… Boston.  There was a delay of about six months in jumping over the Atlantic.  Now of course there is zero delay.  You can find and listen to music from all over the globe on Soundcloud and other music sites.  Technology has given musicians a platform to share their sounds with the world without having to …

Music is everywhere and so easy to access.  Making play lists 20 years ago was not the easiest.  Now with a click you are good to go.  My top fave album of the year is hands down Frank Ocean, Channel Orange. Second in line would be a dog fight but I would probably go with …

… news is that there is always amazing music being played in our house.  I pay attention but not like they do.  Maybe 2012?
Here is my fave music of 2011 in no particular order.  I have to say that the lists with singles make the most sense based on how we listen to music these …

At one point it was Top 10 records, then it became Top 10 CDs and now it has to be Top Ten Music List because all our music is totally digital.  I am pretty sure we have not bought a physical CD this entire year.  Doesn’t mean we aren’t paying the artists because …

Fred posted his top 10 albums of 2009 which I had my fair share of listening to.  As we have become more and more play lists listeners, I really liked the top 25 song list he put up. 
Enjoy…

Here are the tracks.

Although the way we listen to music has changed so
dramatically over the last decade, I still feel the need to do best albums of
the year.  I have noticed that many
of the critics are doing best songs of the year which makes sense.  The music industry, who is still trying
to hold on …

 I have always been a fan of indie music.  Continue to listen to new stuff, go to see live music, and always have music on in the house.  Funny thing is, in years past, I used to be the music maven.  Now, I really just follow suit to what is happening in the house …

Carla Lalli Music is a chef, cookbook author, and YouTube personality. We got together to discuss her constantly evolving career in the food industry, from foodservice to teaching, food writing, YouTube influencing, and finally cookbook author.

You can also listen to the podcast on iTunes and Soundcloud.

Our next guest on PGG will be Francesca …

Our friend, Casey Cook, who is not only a talented artist, is in a band too.  She sent me this very cool performance art piece she did with Harrison Haynes.  Unfortunately I can’t embed it in my blog so here is the link.  It is worth letting it load up and watch.  I thought …

… the pop.Voxtrot, Voxtrot Indie pop from Austin, TX. Listened to it again and again and again
Bishop Allen, The Broken String Brooklyn Indie. Good songs, good music.
Bright Eyes, Cassadaga Been listening to Oberst for years. Like the music, like the sound, like the lyrics.
Ben Lee, Ripe Maybe not his best but I …

Music comes and goes in our house like water. Today I asked the kids what did they think the best CD’s of 2005 were? We were basically in sync. The list is longer than I thought it would be, but here we go.
Death Cab for Cutie, Plans. The ultimate alternative band. Love their …

… can’t all be fantastic. It is impossible. You can’t make great theater without making bad theater.
We went to see After the Night and the Music at the Biltmore Theater, one of the Manhattan Theater Club performances this year. This goes under the not so great.
This was 3 separate short plays, 2 …

… know, hate to admit it, but their music tastes have been stuck in their college years. I love when you meet people who say that they love music and they reel out about 5 bands that you are pretty positive peaked in 1975. Love music? I’d say their passion for music pooped out a …

I decided a few days ago to add books and music to my blog. I like it b/c not only am I a voracious reader but I have continued to buy and listen to new music for as long as I can remember.
Also, books that people read, and like and music that they …

… 3 of it. The book was not edited well. The sentences dragged on and it took forever to get anywhere.
Move forward a few years, and the musical, Wicked, comes to Broadway. As a rule, I don’t like musicals. But, the kids do. So, yesterday off we went.
Fantastic! So clever. The whole concept …

… for music at the end of this year. I have always been a big music fan. When the lists come out, I generally know most of the music. My son was absolutely mortified that Outkast was not on every top ten list. As I scanned the lists, I knew most of the music and already …

I read a slew of newsletters every day. Some days I dig in, while others, I scan. My brother turned me on to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s newsletter. His tagline is “My take on news, pop culture, sports, and whatever else interests me.” He always posts one video and usually a song from his jukebox …

To many, Sinead O’Connor was a troublemaker. To me, she was an incredibly honest truth-telling rule breaker whose singing voice was a gift to all of us.

The Lion and the Cobra was her first solo album produced at Chrysalis Records, where my sister eventually worked, but it was I Do Not Want …

Joni Mitchell’s Court and Spark is the first album I bought. She was warbling to poetry. Joni also broke the glass ceiling. Few women broke into the music industry at that time. Fast forward to now, women are rockers.

I am sure the industry has the same irritating issues as every other industry, but …

There is so much conversation about this issue. Is it people resigning because they are miserable in their jobs? Or is it the great retirement of the baby boomers? Or are people realizing that the life they want to live is not what they are doing?

Restaurants are being forced to change, and that isn …

… other. Fred and I had two chairs together, separated from other small groups. The show was only 50 minutes long. The group of musicians was smaller than normal.

The conductor was Esa-Pekka Salonen. It was a serious performance without a lot of fanfare. Yet sitting there, hearing live music brought my senses to life.

I love this picture. I read about this on Axios this morning. I might have to watch and listen this morning.

In Barcelona, Spain, this string quartet is rehearsing at the Gran Teatre del Liceu for the first concert since the lockdown.

Instead of people, the UceLi Quartet played Giacomo Puccini’s I Crisantemi (Chrysanthemums …

… Ben Kweller rocked.  They literally had to tell him his time was up to get him off the stage.  He played old songs and new songs.  The guy is seriously talented.  He probably thinks about new music all the time.  I like his lyrics and his sounds.  He is what, 22 years old if a

… went to see Gabor Frakas play Chopin and Listz at the Listz Academy. The facility was honestly not much fancier than a high school room but the music was incredible. Definitely one of the highlights.

Dinner was at Koleves Vendegio es Kert which was ok but not great. The best meals we had were at …

… but it is well worth it. A small outdoor venue situated at the top of a canyon. You drive through a neighborhood to get there. We saw Mac DeMarco. It was a bit like watching your friends play music but the venue is supreme and it was a full moon.

To get down there I

I went to the opening of the Leonard Cohen exhibit at the Jewish Museum that will run through September 8th. It is definitely worth the visit. The Jewish Museum is a small gem on upper 5th Avenue that continually puts out really well curated interesting shows.

