwZLFE3C37dirIQc2s4LCulP4Yz5l84vgD1rOJw1SAcb7R5pZvfKTkPGKCZopUGTUJiy2-Rx9XBNxuwZbpRwHw/s1920/thumbnail_IMG_4640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ZWWnt55Q_5nZPheEgnmcyf0h8HfrRVNLYQyh6HITdsrTvrreOwByIuYJ8iPAS-q4SgMTfxHAog11Zd9XhqlD7RHsThyphenhyphen2cccvY_R-WwwZLFE3C37dirIQc2s4LCulP4Yz5l84vgD1rOJw1SAcb7R5pZvfKTkPGKCZopUGTUJiy2-Rx9XBNxuwZbpRwHw/s320/thumbnail_IMG_4640.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCra3-CuPfhSWiozEKUWbtJ9BITvsYMBBhDId1YJS9PsPuUzNYBRxcyvpRNVY1pPwO5NhXgMFKeg2e8FvO0Q2Hh1PeW4EUjOQUd_paY-kwFmCyckH4laaarslK7SkZJLzZ9vMoY7BQP9NSKofaM9sPb9gxD1hpGPCT8zjELOgILz9aRnaxH_hDNT0z8pU/s1920/thumbnail_IMG_4644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCra3-CuPfhSWiozEKUWbtJ9BITvsYMBBhDId1YJS9PsPuUzNYBRxcyvpRNVY1pPwO5NhXgMFKeg2e8FvO0Q2Hh1PeW4EUjOQUd_paY-kwFmCyckH4laaarslK7SkZJLzZ9vMoY7BQP9NSKofaM9sPb9gxD1hpGPCT8zjELOgILz9aRnaxH_hDNT0z8pU/s320/thumbnail_IMG_4644.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJYqyq0jph5adTVg3JUHA6loFFhUf4reZfeFVrzAc2NW1ma8vqQPCYiYSz0KMLI2d5TbLeul_ZKMgkpCmar6UsbQbam_NmKvZ9pxnaAzNIvE3WVr3DZkxFpwHWJqBYjHglZWPLkHWMyqrYG5x7pfDdcRWKrqXU14xgSi4EfLwTEB7jyOfz8ZWfQRk1opQ/s1920/thumbnail_IMG_4647.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJYqyq0jph5adTVg3JUHA6loFFhUf4reZfeFVrzAc2NW1ma8vqQPCYiYSz0KMLI2d5TbLeul_ZKMgkpCmar6UsbQbam_NmKvZ9pxnaAzNIvE3WVr3DZkxFpwHWJqBYjHglZWPLkHWMyqrYG5x7pfDdcRWKrqXU14xgSi4EfLwTEB7jyOfz8ZWfQRk1opQ/s320/thumbnail_IMG_4647.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Dve_7Kbt3EA" width="320" youtube-src-id="Dve_7Kbt3EA"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zGdpE8Dsr0U" width="320" youtube-src-id="zGdpE8Dsr0U"></iframe></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Nearby we also visited the <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60745-d108744-Reviews-Old_City_Hall-Boston_Massachusetts.html">Old City Hall</a>, just a gorgeous building, to the <a href="https://www.thefreedomtrail.org/trail-sites/old-south-meeting-house">Old Historic Meeting House</a> -- a Colonial building that is perhaps the single most important single building in American history. This is where the first protests against British rule were organized in 1768 and where the Boston tea party was planned in December 1773. The sparks for the American Revolution were lit here, history turning on its axis in this building, the world we live in today formed in this modest place.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3pZkXx5gs_Z8OzsRrew1cY6kbCqWDIVKvm2ZMOoSCsiv-ALMJAJ0eJBoBEE8GYM6CGVcFCps6RP6rICEBt1P6DQ-D0ZRIB1_eDoZpUUioJjrPvFnaRz-nBDusFQxX0YyCmCvS2tt7X_10_xVaQeyYhArJdqDN90qpV4lEwbws9y3UXmePHif3k3RmZjU/s1920/thumbnail_IMG_4656.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3pZkXx5gs_Z8OzsRrew1cY6kbCqWDIVKvm2ZMOoSCsiv-ALMJAJ0eJBoBEE8GYM6CGVcFCps6RP6rICEBt1P6DQ-D0ZRIB1_eDoZpUUioJjrPvFnaRz-nBDusFQxX0YyCmCvS2tt7X_10_xVaQeyYhArJdqDN90qpV4lEwbws9y3UXmePHif3k3RmZjU/s320/thumbnail_IMG_4656.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3QluYekTZCcYQn6VXb-oT15AZ_oefTe832vOl6shyefQDnArErbb9sdQL9CM7ggiupxaxP-6ZgcPL4GNnk4UPeSrhvnpASEAXJTW4G_ZTGdt1jf9wwVELoQEZf41TU2vHwt3rJzgZJ1H_G4djMm2WghvfsGELeOu11H2-XqZxrDN9ZEnULDoZW-3tlj0/s1920/thumbnail_IMG_4657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3QluYekTZCcYQn6VXb-oT15AZ_oefTe832vOl6shyefQDnArErbb9sdQL9CM7ggiupxaxP-6ZgcPL4GNnk4UPeSrhvnpASEAXJTW4G_ZTGdt1jf9wwVELoQEZf41TU2vHwt3rJzgZJ1H_G4djMm2WghvfsGELeOu11H2-XqZxrDN9ZEnULDoZW-3tlj0/s320/thumbnail_IMG_4657.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxQu942JVcFzyIprJgSXsovPy7aYkZfmSvwqGsE3Qx6iqeeSHWEaWCh1iecUFxVkkn6asdeAvw06IbOZfaeXfAXdSOZAVJjsQJUgqhPe8YyPcChrKz26RrhXU7EdUMvA7MXDiYxQtuB3sCmmWmmT3IiCq2KIc9hs4NuDfqqCmO5J47lkTVxcWgokBQ-fM/s1920/thumbnail_IMG_4661.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxQu942JVcFzyIprJgSXsovPy7aYkZfmSvwqGsE3Qx6iqeeSHWEaWCh1iecUFxVkkn6asdeAvw06IbOZfaeXfAXdSOZAVJjsQJUgqhPe8YyPcChrKz26RrhXU7EdUMvA7MXDiYxQtuB3sCmmWmmT3IiCq2KIc9hs4NuDfqqCmO5J47lkTVxcWgokBQ-fM/s320/thumbnail_IMG_4661.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi64Am-STc_0RUSGeIAMbrr46LmYTcaTBPL_jnwBtCI97m48f5ZNftrrv6fmV8vEKEd5UepynAVapoU_F7QEwvpQlF7hn3buVxCcf5H6F-wu8q1ALJGvjUM_TG9d1drgVGayQ0Jz8FvJJebnJ9g9bFfYQsOLceXDV9dOfx-l82mWT78wBadPOSYByHm8Ck/s1920/thumbnail_IMG_4662.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi64Am-STc_0RUSGeIAMbrr46LmYTcaTBPL_jnwBtCI97m48f5ZNftrrv6fmV8vEKEd5UepynAVapoU_F7QEwvpQlF7hn3buVxCcf5H6F-wu8q1ALJGvjUM_TG9d1drgVGayQ0Jz8FvJJebnJ9g9bFfYQsOLceXDV9dOfx-l82mWT78wBadPOSYByHm8Ck/s320/thumbnail_IMG_4662.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Other places we saw but I didn't get good pictures of are the <a href="https://www.paulreverehouse.org/">Paul Revere House,</a> home of the famous rider along with the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/bost/learn/historyculture/fh.htm">Faneuil Hill</a> marketplace, a place where lots of Revolutionary protests took place and that, today, houses perhaps the best food court I've ever eaten in.</span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We also walked all over the main park of Boston -- <a href="https://www.boston.gov/parks/boston-common">Boston Common</a> -- and also passed by the first Macy's store ever opened in the USA.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5c9cBOqYsm39so629XIsKdKoWmEQVG_dHDsjCpM7UEV13tkdNv7Yl1PT2v4dmNFc5S066bIHIBsNywZcZlrlxlIZCT6C69u0LVjYnvSn3P5LG2nhleBVUEXZ_cgJNtIQbJYhmbMGOsY27729Jug8akR9sw7ShQzjGFr9za03Fl2zpcEn9Y3qMCbBq64E/s1920/thumbnail_IMG_4654.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5c9cBOqYsm39so629XIsKdKoWmEQVG_dHDsjCpM7UEV13tkdNv7Yl1PT2v4dmNFc5S066bIHIBsNywZcZlrlxlIZCT6C69u0LVjYnvSn3P5LG2nhleBVUEXZ_cgJNtIQbJYhmbMGOsY27729Jug8akR9sw7ShQzjGFr9za03Fl2zpcEn9Y3qMCbBq64E/s320/thumbnail_IMG_4654.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnEKAhyd5BPWyjnMVqrUEAa9jepQ3KNzpVxURPaaRy2qRre6PwD1L_UN2_GZZW9TNDxBDqOLjoD6b3XBwpOPrnvEXOd4bccayQdS7nKjejUr2YJQjvY0FwHQYplCk_Qc7UbjNOCwJTDrs7m6m2m1FWLwC7AFzTFnbnnIJGLKeqPURTsHYKfDCz6vVxWoo/s1920/thumbnail_IMG_4667.