Snowy Owl in Central Park - The First Since 1890

In the midst of our tumultuous world, something wonderful just happened -- a snowy owl appeared in Central Park's North Meadow, the first in over 130 years. 

Snowy owls live in the artic and winter down in places like New England, Upstate New York, and the upper Midwest -- but rarely do they make it quite this far south. You gotta hand it to this bird -- it not only chose the right city to land in, it also scoped out some of its best real estate.

In these troubled times, seeing something so rare and beautiful reminds me of the final lines of Brideshead Revisited when Charles -- divorced, friendless, lonely and miserable, stuck in the army during the dreariness of WWII -- goes into the little chapel on the Brideshead estate and sees the "beaten-copper lamp of deplorable design, relit before the beaten-copper doors of a tabernacle." For a long time this flame had been out, the chapel abandoned -- until one day it wasn't. Charles muses that, "the flame which the old knights saw from their tombs, which they saw put out; that flame burns again for other soldiers, far from home, farther, in heart, than Acre or Jerusalem. It could not have been lit but for the builders and the tragedians, and there I found it this morning, burning anew among the old stones."

The message is that Divine Grace, the beauty of faith, has been restored, even during the most troubled of troubled times. And, in some ways, this snowy old returning to Central Park in well over a century, is a reminder that the natural beauty and goodness of our world still exists -- and it always had and always will if we work to make it so. 

What's in a Bodega?

What's in a bodega -- besides, ya' know, food, candy, beverages, cleaning products, certain electrical items, over-the-counter pharmaceuticals, various prophylactics, newspapers/magazines, and other random stuff? 

Perhaps the very soul of this city.

A bodega is something that's not quite a supermarket or a pharmacy but more than a deli or a newstand. It's basically a convenience store but it doesn't sell gas. A bodega almost always sets up shop on the corner of a city street -- the classic "corner store" -- a central organizing spot for any neighborhood. 

Bodegas originated in Spanish-speaking neighborhoods but have since migrated all over town and even the richest, whitest, most haughty neighborhoods refer to their corner store as a bodega. Most of them are run down or decidedly no-frills but, wherever they are, whatever they look like, they are a distinctly an NYC phenomenon, a place we love without even realizing it. 

Random Visions of 1980s NYC

In order, they are:

- Glenn Frey's 1985 video for his song "You Belong to the City", a sexy and gauzy dreamscape of NYC at night (never mind the screenshots of Miami Vice, it was because this song appeared in the then-hit show).

- An odd commercial starring our favorite NYC DJ Allison Steele who makes me want to go back in time and buy the stereo she's selling.

- And, finally, a behind the scenes look at the making of the 1989 movie Slaves of New York. You can also find a longer look at creation of this clasic NYC flick the here. 

Walter Bernstein RIP

We've lost another Brooklyn boy made good recently -- Walter Bernstein, the legendary screenwriter of movies like Fail Safe and Paris Blues, has died at the age of 101. 

Bernstein had a long career not only as a screenwriter but also a screenwriting teacher at NYU and as a director. He served the country in World War II and was, most notably, a survivor of the horrible Hollywood Blacklist. He turned his experience of writing scripts and then getting them produced by others in the 1976 he wrote called The Front starring Woody Allen. 

A true legend. RIP.

Casinos in NYC

As the mayor's race heats up, we're going to be hearing more and more policy proposals from the various candidates. One idea that's made the most news is by Andrew Yang, this guy who came out of nowhere last year to run for president and is now running for mayor on a plaform of supposedly "big ideas."

Mr. Yang seems like a nice enough man and, as something of a self-made rich guy, I'm sure he's plenty smart but his biggest "big" or "bold" idea seems to be letting casinos operate in NYC -- even on Governor's Island.

This proposal is the kind of embarassing mistake that political amateurs and people who know nothing about government or have any business running for high office make. See, Rudy Giuliani proposed this back in 1998 and it never happened. When the US Government transferred control to NYC, casinos and hotels and businesses of this sort were banned.

Mr Yang and all candidates should really do their homework before running for office and proposing things that are simply not possible. 

Personally, I don't want a casino there on Governor's Island ever. New York City is the world center of commerce but it'd be nice to keep one part of the city -- ironically, a short boat ride away from Wall Street -- as a non-commercial, non-greed centered, non-money making oasis. 

However, there is a big legit debate on whether or not we should have casinos in NYC. The idea of lots of revenue going into the government coffers without needing to raise taxes is tempting but the questions, in my 'umble opinion, that need to be resolved regarding casinos in NYC are: 1) Just how much revenue will it actually generate for the city and what services will this money go to? 2) How will casinos change the character of NYC and impact its citizens, and 3) Do we really want to make NYC another Atlantic City?

This is an issue that won't go away any time soon. 

Larry King RIP

The Brooklyn kid who became an international renowned interviewer of world leaders and cultural icons has died at the age of 87 from COVID-19. He started out on the radio and then, for a quarter of a century, on CNN. He was the original cable news star, at a time when cable news was actually about, you know, the news and not propaganda. His appeal was universal and non-controversial.

Larry King was not like Mike Wallace and his shows were not like 60 Minutes -- he wasn't there to nail his guests with "gotcha" questions, he was there to hold court and let them speak. In many ways, he was the original podcaster -- his interviews were more discussions than question and answer sessions. They might for light infotainment. 

Some of his most memorable interviews are from the 1990s and include his very bizarre talk with Marlon Brando and the debate he moderated between then-Vice-President Al Gore and Texas billionaire Ross Perot about NAFTA. He also, one time, went on his radio show less than sober and rested and the results were interesting ...

RIP to a broadcasting and NYC legend. 

And here's my tribute to Larry's newspaper feature ItsMy2Cents.

If you need a psychic, you can always call ...

Signs o' the times

 

The Tri-Borough Transfer of Power

So Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have been sworn-in as the next President and Vice-President of the United States. New York City had a big presence in this historic transfer of power. 

First, a Bronx girl, US Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, swore-in the first female Vice-President in history ... 

... and second, another Bronx girl, Jennifer Lopez, and a Manhattan girl, Lady Gaga, sang to celebrate the occassion ...

.. and then, third, later in the day, a Brooklyn boy became the first New Yorker and the first Jewish Majority Leader of the United States Senate in American history ...

What a remarkable moment in the history of our city and this country!

Now get to work!

Classic Mr NYC

The Muppet Show, the original 1976-1918 series and one of the greatest sketch comedy shows of all time, is coming to Disney Plus in February. 

In 2011 I blogged about the exhibit about Jim Henson that I had just seen at MOMA -- a brilliant exhibit about a brilliant and world-changing figure.

I cannot WAIT to show the original classic series to my kids -- it's some of the most original, inventive comedy ever produced. The "Mana mana" and "Fever" sketches are two of the most hilarious and perfect pieces of comedy ever made!