This show put together work from 12 artists, 18 …

Diller Scofidio + Renfro and David Lang produced an ambitious outdoor performance project on the Highline this past week.  I do hope that they extend the show or at least bring it back for a longer period of time.
The tickets were free.  You just had to be paying attention to get them.  When the Highline …

I have not seen as much live music as I used to.  I prefer the small venues but I want to sit and be able to see.  It is not that easy to achieve that but it was a perfect storm the other night and I got to enjoy all three.  We made our way …

We watched the Spike Lee documentary on Michael Jackson this weekend.  Supposedly this is one of a few more pieces to come about his career.  You can see it on Showtime.
What is wonderful about the piece is that it is about how smart, curious and insanely talented he was.  It wasn’t about the …

I love this.  This video shows that Michelle Obama is definitely connected to what is happening in today’s youth.  Super impressive.  Certainly could not see Barbara Bush doing this.  Although I could see Hillary going for it.

Years ago when I sat down for breakfast with Nancy Hechinger, my co-founder of WeFestival she commented that there are not enough women entrepreneurs.  I didn’t agree.  I was seeing women founders daily.  The issue is that women network differently.  Women don’t care about going to that dinner where there might be …

Jimmy Fallon and One Direction and the Roots using kids toys.  Great wake me up for Xmas morning.

I have always been a fan of Jenny Lewis.  Love the song and the video is great just.

The problem with many of the bands we are liking at the moment is that they come on stage at 11pm.  I like the concept of early to bed, early to rise but once in awhile all rule are meant to be broken.
We started out at Uncle Boon’s for dinner.  The bar seat …

I grew up playing piano.  I played for years.  At one point I walked away and then returned because I found it cathartic.  My issue was that I always had a good ear and so I could listen to my fathers classical albums and sit down at the piano with the music in front of …

We have been Ben Kweller fans starting with his first album.  I actually can’t count the amount of times we have seen him perform.  Years ago we met him in front of our hotel at Austin City Limits.  Then someone I knew was connected to Ben through their wives.  He was coming to town …

Music is big in our household.  We share, we discuss and DJ for each other. I am generally not the one in control but music is always on.  I spend a decent amount time listening to hiphop because Fred and Josh do although I tend to prefer indie and pop. There were a few weeks …

We had our annual summer event at the Stephen Talk House to watch the Box Story. I have basically been following the leader of the band, Noah Chenfeld, for easily more than a decade. I remember when they finally decided on the name, The Box Story. Did I mention that Noah is 17?
There is …

We went to see the Lumineers this past week. Definitely one of my favorite bands last year. They are great in concert. What was interesting about the audience is that more than half of the audience was women. When they played their song “Ho-Hey” it was obvious that every woman in the audience knew …

What a week.  We are in flood mode but I have gotten over it.  Thank god for the Moon Group.  In all transparency I am a partner in this business but regardless they are my savior.  If you don’t believe you can finish a project on  time and on budget then you have never …

The last day I went all out and got to the grounds around 330 to see Wiz Khalifa who might have been my favorite performance of the day.  I didn’t stand in the crowd like Fred, Josh and his friend did.  I sat on the grass in the VIP section with a nice view …

The heat is really crazy.  You need to keep seriously hydrated.  The kids went back and forth to the festival earlier in the day but we opted for the later time period.  We got to the festival around 630 and started off with a little something to eat.  The lines were pretty long even in …

The last day in Los Angeles was one of many errands but we managed to squeeze in our last lunch at Huckleberry Cafe.  I love this place and Emily and I were dreaming about opening a place like this in NYC.  Never say never.  Here is our small beet salad that we shared.  A hint …

This past Friday night we went to see Ben Kweller play at Terminal 5.  I am a huge fan of Ben’s.  We have been listening to his music from his first release.  A couple of years ago we met him and over the years have become friends.  On Friday night we did something that …

I have known these kids since they were young. Super talented and just great kids. They recorded this video in our ground floor which we can now refer to as Gotham Studio. The song is pretty damn catchy.

I have always been a fan of the Decemberists and their lastest record, the King Is Dead, is fantastic.  Serious air time at the Wilsons house.  We were invited to see them last night, last minute, at The Beacon.  Not a huge fan of the Beacon. 
The music was great, his voice is spectactular…and …

we were supposed to go to los angeles for thanskgiving to be with my brother and his family.  things didn’t turn out that way. instead they had to come to us.  it has been a whirlwind the past few weeks for a variety of personal reasons and getting through the day has been an …

We opted to spend some time in Austin yesterday before getting out to the festival.  Lots of bands we wanted to see but we have seen so many of them that getting out there later just seemed like the better thing to do.  Fred and I got up and went to Halycon for breakfast.  Good …

Emily believe it or not was supposed to take her SAT2 in Austin this morning.  Yes, the College Board in all their wisdom scheduled SAT’s to be taken around the country on Columbus Day weekend.  Unfortunately we forgot her passport (ID).  Her wallet was stolen and so no license and the school has not …

We flew into Austin yesterday morning.  Instead of doing go the hotel when we landed, we drove to Lockhart Texas…land of BBQ.  There are literally 4-5 barbeque places there.  We did attempt to pace ourselves but after two, we all rolled back to Austin. 
We began with Black’s.  Oldest family owned BBQ …

Due to very early planning, I completely missed the boat on Yom Kippur this year.  A big shame on me. 
Last March we were with friends skiing and randomly purchased tickets to see Vampire Weekend for this past Friday night.  Wasn’t checking the Jewish calendar, obviously.  Fred’s family planned to have a birthday …

Today marks the Jewish New Year. La Shana Tova means for a good year. Certainly sitting in shul is not an entertaining activity but for some very odd reason as I get older I actually enjoy the experience. It is comforting and familiar. A ritual. My kids want to kill themselves but I felt the …

I might be done with the big venue. 
We were asked to see something at Madison Square Garden this summer and although I won’t be here, I have absolutely zero interest.  I thought that Radio City is as big as I get.  Not sure I want to even get that big.
The National put …

What a day….and night.
I had a meeting at ICM today that is located on 8th ave between 49/50th.  The lobby had really interesting art.  It was like a small show.  The artist above is Margaret Morrison.  I met with someone at ICM who I had an immediate connection with and for an …

I had not heard about The Tallest Man on Earth until last Sunday.  Last night I went to see him play at the Highline Ballroom.  Not sure he is actually the tallest man on earth but he is unbelievably talented.  From the moment he started singing, the audience was so quiet that you could have …

Fred and I went to Joe’s Pub last night to see Goldspot.  I love seeing music at Joe’s Pub.   The space is small and if you make a reservation you can get a seat with a small minimum per person.  You can eat or drink.  We sat right near the stage and had …

Last night, in the bitter cold, we ventured out to Rockwood Music Hall to see our friend play.  His band is called Second Dan. 
I can’t remember when we met Dan Rosen but he has one of those big warm-hearted personalities that make you feel as if you have known him all your …

Love the Highline Ballroom.  Such a civilized place to see music.  Upstairs you can reserve tables or grab one if available for the minimum cover of $10 a drink for each set.   You can’t beat that.  If you want to do the floor scene, that is available too.  The sound system isn’t stellar …

After dinner last night, we grabbed a cab and headed down to the Bowery Ballroom.  One of my favorite venues.  We got there around 11 just as Edward Shape and the Magnetic Zeroes were coming on.  The good news is, we know the trick to get to the front of the stage.  Sorry, can’t …

Last night Fred and I went to see the Monsters of Folk at the Beacon Theater.  The Monsters of Folk is a group of accomplished artists;  M. Ward (M. Ward) , Conor Oberst ( Bright Eyes and solo ), Jim James (My Morning Jacket)  and Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes).  We listen to all of them and have seen …

In all transparency, we have an investment in S-Curve Records. One of the bands is Care Bears on Fire. Catchy pop teen tunes. This particular song is hilarious and actually says something about the culture of where girls are heading….in a very good way.

