New York

Reports from Honolulu, Paris, Portland (ME and OR), Madison, Israel, Amsterdam, New York and other places on daily life during these challenging times. Everett Potter, Pelham, NY From my perch in southern Westchester, I’m about a quarter-mile from the first containment zone in the US. No matter, it’s not containing

By Shari Hartford There are areas in midtown New York City that were once vast wastelands. Street after street of sad nondescript office buildings, with entire floors to rent, interspersed with the occasional coffee shop or bodega–the 30s, from Fifth Avenue to Seventh Avenue is one such cluster.  But a

by Mark A. Thompson When you grow up in a plant seed nursery, perhaps it’s only natural that your creative dreams pulse with polka dots and pumpkins, as is the case with artist Yayoi Kusama. Raised in Matsumoto, Japan in the shadow of World War II, Kusama found solace in

  By Everett Potter The ultimate seasonal diversion in New York City this December just might be the Holiday Train Show® at The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG). While this is the 28th iteration of the show, an astonishing new space makes it feel like a brand new exhibit. For those

By Marian Betancourt When it opened in 1837 in New York’s financial district, Delmonico’s was the nation’s first white tablecloth restaurant, the first to seat guests at their own separate tables and to provide printed menus. It is also the origin of now classic American dishes such as Lobster Newburg,

By Bobbie Leigh To begin your visit to “Ernst Ludwig Kirchner,” consider starting with the gallery devoted to Kirchner’s last years before exploring his earlier work.  It may seem odd to start looking at extraordinary Expressionist paintings and tapestries created at the end of the artist’s life,  but it is

By “Chez” Chesak What could be better for families than an entire 282,000-square foot museum devoted to the history and exploration of play? The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York is the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of historical objects related to play. We’re talking about

Story & photos by Deborah Loeb Bohren The beautifully restored Main Arrivals Hall on Ellis Island contains a wealth of information about the roughly 12 million immigrants who passed through its’ doors between 1892 and 1954.  In fact, it is estimated that one in three American’s can trace their families

By Shari Hartford I have lived in New York City my entire adult life. In fact, I was born in the city. And, I expect, I will be carried horizontally out of the city at some point many years from now. I remember the Deuce when it wasn’t a television

By Bobbie Leigh After seeing the Neue Galerie exhibition, Franz Marc and August Macke: 1909-1914, it is hard to imagine what these two gifted artists might have painted had they survived World War One.   Macke, who is barely known in this country, was killed in combat on the Western Front