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnEKAhyd5BPWyjnMVqrUEAa9jepQ3KNzpVxURPaaRy2qRre6PwD1L_UN2_GZZW9TNDxBDqOLjoD6b3XBwpOPrnvEXOd4bccayQdS7nKjejUr2YJQjvY0FwHQYplCk_Qc7UbjNOCwJTDrs7m6m2m1FWLwC7AFzTFnbnnIJGLKeqPURTsHYKfDCz6vVxWoo/s320/thumbnail_IMG_4667.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The last big place we visited was the <a href="https://www.jfklibrary.org/">John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum</a>. It is located on the waterfront of the Dorchester neighborhood, and it's surprisingly modest and simple, considering what a glamorous figure he was and what an outsized impact he left on American history. Since Kennedy's presidency was rather short, a lot of the exhibits are about his time fighting in WW2, his time in the Senate, his marriage to Jackie, and then his winning presidential campaign in 1960. There's also an entire film and exhibit about the <a href="https://history.state.gov/milestones/1961-1968/cuban-missile-crisis">Cuban Missile Crises</a>, where JFK's role in saving the world from nuclear armaggedon in October 1962. My favorite part of this exhibit and everything we saw in the museum were JFK's personal notes he took during the crises where he wrote, on the top of the right-hand page, he wrote and circles "Missile, Missile, Missile." There's nothing about his assisination or, obviously, all the broads that he banged (no video of Marilyn Monroe breathily singing "Happy birthday ... Mister ... President" ...) but the museum does a good job summarizing his life, legacy, and aspirations for the country and the world.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJBJsZ5xHAGOmsuf2koIJ3WjRXQSFMdggcVGrRRlJ-Im6GHMOVCCVTX9lP1f3LbW2nguTQcS40gaEAYIqSEzdt_ILB4FQkZ7kDLXLjjbEvXUEB2jRlvWfTZQ4HdYy6_3NVxW-uxOj4VyKIg0lc6PJYQAvytvmc3AEK9Wv51SZiqr-F2Dr3C_0jyYkO6ho/s1920/thumbnail_IMG_4672.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJBJsZ5xHAGOmsuf2koIJ3WjRXQSFMdggcVGrRRlJ-Im6GHMOVCCVTX9lP1f3LbW2nguTQcS40gaEAYIqSEzdt_ILB4FQkZ7kDLXLjjbEvXUEB2jRlvWfTZQ4HdYy6_3NVxW-uxOj4VyKIg0lc6PJYQAvytvmc3AEK9Wv51SZiqr-F2Dr3C_0jyYkO6ho/s320/thumbnail_IMG_4672.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpDf63Q2T7ed7B19tWW13o_cF-8RyGwJRLx074oSDbkVvmCXKwwE6mtLxoode6HPbhNW4QU1gYQB9khGlOKD9QgrFFflFESYf5RrZ2vcL-trIVIMvuhy82oQH8L3k5gkNMQQRMvPOpPAcShqG1FoOlvKHb7VXLGi3fsH9KGt7KWomsjfDqFKSu0y-zH8/s1920/thumbnail_IMG_4689.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpDf63Q2T7ed7B19tWW13o_cF-8RyGwJRLx074oSDbkVvmCXKwwE6mtLxoode6HPbhNW4QU1gYQB9khGlOKD9QgrFFflFESYf5RrZ2vcL-trIVIMvuhy82oQH8L3k5gkNMQQRMvPOpPAcShqG1FoOlvKHb7VXLGi3fsH9KGt7KWomsjfDqFKSu0y-zH8/s320/thumbnail_IMG_4689.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkre0SmHyFZ8OhpKFI-RvSRy7biRe8gIJ3crpX3MNOC7j2mvA1KjpTT08z4JghCIzhQ7HywYQTbB0bkTal8D9WzLj8kxW8iRFdCbADltTFY9qaJfMB35tc2bwMLnGJsOqW0l2BhvthRnNoui8U-9umZcy9YFPr0gyQ85Ib3eHkH4eDJqewEKnoJpRSwwE/s1920/thumbnail_IMG_4690.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkre0SmHyFZ8OhpKFI-RvSRy7biRe8gIJ3crpX3MNOC7j2mvA1KjpTT08z4JghCIzhQ7HywYQTbB0bkTal8D9WzLj8kxW8iRFdCbADltTFY9qaJfMB35tc2bwMLnGJsOqW0l2BhvthRnNoui8U-9umZcy9YFPr0gyQ85Ib3eHkH4eDJqewEKnoJpRSwwE/s320/thumbnail_IMG_4690.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguP1sERzDUnFcdxJef_mA47Sinzrm961edRQNFgxsaTzxXNeaQA1V-y-P_npiccd3mUFuNlzirVomI_KIQyHgK7Cit3uF26c8YUMgDJk9PDjhcl1LBzsS093iJNzmwN8ehRnwdLPZ8EdGfuWTm7Ud_zihKyxMM4S8sD-njMX8-hOH2zpzkAOGtU_-_AJ0/s1920/thumbnail_IMG_4696.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguP1sERzDUnFcdxJef_mA47Sinzrm961edRQNFgxsaTzxXNeaQA1V-y-P_npiccd3mUFuNlzirVomI_KIQyHgK7Cit3uF26c8YUMgDJk9PDjhcl1LBzsS093iJNzmwN8ehRnwdLPZ8EdGfuWTm7Ud_zihKyxMM4S8sD-njMX8-hOH2zpzkAOGtU_-_AJ0/s320/thumbnail_IMG_4696.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Last but not least was the <a href="https://www.brattlebookshop.com/">Brattle Book Store</a>, the oldest and largest used book shop. It's located right by Boston Common and is totally unpretentious -- until you discover that it first opened in 1825 and was a favored bookstore of JD Salinger. In fact, it also appears in the new Oscar-nominated movie <i>The Holdovers</i>. </span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q1_a0d4kDQY" width="320" youtube-src-id="Q1_a0d4kDQY"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">So that was my trip to "Bahhston." Great town, great sites, great streets (just let's not get into the NYC/Boston sports rivarlies 'cause that means war). And as we drove into town our Spotify played a little joke on us ...</span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju7XOQTYISNZKtRgvQA_Lm8tiCYV7xuxKpDlGneZrC8K4Jwydo1BOF72G79ioU0TADFFeLZ7KVYSQQo6aS0Qc5CNXIPhVEk_TLhiFwwjLzdUb_-88-SaPR9DuWaLaBNVhJst7wRdXXQKEf77go1XLkmh-3cCtUQ-gPl_ox8E19NL276EHqw8eQIQZG85U/s1920/thumbnail_IMG_4581.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1440" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju7XOQTYISNZKtRgvQA_Lm8tiCYV7xuxKpDlGneZrC8K4Jwydo1BOF72G79ioU0TADFFeLZ7KVYSQQo6aS0Qc5CNXIPhVEk_TLhiFwwjLzdUb_-88-SaPR9DuWaLaBNVhJst7wRdXXQKEf77go1XLkmh-3cCtUQ-gPl_ox8E19NL276EHqw8eQIQZG85U/w300-h400/thumbnail_IMG_4581.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicawzAATqNBbLmVgbbPZwgjHCjvL6Rh1y2Eq-zd0KxR9LLYKh7w67jxPpFWqvGnvnlYXzMA11SxtciGwZrR03hE5PIRmi4DW9cmbq1cwwdnqROi6uqygvEcu_f0xEVL7PJn_knvn7IarGxSGkGyEXFDnw47FhoFe1eKUj-Flq-ko27x8fjhE0esY2d6z4/s1920/thumbnail_IMG_4583.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1440" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicawzAATqNBbLmVgbbPZwgjHCjvL6Rh1y2Eq-zd0KxR9LLYKh7w67jxPpFWqvGnvnlYXzMA11SxtciGwZrR03hE5PIRmi4DW9cmbq1cwwdnqROi6uqygvEcu_f0xEVL7PJn_knvn7IarGxSGkGyEXFDnw47FhoFe1eKUj-Flq-ko27x8fjhE0esY2d6z4/w300-h400/thumbnail_IMG_4583.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t4QK8RxCAwo" width="320" youtube-src-id="t4QK8RxCAwo"></iframe></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And, speaking of jokes, we also saw clowns and pants. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBztKJF0zCl68BFcvs4K4HxPtI7oVfxO-7l5re9RqZVrj86jwWv7m-BxJOTq2c-IQB5PHrG9W6gYZGy_jxmTmLGDqNwjM7Fubaq9zKPb8Q0T-bdeSN90Qvx_NXZ33eVxYa9FaVNbV-itgRTN4fUoDxOlSFk91xHt7lCcWxagcNpXysUiODRQ5A_2I08g/s1920/thumbnail_IMG_4585.