Ever been to  Rock ‘n Bowl in New Orleans?  A total run down bowling alley that plays live music.  Great concept.  Take it to Brooklyn and the experience is transformational. 
I read about the opening of the Brooklyn Bowl when it first opened.  Made a mental note to get there.  Also made a mental note …

Fred had planned a night at City Winery to see Nick Lowe this summer with some people.  Didn’t exactly thrill me but I said I’d go so long ago and then before I knew it, the evening was here.  
Also, the evening completely ended up with a total different crew than Fred had …

 Last night, we were invited to go to see Lykke Li and Mike Snow perform at a pop-up club.  Why a pop-up club?  Simple.  You can smoke.  No regulations.  You forget the days when the clubs were filled with smoke and you felt a bit like an ashtray the next morning.
We …

The Talkhouse is one of those venues you just have to love.  Regardless that the majority of the bands that play there are older and past their prime and charge ridiculous prices for the tickets, it is a old time local bar with a stage.  I particularly love the huge picture of the Stephen Talkhouse …

It is pretty incredible how the days just sort of melt into one another out here. 
Today, we went to our friends house where the crew got ready for the big burger cook-off happening on Labor Day weekend.  Let me tell you, these guys take their burgers very seriously.  Josh and I went last …

 We went to see Diane Birch at Joe’s Pub last night.  Always have been a fan of Joe’s Pub.  Small intimate atmosphere that gives you the feeling of being in the musicians living room.
Diane Birch, has been making the way through the blogging scene, particularly with the “mommy” bloggers.  That is …

Growing up, I took about 8 years of piano lessons.  I also took guitar lessons and taught guitar lessons to little kids in HS for some extra cash.  I can actually still play both and once a summer, I do grab a guitar and strum along on the beach, generally alcohol induced.  As a kid …

Fred and I went to see the Management yesterday afternoon.  Management pretty much defines indie film.  Really well done, great character development, some brilliant scenes and a fantastic musical soundtrack.
One of the songs that brought back old memories was Never Been to Spain which was written by Hoyt Axton.  Of course, I found out …

 On Saturday, we will be celebrating Josh’s bar mitzvah.  Becoming a bar/bat mitzvah in the Jewish religion is a rite of passage.  Of course, not all Jews go down that path.  Neither my brother, my sister or I did. 
I did go to Sunday school and my parents actually started 2 temples …

Image via Wikipedia
Ben Kweller is one of my all time favorite musicians.  He is a great performer, I love his music, he is incredibly talented and smart and his most endearing attribute is that he is such a nice guy. 
We have been listening and watching him for years.  We have also been fortunate …

 I am been listening to the Hype Machine all week.  So loving the top 50 Albums.  Particularly how they have rolled out 10 a day over the past week.  Some, of course, were already on my list. 
Here are my new faves of the moment which should spend some time in heavy rotation.  The …

Image via WikipediaThere was an interesting editorial today in the Herald Tribune about air travel in the US.  How years ago the airlines in the US took pride in their work.  Now, nobody seems to give a shit.  If the flight is canceled and you can’t get out for a few days, there is …

 Bowery Ballroom might be my favorite venue in NYC.  It could be the bar area and it could be the small private sitting areas on the second floor where the music plays but I think it is just the intimacy and the grit of the whole place.
Ben Kweller played the Bowery on Friday …

I have missed out on Summerstage pretty much all summer but went to the last concert of the summer last night.  I have also been disappointed with the line-up for Summerstage the last summer or two.  I hope they step it up next year since Brooklyn’s pool is closing and that seems to …

We have been collecting art since we graduated from college. We are drawn to various mediums, from paintings to charcoals to sculptures and more. We have met some of the artists we have collected, but not enough.

I purchased a piece from Gaetano Pesce years ago. His big rubbery vaselike structures. The one we own …

When Gotham was just an idea, several pieces were in my head besides a store. There is the store, the cannabis products, the merchandise, the events, the music, the technology behind all of it, the importance of hospitality, and Gotham Goods, aka private label products.

I am the first to admit I bit off more …

… night, Fred and I went back east to Si! Mon is a new spot in Venice that has delicious food. That is not the norm in Venice. These fried chicken drumsticks, using flavors from Central America, are delicious! I will be happy to return.

We made a pilgrimage to Dover Street Market, a fan …

On weekend afternoons, Fred and I like to lounge in the den and put on golf or basketball, but golf is definitely more chill, and while Fred naps, I usually get stoned and catch up on reading.

I love watching golf. I attempted to play it in between one of my careers, but it just …

I have been coming to the Paris Photo Show for years. It is my favorite of all the numerous art fairs out there. There is something about a singular medium that is easier to take in. The show has been shown at a makeshift building erected in front of the Eiffel Tower Park for the …

The Shed is a gem amid Hudson Yards that defines horrendous city planning. The Sheds programming continues to push the envelope, be it theater, music, art, or events. We went to the opening of Open Call this past weekend.

Open Call features work from emerging NY artists who have come from across the globe. This …

We got to Dublin, and Fred and I looked at each other and sighed. We love cities, and the truth is we feel more comfortable in them. Walking around Dublin, getting the city vibe, and taking it all in was fun. It is a fantastic town with lots of coffee, pubs, jewelry shops (randomly), and …

Since I began blogging, I have written about our vacation while we were on vacation. I decided to do it this time when we got back and stick to the highlights. There were many moving parts around Gotham, and still are, and I needed to take it down a notch. It was a great trip …

I spend more time in the city this summer than in years. I forgot how the city felt in the summer. The beat of the city and people watching is at an all-time high, and the vibe is quite casual, with lots of skin and there is the dew factor that creates a film …

Why do we not applaud the creatives?

