A Summer Home is No Vacation
A clean break from the grind means no cleaning
In the currently popular novel Rules of Civility, Amor Towles writes that the problem with being born in New York is, “You’ve got no New York to run away to.”
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John Boy Never Forgot Grandma
Grandparents Day is Sept. 11. Does anyone care?
By Bette Dewing
The flash of lights etc. are ready for Hurricane Irene, expected to strike New York the day after tomorrow (the end of last week, the time of this writing). And yes, I am anxious, but grateful it’s happening before the 10th anniversary of 9/11, which is also Grandparents Day. Not unrelated is the appearance of The Waltons’ Mary McDonough and Richard Thomas at the Barnes and Noble at 82nd Street and Broadway on Sept. 8 at 7 p.m. They’ll discuss McDonough’s memoir Lessons from the Mountain. Unfortunately for me, Sylvia and her son Ira, who told me about the event, the East 79th Street Neighborhood Association meets the same night at 6 p.m. at the City University building, located at 80th Street and East End Avenue.
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Be Firm With Sidewalk Blockers
To the Editor:
Regarding sidewalk oblivion (“The Good, the Bad and the Oblivious,” Aug. 25); yes, it’s aggravating when oblivious pedestrians forget they’re sharing the city with 8 million other people. And, like the author, I resent having to ask forgiveness (“Excuse me”) or permission (“Please”) to do something I’m perfectly entitled to do: walk down the sidewalk. So I’ve developed a tactic that works pretty well. In a firm voice, I simply declare my intention: “Coming through!” The offenders usually look a bit startled, but they move aside. And, I hope, they remember it for the next time.
_
Marcia Spires
The Sour Candyman & the Coffin
My first coffin was metal. It measured six feet long, three feet wide and three feet deep. It rested on a wooden base that lifted it up a foot. It sat in near darkness at the rear of the parlor. Everyone paid their respects. Upon close examination, you saw it bleed sweat and you heard it release a soft, steady, communal hum. It held something we cherished and missed all the time; it chilled soda bottles in Joe’s Candy Store.
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Getting In to Private School
For the sidebar, please go to Hot Tip of The Week: 9/11 Peace Story Quilt
In 2008, Jennifer Brozost, then an admissions officer at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School, approached her co-worker Vimmi Shroff with an idea: why not start a business to help New York City parents navigate the notoriously nerve-wracking process of applying to private schools?
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Hot Tip of The Week: 9/11 Peace Story Quilt
By Our Town
Head to The Met for the opening weekend of the poignant and timely 9/11 Peace Story Quilt exhibit, designed by Faith Ringgold and created in collaboration with young New Yorkers aged 8-19. Comprised of three panels with 12 squares each, this work of art conveys the importance of peace across cultures and religions. For more information, visit metmuseum.org and for even more family events, visit newyorkfamily.com.
Tapped In
Notes from the neighborhood
Compiled by Megan Finnegan
ZEN & DENIM
Japanese clothing sensation UNIQLO will be opening a pop-up store on the Upper East Side at 1142 Third Ave. near East 67th Street, cleverly located by Hunter College (kids love those skinny, less expensive jeans).
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Italian Café Makes My Day
With my kids home from camp for an endless summer, I’ve spent lunchtimes over a hot griddle assembling grilled cheese sandwiches to share between us. I have become expert in my technique—just enough Vermont cheddar, with a squirt of mustard or daub of chutney. I stack six sandwiches, cut them neatly in half, pop them into a warm oven and yell “Luuuuunch.”
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The Root Causes of Great Taste
By Josh Perilo
Who makes the best root beer?
Halfway into my second trip to Kalustyan’s, the amazing Curry Hill spice superstore, my wife looked at me and totally nailed it:
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Of Golightly and Mazursky
By Mark Peikert
Film writer Sam Wasson has made a name for himself with books that shed new light on familiar subjects. After chronicling the films of director Blake Edwards in A Splurch in the Kisser, Wasson narrowed his sights to a single Edwards film: Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The result was last summer’s buzziest book, the New York Times bestselling Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman.
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