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBztKJF0zCl68BFcvs4K4HxPtI7oVfxO-7l5re9RqZVrj86jwWv7m-BxJOTq2c-IQB5PHrG9W6gYZGy_jxmTmLGDqNwjM7Fubaq9zKPb8Q0T-bdeSN90Qvx_NXZ33eVxYa9FaVNbV-itgRTN4fUoDxOlSFk91xHt7lCcWxagcNpXysUiODRQ5A_2I08g/s320/thumbnail_IMG_4585.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLLoz5pJqOkFyH9det0FnwrUSfrsRu3m7OqxQj9AQgTEGVs0yB4iZvtVeVWOY3nva0NM7W3vTPy6XIwY7nKxuyf9b6Xeelz1ojlLaEKfKkySeOeqhFdzn4JlVK6i0bVT0RFIWU93qlUG1eNlRUPJ4BZzJ0RQgqU3wDFrGy2xMWpWnWgcGJVx7NLIZPivo/s1920/thumbnail_IMG_4586.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLLoz5pJqOkFyH9det0FnwrUSfrsRu3m7OqxQj9AQgTEGVs0yB4iZvtVeVWOY3nva0NM7W3vTPy6XIwY7nKxuyf9b6Xeelz1ojlLaEKfKkySeOeqhFdzn4JlVK6i0bVT0RFIWU93qlUG1eNlRUPJ4BZzJ0RQgqU3wDFrGy2xMWpWnWgcGJVx7NLIZPivo/s320/thumbnail_IMG_4586.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">That is all.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">P.S. Even though a lot of it was filmed in NYC, the 2006 Oscar-winner <i>The Departed</i> takes place in Boston -- and it's Jack Nicholson's last great movie and performance.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GmMOy4OEMH4" width="320" youtube-src-id="GmMOy4OEMH4"></iframe></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iL117MO4pbo" width="320" youtube-src-id="iL117MO4pbo"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VVpeezltR1o" width="320" youtube-src-id="VVpeezltR1o"></iframe></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1584865243081130368.post-1695989489298848572024-03-01T14:55:00.002-05:002024-03-01T14:55:39.985-05:00Remembering Mark Harris, A Man of No Talent<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I've been a fan of radio host <a href="https://mrnyc.blogspot.com/search?q=howard+stern">Howard Stern</a> for more than thirty years. What's always made him so great is that, besides being funny and outrageous himself, he always put people on his show who were even funnier and more outrageous than him -- making the rest of us look boring and sane in comparison. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">These were people who, no matter what, would create, in Howard's words, "great radio."</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">One of them was a bizarre character named Mark Harris.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mark was a married to an movie actress and comic named <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha_Raye#Career">Martha Raye</a>, who appeared in silly comedies in the 1930 and '40s, then on TV sometimes in the 1950s, and beyond. She's forgotten today as none of her work was really that memorable but she's beloved by people who love old-timey Hollywood. She died in 1994. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Martha also had a crazy private life, being married around seven times -- and her last husband was this creepy fellow Mark Harris, a man decades her junior who was obviously a golddigger as well as a conservative Republican gay-hustler-aspriring singer/songwriter/talk show host. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mark would pop up on Howard's show for around fifteen years, from the early 1990s, after he'd married Martha, until the mid-2000s, about fifteen years after her death. He was always promoting some horrible song or cabaret act that he was performing, or pitching TV shows that were never going to get made. Howard and the crew would goof on him relentlessly but Mark took it in stride.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mark was truly a man of <a href="https://marccascio.medium.com/howard-sterns-most-engaging-and-tragic-guest-582b1ddea143">great ambition and no talent</a>. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">In the last decade-plus Mark vanished from view and from Howard's show -- and it was revealed a few years ago that he had died. His life was strange, tragic, and also somewhat magical -- a real only-in-America type. But he left a legacy, one that few of us can say, of leaving behind hours and hours of "great radio."</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">P.S. After Mark died, I thought the best way to remember him would be with a riff from "A Horse With No Name" by America:</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mark Harris went through life with no talent or fame</span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;">But he was really good on Howard's show</div><div style="text-align: center;">When you have no talent no one remembers your name</div><div style="text-align: center;">And there ain't no one but Howard to give you some pain</div><div style="text-align: center;">La la la la la la la</div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/avA59aE4QkA" width="320" youtube-src-id="avA59aE4QkA"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/emJofTWSpys" width="320" youtube-src-id="emJofTWSpys"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/na47wMFfQCo" width="320" youtube-src-id="na47wMFfQCo"></iframe></div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1584865243081130368.post-76644243061493144462024-02-29T15:12:00.003-05:002024-02-29T15:12:40.642-05:00Richard Lewis RIP<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Son of Brooklyn, got his start in the Greenwich Village clubs, then became a beloved, iconic stand-up comic and actor, Richard Lewis was a brilliant artist.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Richard has <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/28/entertainment/richard-lewis-death/index.html">died</a> at the age of 76, having been diagnosed with Parkinson's almost two years ago.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I remember in the 1990s Richard would call-in to Maria Molito's show on K-ROCK and make requests for classic rock songs. He would appear on Howard Stern a lot, talking frankly about his life. And, of course, he starred on two hit TV shows -- <i>Anything But Love</i> in the early 1990s and <i>Curb Your Enthusiasm </i>in the 2000s. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Richard was the classic case of the kid from NYC who went West to find fame and fortune but always kept the city in his soul. He was a funny man and a great humanist, and he'll be missed. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jxCp_COTj7M" width="320" youtube-src-id="jxCp_COTj7M"></iframe></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3B_yDlH2kiw" width="320" youtube-src-id="3B_yDlH2kiw"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6zfy4hPyMLc" width="320" youtube-src-id="6zfy4hPyMLc"></iframe></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1584865243081130368.post-5304539973653401542024-02-26T13:48:00.003-05:002024-02-26T13:48:33.149-05:00The WNYC-TV Archives<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A few years ago I <a href="https://mrnyc.blogspot.com/search?q=wnyc+tv">blogged about the late WNYC-TV</a> which went off the air in 1996 after the city sold it off (WNYC radio still exists and is bigger than ever).</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now the city's Municipal Archives has digitized thousands of hours of tapes from WNYC-TV, from the 1940s to the 1980s. Obviously it's massive and impossible to watch everything but, if you're interested, you can find it and a history of the station <a href="https://www.archives.nyc/blog/2021/3/5/wnyc-tv-archives-a-public-broadcaster-for-the-public-good">here</a>.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ONBEv7ajGX4" width="320" youtube-src-id="ONBEv7ajGX4"></iframe></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tien_KQ4eoo" width="320" youtube-src-id="tien_KQ4eoo"></iframe></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1584865243081130368.post-71458529714045436092024-02-19T14:43:00.001-05:002024-02-19T14:43:14.589-05:00Jenny Was ... Remembered <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In the mid-1980s there was a scandal in NYC when a handsome, dissolute young man named Robert Chambers killed a young woman named Jennifer Levin in Central Park (during what, he called, rough sex gone awry). </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It was one of those tabloid sagas -- known as the "Preppy Killer" -- that, decades later, was turned into a multi-part true crime documentary. I won't recount the whole sad tale here -- I <a href="https://mrnyc.blogspot.com/search?q=robert+chambers">blogged</a> about it back in 2007 when Chambers, a mere four years out of prison, was rearrested and eventually sentenced to another heavy prison term for drug running. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Chambers was <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/29/us/robert-chambers-preppy-killer-new-york-release/index.html">released</a> last year and is living somewhere upstate. Lord knows what he's doing but, so long as he stays out of trouble, that's probably the best thing for him.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">However, bad people, as we know, can inspire great art. I didn't know until just recently that the "Preppy Killer" case inspired an early song by the band The Killers (no pun intended) called <a href="https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/real-murder-inspired-classic-song-the-killers/">"Jenny Was a Friend of Mine."</a> It's a really great song although it's far darker than I ever realized -- told, frighteningly enough, from the killer's perspective. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Obviously a great song won't bring back Jennifer Levin or the erase her family's pain but it's a reminder that, sometimes, out of pain and sadness and tragedy something beautiful and meaninful and lasting can be created. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1Bxx_h4vl8Y" width="320" youtube-src-id="1Bxx_h4vl8Y"></iframe></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/At9umianChg" width="320" youtube-src-id="At9umianChg"></iframe></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1584865243081130368.post-70032871680691529672024-02-17T12:05:00.004-05:002024-02-17T12:05:17.718-05:00Queens Man Goes Broke<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DT5jDcXVm6E" width="320" youtube-src-id="DT5jDcXVm6E"></iframe></div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1584865243081130368.post-65394646293350140622024-02-16T12:25:00.001-05:002024-02-16T12:26:22.224-05:00The Social Register Lives!<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I always thought that the mysterious, prestigious, and somewhat scary Social Register was some kind of big fancy book with cream-colored paper kept in a vault.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It might be that because I can't find a list of its members anywhere but it actually does have a <a href="https://www.socialregisteronline.com/">website</a> and all the information you need to join it is clear and upfront.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's much like private club -- you have to know members, get recommended, get voted in, and have some kind of prestige, etc. so it's not easy to join but it's not impossible.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hmmm ... think I'd make the cut? Nah.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1584865243081130368.post-23889265496324806182024-02-14T07:52:00.002-05:002024-02-14T14:39:34.749-05:00Alison Steele, the Nightbird, on February 14, 1977<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Valentine's Day 1977 was a Monday.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I was a new born baby, six weeks old.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Jimmy Carter had been president for three weeks. Abe Beame was mayor. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The #1 song in the country was Manfred Mann's cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Blinded by the Light". </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">New York City had just begun one of its most <a href="https://mrnyc.blogspot.com/search?q=1977">historically important, consequential year's</a> ever. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And Alison Steele, the Nightbird, was in all of her radio glory, broadcasting on WNEW FM ("in ... stereo ..."). On this night/morning, she had dubbed herself the "Lovebird" and played romantic songs upon request and recited poems about love. She was at the top of her game, her voice confident, smooth and soothing, the greatness of her "theater-of-the-mind" on full display. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Even almost thirty years after her death, and fifty years after this specific broadcast, she sounds as fresh and wonderful as ever, her voice truly timeless.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And she really touches your heart when she talks and plays music about love. A classic. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6LUqqueEy-4" width="320" youtube-src-id="6LUqqueEy-4"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Rpq35wyDi7I" width="320" youtube-src-id="Rpq35wyDi7I"></iframe></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1584865243081130368.post-43519836652313910142024-02-12T08:53:00.007-05:002024-02-13T11:46:46.951-05:00What's the Sexiest of All the Salted Cured Meats?<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Love is in the air.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Travis and Taylor were amorous on the football field after last night's Super Bowl.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And in a couple of days it'll be Valentine's Day, where couples everywhere will celebrate their passion.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So this being NYC -- the sexiest city in the world with the best deli -- it's a good time to re-appreciate the fact that<i> Seinfeld</i> determined that pastrami is the most sensual, the most erotic, of all the salted cured meats.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I think corned beef runs a close second. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">But, really, bacon and -- <i>hahaha</i> -- sausage, should be considered the sexiest salted cured meats because they can be incorporated into breakfasts that can be served in bed. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Please feel free let me know your thoughts in the comments! </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lvRb8BAOOhg" width="320" youtube-src-id="lvRb8BAOOhg"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BP_ycNRcLTk" width="320" youtube-src-id="BP_ycNRcLTk"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yB7ND5qmndc" width="320" youtube-src-id="yB7ND5qmndc"></iframe></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1584865243081130368.post-6607164177570135542024-02-08T13:41:00.019-05:002024-02-08T15:02:41.805-05:00Notes from Undervelt<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Like many who lived through the twenty-teens, I was a huge <i>Game of Thrones </i>fan.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Set in a fictional world of seven kingdoms living tenuously under one ruler, the entire premise of the show was that a once great family, a once powerful dynasty (the Targaryens) that had united the kingdoms and ruled for 300 years, have been overthrown -- and the new rulers are still grappling with the problems left in its wake. While the various remaining would-be kings are battling it out for power, the last Targaryen left alive is prowling around distant lands, scheming to return.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The prequel show, <i>House of the Dragon</i>, flashes back to a time when the Targaryens were in power, fighting amongst themselves, their fall distant yet becoming more and more inevitable.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">What's brilliant about each show, what draws so many people in, is that both shows are haunted. Both series have a shadow over them, an extra dimension of drama and meaning. In one we are haunted by the now-gone years of power; in the other, we see their power, knowing that it's going away. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Targaryens are ghosts as much as people -- and they live forever in a kind of mythical world inside a mythical world.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In <i>GOT</i>, even though the Targaryens are almost completely gone, they haunt the show -- people keep talking about them and obsessing over their impact on the seven kingdoms (gone but not forgotten). They may no longer have literal power but they still have power over the minds and souls of the people. And in <i>House</i>, we can't help but watch with a sense of dread that this family, this dynasty, at the height of its power, no matter what's going on or what they're doing, is inevitably doomeed, destined for ignominy.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In short, the Targaryens are doomed but they are forever present in peoples' minds and still meddling, in one way or another, in the kingdoms' business -- even after their doom. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Doom seems to be on a lot of people's minds these days. Our democracy and our environment are in a precarious place, a downward slide. But doom is not final -- it is simply, in many respects, a new way of being, a new normal</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> called the "undervelt." </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The </span><a href="https://mrnyc.blogspot.com/2020/08/born-back-ceaselessly-into-indelible.html" style="font-family: verdana;">"undervelt"</a>: <span style="font-family: verdana;">an undergroud or underworld where (if I can be gauche enough to quote myself), "defines itself in opposition to the above ground, the outside world. It is in constant friction, a perennial resistance. Like ... trash -- we want to forget it, we want it out of our lives, but it never goes away."</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Woody Allen used to be one of America, and especially NYC's, most acclaimed filmmakers. For over fifty years, he made fifty movies, some much more successful than others, many getting nominated for and winning multiple Academy Awards (Woody himself won four). But he's been dogged by controversy about his personal life. In the USA and NYC, he's been "cancelled" -- actors won't work with him, financiers won't pay for his movies, and he can't (or barely can) get them distributed in this country. He's been making his last several movies in Europe but in America and NYC he's a pariah.