Creative people are the foundation of everything. Artists, writers, actors, musicians, innovators, designers, and thought providers. Creativity defines the times more than anything when we look at history. Looking back at any decade, we see how creatives described the times.

Currently, the Writers Guild of America is on …

Gina Duncan started her career in film programming with a lifelong focus on diverse programming that led her to become the president of BAM, the Brooklyn Academy of Music. This episode will highlight Gina’s career working within and running cultural institutions such as Sundance and BAM, focusing on rethinking the role of cultural institutions …

We are gearing up for the opening of Gotham. Although exhausting, I am still getting out in the world. Here are a few highlights of this past week.

I met my friend for lunch at Sushi35West. Two former Masa chefs have created this incredible spot with zero ambiance, only takeout, but there are a few …

My friends took a look at what was happening in NYC during Covid and decided to create We Love NYC. Those passionate about this town want to celebrate, enjoy, and ensure this city is always at its best. What works the best is collective action.

It was a simple idea. Let’s gather all our …

Joy Howard is the founder of Early Majority, a new women-led, membership-based outdoor brand and community. Joy’s career has spanned across different industries, from being a full-time musician in the indie-rock band Seely to marketing, working for iconic brands such as Coca-Cola, Converse, Patagonia, and Sonos. As always, the …

We were at two food halls this past weekend. One was Urban Hawker, the new market concept mirroring Saigon’s hawkers market. The majority of the food spots were open. Not sure who is behind this concept, but it is all food here, Americanized. The vibe is horrible, and the music is electro-punk that …

Psilocybin is the only new area that I wanted to invest in, but I did not want to continue as an angel investor, so we became LPs in two funds that are investing in the psilocybin space. The use of psilocybin for treating mental health has supporting data. A recent study on psilocybin microdosing found …

The Perelman Arts Center in Lower Manhattan, located at Fulton and Greenwich on the World Trade Center campus, aims to produce theater, music, dance, film, and chamber opera with local and international companies. The PAC’s ambitious mission is to bring culture and community to downtown NYC.

I had the pleasure of talking to Bill …

In every industry, some people follow when they should lead. Unfortunately, many appear to be leading, but the truth is they are just following. I could give countless examples, but I will hold my tongue.

I am a fan of crypto and believe it will create change that we have yet to realize. As for …

The art fairs have returned to NYC in full force. This past weekend was NADA, the Independent, the Future Fair, and TEFAF. I made it to the Future Fair and the Independent last week. Two weeks from now is Frieze, Salon Zurer, Photography Show, 1-54, and Volta.

It felt good being at an event …

What’s worse, having no access to the internet or range anxiety?

A few weekends ago, our Internet was down. We all laugh about who will have the biggest anxiety attack first, but the reality is the Internet is the backend software of our lives.

We couldn’t access music, and we couldn’t access …

We were in quarantine, hunkered down from the world, so Year’s Eve was another evening for the two of us. We entertained ourselves with caviar, blinis, camembert, and cherry gastrique. I had cherry gastrique at Anton’s in NYC. On Anton’s menu is a simple dish of cherry gastrique, camembert, and a baguette …

I never understood why weed was illegal. The narrative that weed is a gateway drug that will lead to violent crime and lead to psychotic episodes was something I never witnessed. Alcohol appeared to be way worse but at one point, mostly in our teen years, experimenting with weed and alcohol was almost a rite …

I had to watch Squid Games. More than anything, I was curious about how the show just became such a huge success regardless of the celebration of violence. If you have not watched the show, it is the ugliness of capitalism; winner takes all. It is about the survival of debt-ridden, down on their …

… taxed on your personal income based on the time you are here. There has to be a better way and again, shame on all of you for saving whatever you are saving by not paying your fair share of NY State taxes. The city runs on tax dollars whether you like it or not …

I used to do posts with every dish from the restaurants but not so much anymore. In this particular spot, Jones needed to have a post of its own. Bones opened in January 2013. We caught the wave and went a few times before shutting down. I loved everything about the spot—minimal, chic, brutalist …

I have seen some crazy shit on the streets of NYC in the past week. Most of it pains me. The majority of homeless people on the street appear to have serious mental issues. Walking through the streets of the village was a man yelling and running down the street. I could see and feel …

My birthday kicked off the week, and we celebrated by going to Sushi Yoshino. Yoshida comes from a sushi family, taking over his father’s spot in Seki after returning from his apprenticeship in Tokyo. He relocated the restaurant to Naoyga, where it was critically acclaimed. In 2019, after turning 50, he decided to make …

Seeing a top-notch artist’s work takes my breath away. I remember going to the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Art in London. It is an annual event that artists across Britain apply to be part of. It is a three-month event, and every piece is for sale. It is one …

This is the first post-Labor day weekend. NYC is seriously alive.

Fashion week was definitely being felt downtown using the inner atrium of Westbeth on Bethune Street. Lots of cameras, music and great outfits. The bike paths were packed. The uptick in bicycle traffic is incredible.

On the west side, which used to be …

New York City actors, singers, musicians, and late-night hosts have come together to produce a video rendition of Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind” to encourage the city’s recovery from the pandemic and drive civic engagement.

Worth the watch

To help amplify and extend the movement, we are hoping you can …

Andrea Schneider is an academic, driven negotiator and the head of the Institute For Women’s Leadership at Marquette University. She has dedicated her life to making the ADR fields more attractive, approachable, and inclusive. We got together to discuss Andrea’s work with IWL in advancing women’s leadership on a local and global …

This past week I went to the donors’ kickoff at the Perlman Performing Arts Center, the last building to be completed at the World Trade Center. Still under construction until Spring 2023, will be a venue for the performing arts with 11 different configurations. In addition, there will be multiple free programs to engage the …

There are countless reasons to love NY, but above all, our entertainment program is supreme. Covid decimated all of it from galleries, museums, live theater, live music, and the movies. We need the arts. The arts define our times. Anything we can do to support that community is important.

Blindness at the Daryl Roth Theater …

… a space for themselves and their own cultures in many countries besides our own. There is one particular scene inside a London house party, their own castle, where the band stops playing, and the partygoers continue to sing the song without music. It is about 20 minutes. McQueen said the entire scene was spontaneous …

As a country, we very much live in the future and don’t think much about our past. In Europe, it is all about the past. The US is at this moment where there is going to be so much change in the years to come and I hope we use the good parts of …

Watching what people are doing to engage is really cool.  I love watching what David Chang is cooking.  Christina Tossi is fabulous and has such a great upbeat attitude. Seeing Amanda Hesser fuck shit up in the kitchen are such Julia Child moments. Seeing what artists are painting or what musicians are working on is …

Instagram is the killer app. We all have spent too much time just scrolling through the posts wasting countless hours but now it is a bit like a strip mall in LA. You can take an exercise class, learn how to make a dish for dinner, listen to an artist play music, learn how to …

We have basically been social distancing for the past 10 days yet now we are on lockdown. It is only the beginning.

Last night we watched the David Crosby documentary, Remember My Name. The massive generational shift that happened between the ’50s and ’60s is front and center. Art and music reflect the times and …

We went to the opening of the Richard Prince show at Gagosian Beverly Hills. An incredible space. The place was packed certainly emphasizing that the art world in LA has changed. Frieze is coming up for the second year, NY galleries are taking spaces and artists are finding their groove in the California sunshine. I …

Sundance is such a fantastic event. We see 3-4 movies a day. Some will hit the big screen, others might just hit the airplane watch but being able to see the first run of most of these films, hear the directors, cast and actors/actresses speak about their work makes the experience unique.

We …

Alex Poots is the founding chief executive and artistic director of the Shed. He is a delightful human being and intensely passionate about the arts. He lives, breathes, sleeps and thinks about how to bring every practice of art to the public in cutting edge ways to engage audiences and excite the artist. A rare …

Thanksgiving is upon us. We begin to eat, entertain, see friends and get into the holiday spirit. This is a great thing for some yet depressing and overwhelming for others. There is a fine dusting of fear that is blowing over our country these days. It is strange and scary times of division and anger …

Breakfast and coffee began at Kofama Cafe. A local cafe with amazing music. I wish I could just find them on a music app and play what they are playing. I love how you order and they bring you your yogurt and coffee on a slate tray. Extremely civilized.

We knew that we had to …

… and so much fun.

A late lunch at Bors Gastro Bar. The most do is soups and salads. Once in awhile the staff yells something in unison like they do at Japanese restaurants. Not sure what they are saying but it was great. We had a red wine based goulash with vegetables and beef …

We got up early to make sure we got a seat at Ochre. Ochre just got the nod from Bon Appetit as number four of the top 10 places to go for food in the US. Sat inside a small yard with glass windows makes it so inviting. The place is modern and warm like …

We got up and went directly to the Eastern Market. I might be stepping out on a limb here but this is one of the best green markets I have ever been too. September is always prime. In between the end of summer and beginning of fall.

The green market is only open year round …

… was at Flowers of Vietnam.  A long bar on one side of the restaurant and the tables on the other side of the wall separating the bar with an open kitchen behind a glass wall.   Really well done.  This place could easily be in Brooklyn.  It was hopping. Super crispy caramel chicken wings and …

The “Gig” economy has been in existence forever. Temporary work has been a godsend for people in between jobs, artists, musicians, entrepreneurs who need to make some cash for rent, food, savings or just a means to something else.

Now we have Uber and a slew of other companies in the same vertical that have …

If you need to watch something uplifting about America, watch the PBS documentary on Woodstock. The country was in turmoil when Woodstock took place and the message was loud and clear. We can all come together without violence and enjoy a 3 day music festival while pitching in and helping each other. It was a …

Years ago someone I know had recently sold their company. He was still quite young (under 30) and didn’t come from a family with a lot of extra income. My advice to him was travel. That is one of the biggest gifts that money can afford. Reality is travel has become the norm not …

… a nice insight into the community of the restaurant.

We walked home, the longest night of the year where the sun sets in Paris around 1030. Celebrations of the day with live music on corners and parks. The entire city was having a party. A perfect ending to our trip.

We are living longer. The concept of working all your life at one job and then retiring at 65 is becoming a thing of the past. Knowing that you could live to be 100 changes the landscape of ones career. Wouldn’t you want to take off ten years to raise your kids if you …

We have all heard the question be asked, “how much is enough”? Well it depends on the person.

Some entrepreneurs can’t help themselves as they continue to grow the next idea and the next business. Others, like writers or musicians, only have one in them. Many realize that all these years they have been …

The first building we rebuilt in NYC went up against Landmarks who wanted us to keep a round colored paned window from a supposed famous Architect of that period. We did and in retrospect, I applaud Landmarks for forcing us to do so. Although it ends up that the architect was not who they thought …

Motherhood is defined as the state or experience of having or raising a child.

I didn’t give much thought to what motherhood would be like when we had children. I was 29 and had it in my head that I wanted to have our first child by the time I was 30. As luck …

I went to the Tak room for dinner last week. I never let anyone write a blog on GG bu me and then Emily wrote about it in her weekly blog called Somethings Considered. She eloquently wrote about the experience we had. I just had to repost her review.. I mean if I am going …

Ha Salon has brought Israel to NYC. I remember being in Jerusalem and going to Mahneyuda It is a combination of food and an ongoing party. The music was blaring, people were dancing and food was being served. Israeli’s tend to work hard and play hard and the truth is so do NYers so …

… to. As the divide gets bigger, eventually something is going to give. What and when I am not sure but it is bound to happen as history repeats itself.

This one below is Manic-Depressive Monday but I highly recommend reading them all here.

MANIC-DEPRESSIVE MONDAY

In which one national nightmare ends and …

We returned to NYC and with a snap of the fingers, we are back to our favorite cadence. Not that we don’t love chilling in LA but we chill so we can do NYC the way we like to.

The big opening this week was the Shed. The Shed has been an idea sitting …

The President of our country is not curious and he is a racist. I could be wrong but from a data point, that is what it appears to me. I am making a big judgment here that the majority of NYC Juno, Lyft and Uber drivers are not big Trump fans because the majority of …

I used to go out to Long Island City in the 80’s to check up on the manufacturing of garments we were making.  It was a very different place back then.  Now it is a city in motion.  Soon Amazon will be there.  So many apartment highrises that you can’t count them all …

I read an article in Japan last week that the country is trying to push people to cry to relieve stress.  I am a huge fan of a good cry.
We are trained at an early age to not cry.  Why?  I hear people say, “don’t cry, it will be ok”.  What they should …

… rambling streets around Roppongi where the people watching is just incredible.  Went down Cat Street and the Omotesando area.
Another great coffee shop, The Roastery by Nozy Coffee, to keep us going.  Stopped in many shops from the Y’s, to Number Sugar for caramels, to United Arrows.
What we went to see in …

… a terrorist organization that sought to establish an independent Tamil state.  She began her career as a filmmaker and visual artist before beginning her career as a global hip-hop artist pulling sounds from across the world.  Her stance on the power of immigration has been an ongoing theme through her music.  She has …

… is the menu.  Very heavy food that I find it hard to believe that people will return again and again to unless it is insanely spectacular.  I was excited to splurge on some fried chicken but the crust just wasn’t great.  The tag lines gives me hope that the menu will change over …