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And yet ...</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">He's not gone. And even though his latest movie, <i>Coupe de Chance</i>, hasn't been released in NYC or elsewhere in America (at least not yet), apparently there are <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/woody-allens-coup-de-chance-screenings-1235818861/">secret screenings</a> of it around town that have become quite popular. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In short, Woody's career now exists in the "undervelt."</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Woody is no longer a mighty, acclaimed filmmaker. He's fallen hard. But now he's a figure of rebellion, someone people want to ignore but can't -- a perfect denizen of the undervelt. And it shows that his impact and his importance to cinema is so profound that, even though everyone in respectable society says they hate him, they obviously still care enough about his work to go see it -- albeit in secret.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Woody's work is now like the last Targaryen, rattling around in exile but forever messing with the heads of its antagonists. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I know there are many who bemoan "cancel culture" (I've done so myself in the past). Reading about how the work of a decades-long, Oscar-winning auteur is now being consumed like Western media in North Korea or pre-Internet porn is sad, whatever you think about him. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">However, I view this whole "cancel culture" thing in another perspective.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">First, no filmmaker is guarenteed or promised massive distribution. Most movies never get seen, many directors get their movies dumped into barely enough theaters to cover the movie's catering bill. No director, not even a formerly big-time one like Woody, is promised a big audience. A big career is not a right -- it's a privilege, a privilege few get and most eventually lose, one way or another. I really don't feel sorry for him or any of these "cancelled" people. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Second, even if you become hated, even if you're "cancelled" or ignored, if you do good work, no matter under what conditions or in what environment, it will last. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">People can try to "cancel" it, suppress it, censor it, belittle it, ignore it, whatever -- but it doesn't matter. It stands firm like the rock of Gibralter. It leaves the haters in the dust. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">It cannot be erased or ignored. It lives. It thrives. It stands the test of time and, eventually, inevitably, leaves the haters in the dust. The work rides high, even if its creator does not. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Third, I know what it's like to labor in the shadows, to have your work ignored, to live in the undervelt. But I persist. Because my work has impact and, most importantly, <i>exists.</i> This blog has been read nearly a million times. It's never gotten any kind of big outside attention or attention from the media, but it gets readers -- and always will. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thus my message from the undervelt -- don't worry, don't get crazy about "cancel culture". Just do the work. Do it well. No matter what happens to you, good or bad, whether you deserve it or not, your work will last. The impact of your work and your life will outlast everyone and everything else.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So get to work -- there's no time to lose. And, hey, I can tell you first hand, the undervelt ain't that bad.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pozI5n6A_Io" width="320" youtube-src-id="pozI5n6A_Io"></iframe></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HQ8H5gqGA34" width="320" youtube-src-id="HQ8H5gqGA34"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GvAAnGnewbs" width="320" youtube-src-id="GvAAnGnewbs"></iframe></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1584865243081130368.post-79659108799555243032024-02-08T12:26:00.004-05:002024-02-17T12:08:16.147-05:00POTUS Comes to Town<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAOSYPc3ufizH6OMO8Lq8IzA2EgG-NfQLvR8MCVcSEsJotjXbekCeq1km7WJ9jDWc3WZNrT_Sls-4xOnBhyphenhyphenEmKMod9zPHhJZsTplMTtM80XRKzF0ki6KF0YB6G3AVmaSbQ_SpdDaCnCzjJRPzN_3xkSXaA8jxjh1WYxGYIOTBo2v0ChLCtocInY9-NiaI/s1920/thumbnail_IMG_4579.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1440" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAOSYPc3ufizH6OMO8Lq8IzA2EgG-NfQLvR8MCVcSEsJotjXbekCeq1km7WJ9jDWc3WZNrT_Sls-4xOnBhyphenhyphenEmKMod9zPHhJZsTplMTtM80XRKzF0ki6KF0YB6G3AVmaSbQ_SpdDaCnCzjJRPzN_3xkSXaA8jxjh1WYxGYIOTBo2v0ChLCtocInY9-NiaI/w480-h640/thumbnail_IMG_4579.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1584865243081130368.post-752343919195338762024-02-07T12:57:00.005-05:002024-02-07T12:58:54.890-05:00Center of the World<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/E1DvhSiZo0I" width="320" youtube-src-id="E1DvhSiZo0I"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4LHTtJuF9i4" width="320" youtube-src-id="4LHTtJuF9i4"></iframe></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1584865243081130368.post-10615010236750576502024-02-03T11:38:00.003-05:002024-02-03T11:38:17.045-05:00Memo from NYC<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">One of my heroes is the great 13th century traveller and chronicler Marco Polo.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A native of Venice, a man of his city, he ventured far away from his hometown, with his father and uncle in 1271, into the vast rich world of Asia. He travelled to China, served in the court of the great Kublai Khan, worked as a representative for him in modern day India and Vietnam and other places, accumulated wealth and myriad experiences, and then returned to Venice in 1295.