My friend John Battelle asked me to come to Pittsburgh and be interviewed by him for Thrival, an innovation and music festival.  I was thinking about doing a trip to check out Pittsburgh so I said yes.  I asked my sister to come along.
Obviously, the Andy Warhol Museum is a must-do.  Warhol would …

The nursery rhyme line that keeps running through my head these days is “ring around the Rosie, pockets full of posies, ashes, ashes, they all fall down”.
The rug is being pulled out from under bad players all the way around.  Watching the inner circle of Trumplandia finally come home to roost.  Obviously, bad behavior …

… work that I love.
This is called the Human Condition (Le Condition Humaine).  There were a handful of pieces with this theme of seeing the landscape through the artist’s eye.
The Condition of Light had a variety of pieces of homes where the only illumination was a light.  So beautiful.
The best piece …

The city is big and getting someone to drive us around was key.  Our driver grew up in the Black Bottom section of Detroit and he knew the neighborhoods and what was happening in his city.  A wealth of information that we took absolute advantage and delight in our conversation with him over the day …

I don’t believe that you have had to grow up with a computer to be digitally native although a decade ago you could argue that point.  Now you can ignore age but define different levels of being tech savvy.  Those that grew up with the Internet, such as Millennials, have a different outlook but …

Peggy Rajski is an Academy Award-winning filmmaker who’s produced over a dozen feature films, directed an Oscar-winning short, and garnered more than 40 major award nominations along the way. Her directorial debut TREVOR, a poignant comedy about a musical-theater-obsessed 13-year-old boy whose world is turned upside down when …

Our family started podcasting back in 2005 or perhaps it was 2006 although we stopped in 2007.  The audience just wasn’t there.  Randomly I was out in SF and heard our podcast on a radio station which made sense because that is where people were listening to content.  Smartphones have changed all of that …

David Bowie’s kid went to school with our kids.  I remember meeting him at a school event.  He wasn’t that tall and he looked like he just rolled out of bed.  No make-up, no fancy clothes, no strutting, no gelled up hair.  Josh happened to be with me and at the time …

For our last night in Los Angeles, we had dinner at Vespertine.  I told myself we were done with the creative tweezer food restaurants where you are eating masterpieces from the chef’s brain vs a real meal.  Yet, when Jonathan Gold deems this spot LA’s best new restaurant, I just have to partake …

… worn down enough by then, and I was like done.
Joanne: You were done, because you were out of there, and you knew that.
Dana: I was like, I can’t be beholden to this criteria anymore.  I want to choose the talent or the companies that…
Joanne: That you want to work with …

The truth is, I have always wanted to run a small boutique inn, but instead of doing it as a business, I really do it for friends and family in the mountains and at the beach.  I get the opportunity to cook for everyone, plan meals from breakfast to dinner, keep the place stocked with …

If you don’t get California Sunday Magazine, I highly recommend the subscribing to this media outlet. Long form stories by a wide range of impressive journalists who write true stories of interesting life stories, stories of people in today’s world across the globe.  That includes a gay men’s choir that has traveled …

… of advice I always remember that she gave me about her own business, because she’s a business woman too, was it’s very hard for us to bring in associates who are all bright and brilliant and intellectually curious and great at their craft and take them on the journey where they realize …

There was a song I learned growing up called “California Here I Come” that was in the 1921 Broadway musical called Bombo starring Al Jolson.  It was written by Buddy DeSylvia and Joseph Meyer, and Jolson is the co-author.  It is known as the unofficial song of California.  It works for me as the …

… There are some really great ceramic art pieces.  Will be interesting to see how they do.  It is a certain look and not inexpensive.
We took a little rest before making our way out to celebrate New Years.  We had dinner at Joel Rubichon.  We used to go in Paris but my last experience …

We saw three exhibits this past weekend.  The first one is Volez, Voguez, Voyagez held a the American Stock exchange that is a historic installation of Louis Vuitton and the house he built.  He left his home in Jura at the age of 14 in 1835 traveling on foot to Paris where he began his …

I have been to Frenchie’s for dinner a few times but have yet to get to Frenchie’s To Go.  They are located almost next to each other on a small narrow street in the 2nd that has a few shops frequented by chefs for their daily supplies.  The street was just waking up …

I admit I was feeling a bit nomadic being in my own town and staying at a hotel.  It was also insanely hot in the city.  Sundays are a day to relax and regroup but it wasn’t working in my favor.  I camped out at my daughters places before hitting up the book fair …

Sometimes we don’t know when we took a different fork in the road but we can look back and note when the new direction began.  Bruce Springfield wrote the line “there is something happening here, what it is ain’t exactly clear” in 1966.  At that point, it was clear that something was happening …

Our friends told me about Shape House, the latest wellness activity.  There is a handful in LA and they are growing on the east coast.  This summer there happens to be one (a pop-up) in the Hamptons so I decided what the hell, I am going to give it a shot.
The activity takes …

… the first new places that opened over a decade ago that changed the restaurant scene in Paris.  It used to be more old school and now there are new places opening with young chefs who are not necessarily trained by the old guard.  It was nice to return…good food and good conversation.
We …

Berlin is a big city.  We came for a few days to see Josh (who is here for the month studying) and go see Documenta in Kassel.  Josh had been to Berlin twice before but once when he was much younger so he is truly exploring everything from a totally different set of eyes.  We …

First stop this morning was the Pompidou.  The Pompidou is one of my favorite museums.  There is always an interesting installation.  Right now, Walker Evans is the show.  Evans was an American photographer/photojournalist who also worked for the Farm Security Administration documenting the depression.
In many ways, the show is timely.  Evans essentially documented …

The first time I had dinner at the Four Seasons it was one of our tri-annual meals in our 20’s that we would have at our birthdays and anniversary so we could try out the top spots in town.  We had dinner in the pool room.  I’m pretty sure I didn’t …

In general, I do not like theatrical musicals although I loved Hamilton.  I much prefer dramas when it comes to theater.  As for movies, do not like scary films, but again exceptions to the rule such as Get Out which I would actually classify as a completely different genre.
We went to see Come From …

I finished the book, 4 3 2 1 by Paul Auster, a few weeks ago but still keep thinking about it.   I have read more than a handful of Auster’s books over the years and have always enjoyed his work as his writing provokes thought.  He is an insanely prolific writer from fiction to …

The first glance of Trump’s budget is pure destruction on the multitude of humane organizations we support as taxpayers.  The organizations from Planned Parenthood to Meals on Wheels to the National Endowment of the Arts and there are more.  Its is not only disturbing but telling of the man who we call our President …

I was talking to my friend about her golf swing.  She said it is her natural gift.  She is an incredible athlete and that is absolutely a natural gift.  If you ask most people what they wish their natural gift was it would be to have a musical voice.  That is a helluva gift.
She …

Dior’s t-shirt that displayed the simple sentence…We Should All Be Feminists was a powerful statement.  Fashion tells a story.  Our wardrobes represent who we are.  Our clothes represent our behavior, how we are feeling and it also represents the times we live in.
History has made a direct impact on the fashion …

Little Fatty, you have to love the name.  This is the second try at making this location into a good restaurant by taking over the place next door.  Before the space was called Status Kuo.  Now they have two rooms under one roof and one of the rooms is essentially a full bar.  Status Kuo …

Thinking of my fave things of 2016 from books to music to movies to meals.  I love the end of year posts that critics highlight.
My favorite books of this year were Moonglow by Michael Chabon.  He is a beautiful writer and this book gives you a glimpse into his own life thru the story …

We saw just the right amount of art and stayed the right amount of time.  I could see doing this every year.  It is really nice to get out of the city for a few days and put a different head on.
Today was about the satellite shows.  We began the morning at Aqua.  Aqua …

I went to one of the best live events I have seen in a long time this past week.  It was at the Kings Theater located in Flatbush Brooklyn.  The theater was built in 1929 to much fanfare and has sat shuttered for 37 years.  In 2008, the EDC put out a proposal to find …

Wildair is the sister of Contra where we dined this past spring.  Wildair is a small hip restaurant on the lower east side putting out small seasonal dishes for a food loving crowd.  All the tables are high-top which works so well with the open kitchen in the back.  The dark grey walls with …

Sundays article in the NYTimes titles Pets on Pot tells us a lot about how THC (weed) is an incredible pain reliever and attitude adjuster.
Our dog injured himself the other day.  Not exactly sure what happened but he had obviously injured his leg and was in pain.  I took him to the vet and …

I took a trip to Mexico City 5 years ago and fell in love with the city.  A cosmopolitan town that stands right up there with NYC and Paris.  The food, the neighborhoods, the art, the bars, the music, the architecture, the shopping, the beat of the street.
Fred did not come with me last …

There is countless research on nurture vs nature.  I do believe nurture goes along way to helping guide nature but trying to change nature is never a good thing.
I recently read Alice Hoffman’s new book, The Marriage of Opposites.  The book was longer than need be but the concept of what you were …

If you take a real look under the covers of history, women perhaps more so than men, were an intrical part of every field from the arts to science.  Maybe women have taken a back seat to their husbands or they just didn’t care about their mark in history.  Whatever the reason this has …

I am a huge champion of female entrepreneurs.  Bottom line, it is harder for female founders in the tech world and it is harder for females in the tech world, period.  That difficulty bleeds into other industries too. I hope as the conversation around gender equality, in all walks of life, becomes an every day …

… hooked.  She started dancing, acting and singing but she wasn’t that great at it so when she was at Dalton she got into lighting design and direction.   She did not have the time to prepare for an acting degree because her Mother was diagnosed with colon cancer when Arielle was in 9th grade …

I became an avid New York Times reader in college and I still read it daily.  There are always two things that I have been addicted to in the Times….the daily crossword and On the Street by Bill Cunningham.
His eye for what is happening on the street and how that reflects what is …

I was asked to come down to Launch Tennessee to speak at their event, 38/86 South.  I was honored to be asked.  Having never been to Nashville I figured this would be a great excuse to get down there.  We came down on Sunday morning for the Monday event to check out the town …

Years ago MTV started a campaign called “Rock the Vote”.  The concept was launched on MTV in 1990 to encourage people who were 18-24 to register and vote.  To let their voices be heard.  They used music, celebrities and a put together a brilliant campaign to get the youth excited.
When I met with …

… download materials.
15 – An artisan quarter for people making furniture or even getting a kitchen chair repaired.
16 – Serious wifi for all
17 – A grand hotel with amazing food on a leafy terrace overlooking the river.
18 – A primary school that everyone has attended at one point of their life.
19 – Public transportation for …

“Hip-hop has done so much for racial relations, and I don’t think it’s given the proper credit. It has changed America immensely. I’m going to make a very bold statement: Hip-hop has done more than any leader, politician, or anyone to improve race relations.”   Jay Z
I read this …

… or any country move forward.
That conversation happened over 5 years ago and it really points to the issues that are happening in our own country.  Change will happen because history has proven to us that we move forward as a society not backward but right now the anger and fear out there around …

Making the rounds this week on some new restaurants, both Pasquale Jones and Contra
Pasquale Jones is the sister to Charlie Bird.  Always been a fan of Charlie Bird.  Simple well thought out menu that you could almost eat nightly.  Pasquale Jones is a bit hipper but has the same thought out menu.  Big wood …

We went to see the Humans last night at the Helen Hayes Theatre.  Fantastic performances from the entire cast.
The play takes place in a duplex basement apartment in Chinatown where a family comes together for Thanksgiving.  The annual gathering showered with love and connection that slowly begins to show the human side of every …

… areas to bring art, food and music there on weekends.  Her mom is a tremendously supportive human being.
At 8 years old Beatriz began to pursue her interests.  Her parents friends had a radio station and Beatriz would do the kids ads for them.  Then she began a daily kids radio station where she …

Another week in LA attempting to get to the latest and greatest.  We met our friend at Hinoki and the Bird located in Century City in the ground floor of an apartment building.  Big fan of the architecture in the space.  An open kitchen, open bar, indoor and outdoor seating, music that is loud but …

… Paul Klee.  He left the country in 1933 due to the rise of Hitler.  The architect Philip Johnson got him a job as a professor at the newly formed Black Mountain College.  This was the first painting he made there.
This is from his wife Anni Albers who he met as an artist in …

… tortured, her Mom was fending off the Red Army as they looted their home of all their art, jewelry and valuable possessions.  Her Grandmother was a doctor who used to zip around Shanghai decked in couture clothing on a motorcycle was now testing strains of tuberculosis on herself until she found one that was …

I have witnessed too early to market more than a few times.  Timing is key when launching a product.  There is a reason for the saying “timing in life is everything”.
Podcasts are taking the world by storm.  We are all taking in content many ways by listening to music on our phones, reading our …

People ask me what I read daily.  I decided to put together a list.  Just like all of us, sometimes I take a deep dive and sometimes I just scan but I do read all of these in some form on a daily basis and there might be a few more…
New York Times.  I …

… just felt right.
Sonia stayed for three years.  There was a long lost cousin that owned a textile mill in Medellin, Columbia and she wanted to learn about it.  She went down there to check it out.  When she returned she was very much in to fashion.  A friend of hers who was a …