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Marco subsequently dictated his story to a writer named Rustichello and soon after published history's first bestseller, <i>The Travels of Marco Polo</i>. This book changed history -- Europeans learned about the mindblowing civilizations of the East, their huge cities, their sophistications in money and printing, and so much more. Eventually it inspired other Europeans to travel far and wide -- including Christopher Columbus 200 years later. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yours truly, Mr NYC, has actually read this book, probably one of the few people alive who has. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">But first and last, Marco was a Venetian, and for hundreds of years before and after Marco Polo's life, <a href="https://mrnyc.blogspot.com/search?q=marco+polo">it was the NYC of its time</a> -- an exciting city of islands where "things happened" and fortunes were made -- Venice was the original Crossroads of the World. This <a href="https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20240107-the-travels-of-marco-polo-the-true-story-of-a-14th-century-bestseller">BBC article</a> makes the case plainly: </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">"Venice at the time was the New York of the world," explained historian Pieralvise Zorzi, whose family traces its roots back to Polo's time and beyond. It was an openminded and multicultural metropolis, a vibrant centre for trade between the East and the West, where the only true religion was business – and the Polo family excelled at it.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Marco Polo died in January, 1324, approximately 700 years ago. But his legend and his city persists. Today there are celebrations in Venice commerating one of their favorite sons. But the Venice of his time no longer exists. As this other <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2024-01-25/marco-polo-s-700th-death-anniversary-is-a-moment-to-reflect-on-venice-s-fate">article</a> states:</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As with all great centers of wealth like London and New York today, Venice glowed even as it slid into political and economic senescence; its residual riches continued to finance art, architecture, music and, though evanescent, a sense of authority and grandeur. Still, at the very end, Venice was becoming little more than a souvenir … the ghosts of the city persist — in Shakespeare’s <i>Othello</i> and <i>The Merchant of Venice</i>, in Thomas Mann’s novella [<i>Death in Venice</i>], J.M.W. Turner’s paintings, in the canals and piazzas clogged with tourists, each looking for a personal Venice.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And so it is today in NYC -- we are a great city of wealth and excitement, people travel here far and wide to find their NYCs, but we risk sliding into being a souvenoir if we don't keep this a city where people can afford to live and work. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This city must preserve what's great about it -- and not become its own legend.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Marco Polo remains one of my heroes because he experienced a great life, loved his city, and shared it with the world. That is what this blog, in many ways, is all about. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TjxmgKuL7ZM" width="320" youtube-src-id="TjxmgKuL7ZM"></iframe></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7u5szIMq5nU" width="320" youtube-src-id="7u5szIMq5nU"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BHKUdSKa-6Q" width="320" youtube-src-id="BHKUdSKa-6Q"></iframe></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1584865243081130368.post-71821289908968617572024-02-02T11:05:00.001-05:002024-02-02T11:05:15.393-05:00Remembering "79 Park Avenue" (1977)<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The 1970s and '80s was the Golden Age of the TV mini-series, as I <a href="https://mrnyc.blogspot.com/search?q=i%27ll+take+manhattan">recently blogged about</a>. In many ways, it started specifically in 1977 with the historic mini-series <i>Roots</i>, a powerful saga about the history of slavery in America. Later on there would be other big historical TV epics like <i>North & South, AD, The Winds of War,</i> and others.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Then there was stuff like <i>79 Park Avenue.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Debuting the same year as <i>Roots</i>, <i>79 Park Avenue</i> does not get the same kind of cultural respect. It's about a young woman trying to "make it" in NYC and decides to do so by becoming a Madam. It's a trashy story based on a trashy book. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">SEX! REAL ESTATE! NYC! SOFT-FOCUS PHOTOGRAPHY! </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">All the feels. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">What's actually interesting about the series is that it was produced in the '70s but based on a novel published in the '50s about a story set in the '30s. It's a nostalgic-look at a nostalgic-look about a nostalgic-look of NYC.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It also stars the character actress Lesley Ann Warren and even Raymond Burr in a non-</span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Perry Mason</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> role. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">What's also fascinating to realize is that, even though this series is totally forgotten today, it scored an audience of between 16-20 million people on the nights in October, 1977 is was broadcast. Today a show that gets half that many viewers is considered a huge success -- so, by today's standard, this would be a blockbuster.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XHM7iwOdfoo" width="320" youtube-src-id="XHM7iwOdfoo"></iframe></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sZoQNbB2kos" width="320" youtube-src-id="sZoQNbB2kos"></iframe></div></span><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1584865243081130368.post-54269307059851486092024-02-01T14:03:00.007-05:002024-02-01T14:03:57.978-05:00Chita Rivera RIP<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Broadway legend.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Starred in the original runs of <i>West Side Story, Bye Bye Birdy, Sweet Charity, Chicago, Kiss of the Spider Woman,</i> amongst many others. Kept working late into her life, seemingly indestructable. <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/chita-rivera-broadway-legend-trailblazing-latina-actress-dies/story?id=106804951">Sadly gone at age 91</a>. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A one of a kind, trailblazing, NYC icon. We won't see her likes again.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Rest in Peace -- although I hope you'll keep singing and dancing in eternity. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kEj-bDsgDzk" width="320" youtube-src-id="kEj-bDsgDzk"></iframe></div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1584865243081130368.post-46322182718525278052024-01-26T11:49:00.008-05:002024-01-26T11:49:58.698-05:00Gotta Love New Yorkers<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A professional dogwalker leading multiple mutts down the street while speaking on her phone headset:</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">"Her dress had all booty, and it was pokin' out, it was really pokin' out."</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1584865243081130368.post-12652642613715665682024-01-25T12:38:00.003-05:002024-01-25T12:38:19.035-05:00Flying Over NYC<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-L4gB3q4Rus" width="320" youtube-src-id="-L4gB3q4Rus"></iframe></div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1584865243081130368.post-23691369914809050042024-01-25T12:35:00.005-05:002024-01-25T12:45:27.177-05:00Classic Mr NYC<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In 2021 I did a short tribute to the great singer, Astoria-native, and one of only three solo women to perform at Woodstock in 1969, <a href="https://mrnyc.blogspot.com/search?q=melanie">Melanie Safka</a>.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Melanie has sadly <a href="https://variety.com/2024/music/obituaries-people-news/melanie-dead-brand-new-key-singer-woodstock-1235886892/">passed away</a> at the age of 76. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">RIP.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hlp3wmE4bbI" width="320" youtube-src-id="hlp3wmE4bbI"></iframe></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1584865243081130368.post-54286561123470461072024-01-22T10:10:00.004-05:002024-01-22T10:10:55.384-05:00Satchmo in Eternity (in Queens)<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">You can see it here ...</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtlXG5Izn1ANAr39zDaBADuLV5bvEArG_KJ32JIaCDJXUu_ekWlJk9ALbrMj5vGOts8pe_sjq4XSonfXDkw71A8K7iPAaHeBORxhIxx1v_vde45k4TtElcwQiOPZY4XekKBJ7RyGjpNCSHXIw41mP1ZxMjHPoBPwwhmulZrXr8_T-kWnfCZFgRBZaTYe8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtlXG5Izn1ANAr39zDaBADuLV5bvEArG_KJ32JIaCDJXUu_ekWlJk9ALbrMj5vGOts8pe_sjq4XSonfXDkw71A8K7iPAaHeBORxhIxx1v_vde45k4TtElcwQiOPZY4XekKBJ7RyGjpNCSHXIw41mP1ZxMjHPoBPwwhmulZrXr8_T-kWnfCZFgRBZaTYe8" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiDMhL11CkaMnWkgb1vl1Slu0Qr3UPeFvVB-BEQA-gS2Ek0IUzSoMAyXM3u3TE4xQk1fXDjZXONwhVEmbq38_d71Rm2ams_UFKEJ9i3IusuIOcqloccGyjdG3OBxJKrxlESJoiSw0vgLYP4yItlv5L2DZW_to_3GKiaqxGguBPuoOZ8LnWlQQpX8OLAL2k" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiDMhL11CkaMnWkgb1vl1Slu0Qr3UPeFvVB-BEQA-gS2Ek0IUzSoMAyXM3u3TE4xQk1fXDjZXONwhVEmbq38_d71Rm2ams_UFKEJ9i3IusuIOcqloccGyjdG3OBxJKrxlESJoiSw0vgLYP4yItlv5L2DZW_to_3GKiaqxGguBPuoOZ8LnWlQQpX8OLAL2k" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">... and find it <a href="https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/36/louis-armstrong">here</a>. </span><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1584865243081130368.post-26600043740656338362024-01-19T14:56:00.003-05:002024-01-19T14:56:35.267-05:00Capote is Coming!<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The fall from grace of the late great writer Truman Capote from NYC high society is the subject of a new miniseries. Back in the 1970s </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">he decided that it was a great idea to write nasty short stories about his wealthy and powerful friends.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Naturally, it pissed them off, and they extracted revenge. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I <a href="https://mrnyc.blogspot.com/2012/11/truman-great.html">blogged about this story back in 2012</a> and now it's the stuff of <a href="https://www.today.com/popculture/tv/feud-season-2-true-story-truman-capote-swans-rcna133183">trashy-fun drama</a>, featuring, amongst others, Naomi Watts, Diane Lane, Demi Moore and even Molly Ringwald! </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Basically this miniseries is all about how Capote got "cancelled" -- to use that egreious phrase. I can't wait to see it (don't tell anyone).</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YabKNs66eeg" width="320" youtube-src-id="YabKNs66eeg"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Rgdf8Eh2a90" width="320" youtube-src-id="Rgdf8Eh2a90"></iframe></div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1584865243081130368.post-10818675469547193652024-01-17T14:45:00.003-05:002024-01-17T14:45:48.972-05:00Green Day Plays the Subway<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">When I saw Green Day in 2009, they were <a href="https://mrnyc.blogspot.com/2009/07/know-your-enemy-green-day-msg-72809.html">performing</a> at Madison Square Garden.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now they're playing even cooler venues -- like the subway.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OaJWseY_FCM" width="320" youtube-src-id="OaJWseY_FCM"></iframe></div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0