…  It was a risky move to take the job because the business ebbed and flowed but it seemed like the most exciting opportunity.  Her boss was intense and smart.  They did custom publications for companies such as KMart and Lane Bryant.  Magazines that would be sitting next to the register that were all about …

We were invited to a special evening at Sotheby’s to sit among the collection that is part of the annual contemporary auction while dining on food prepared by Massimo Bottura.  It was quite the night.  Always a fan of this by the coat room.
To begin we were treated to a hunk of 30 …

If you did not know that Brooklyn was booming then you have been living in a hole.  One of the things that I love about all the restaurants, the shops, the vibe is the edge and look of each spot.  It reminds me of that grit that downtown NYC used to have.  You can still …

Someone sent me the article in Fast Company with the title “female shoppers no longer trust ads or celebrity endorsements”.  The data is out there that women control 85% of the purchases made online and that includes clothing, tickets, computers, food and more.  Kind of makes you wonder why anyone would invest in an ecommerce …

Spending a tremendous part of my life in shopping malls I am fascinated by their evolution.  Enclosed shopping malls filled with stores were first built in the late 50’s and started to speed up the development in the late 60’s.  I grew up shopping at the Montgomery Mall in MD.  On occasion we …

We are undergoing a few projects here at the Wilson house.  There is one that has become a bit of a family collaboration which is a really good thing.  Part of the process has been interviewing architects.  It has been really interesting.  We met four groups in one day.  I can’t help but compare …

One of the best things about summer is that as a family we do a lot of hanging.  People laugh when I say we don’t leave our beach house but it is basically the truth.  The house becomes an endless vacation to unwind and talk.  The kids bring their friends, we have big dinners …

Over the last couple of years I have met with many women who are my age and are thinking about a new career. The good news is that these women want to do something meaningful that is not in the non-profit arena. I am not dismissing the importance of philanthropic work but for some …

Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco, is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur.   He took to the airwaves and posted this rant on Instagram on June 20th after the murders in Charleston, SC.  It is worth the read and pretty brilliant.
Just a side note, I read this quote …

… full out and try another one. We walked back to the Sacher Hotel where we were staying. We sat down in the cafe and ordered our second Sacher Torte of the day. While I was at it I figured an apple streudel was in order too. The chocolate torte here was spot on and …

I don’t like musicals.  Let’s start there.  Fred kept pushing to go see Hamilton and after hearing some feedback from people who know my dislike of musicals got me to finally agree to go.  I am really glad we went.  Fred posted on it this weekend.  Worth watching the video on his post …

There was a point where we belonged to three different theater groups.  It was overwhelming.  I found that over the years that sometimes the plays were good and sometimes they were great and most of the time they were just ok.  In the land of theater I think you have to see a lot of …

An entrepreneur is a person who operates their own business that comes from their own idea and generally takes on risk to do it.  Someone who reads this blog introduced me to Christy Frank.  Christy is an entrepreneur who figured out what she really wanted to do which is owning and running her own wine …

… but experiences.  She built a wedding registry for just that.  She really liked the service side of this business.  Her thought was you are about to embark on one of the biggest events of your life and you want to make sure your life is filled.  The experiences were anything from art memberships to …

… literally seeing music every single night.  It was a really interesting time because technology was pushing down the throats of the large record labels companies.  Then 9/11 happened, her boyfriend was moving to LA to be a lawyer and she decided she was going too.
Jill got accepted into law school at Southwestern …

… big open streets and beautiful brownstones.  The timing was right.
The other spots that have transformed areas of Brooklyn is the Royal Palms Shuffleboard in Gowanus.  An awesome large space with shuffle board in the middle of surrounding cabanas, a food truck of the night and dozens of games that can be used to …

We see movies all the time but I rarely write about them.  Dear White People is in a separate category.  I now know why A.O. Scott, the movie reviewer at the NYTimes wrote that every person should see this film, period.
The film is Justin Simien’s first feature film and I can hardly …

Dirty French is the latest restaurant opening from the Major Food Group team; Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi and Jeff Zalaznick.  They have been on the move for the past few years opening up new restaurants with an Italian slant.  This one has a completely different edge and they have hit the nail on the head …

… grade teacher.  She stayed three years before she had her first son.  She decided to stay home and raise her kids.  She had one son and a set of twins (boy and a girl).  The oldest son was two and a half when she had the twins.  She had zero help, her husband worked …

Mulino a vino opened to just a little fanfare.  The chef, David Scabin comes directly to us from Piedmonte where he is known for his creative scientific menu at Combal.Zero.  When we traveled around Europe we did not get there but it was definitely on the radar.  When I saw that a new restaurant …

When Elvis came around and kids went gaga their parents freaked.  When the Beatles came to town and kids went bananas their parents freaked.  The generational differences between the youth and the older adults seems so vast and almost comical looking back at it.  It appears that this generation of parents and adults are much …

My friend and I were talking about women events and listservs and the conversations that take place on them this weekend.  Having just launched the Women’s Entrepreneur Festival applications for 2015 it was relevant to my personal reflections on the event each year.
I have been watching the conversations on the recently launched Women …

… and had an after dinner drink.  The city was humming.
We listened to the local musician play tunes from the Beatles.  Nothing loud all melodic.  It was truly a perfect evening.

… Gehry built around them thinking of light and space.
Jenny Holzer also has a permanent installation that can be seen from the first and second floors.  This picture does not do it justice.

My favorite installation of the day is called The Visitors.  The Guggenheim built a room that is dedicated to film and …

Always a bonus when someone who you trust tells you that you should talk to someone because she is determined, capable and the real deal.  Those are strong words.  I finally connected with Mara and within seconds of hearing her back story I felt compelled to have her start again so I could write about …

… poached in a simple sauce.

We were so full after the food and wine that we opted against dessert.  They brought over a few treats.  These are macaroons stuffed with a chocolate and lemon creme.  Nice way to make macaroons.

The restaurant has a nice bar that houses easily 50 people that had a …

Today Fred and I have been married for 27 years.  We have been friends for over 33.   That is a very long time.  I still remember when we first met, the first summer we spent together, the beginnings of our journey.
I can mark each time of our life with a title.  College, cross-country …

Josh graduated from high school yesterday.  In many ways the actual ceremony is anti-climatic. Yet over the last few months there is no doubt that Josh realizes that he is leaving the first chapter of his first 18 years and moving on to the next.  Over the last week we have seen the senior …

I admit I have not been to all the Techstars Demo Day but I went this year for a few reasons.  Alex Iskold kept sending me emails of companies that he was looking at for this class so I felt engaged.  He asked me to come in and speak to the group and I had …

… archives of tourists where he layered on colored dots.  Worth going to see.  It is hard to believe that all three of these pieces are from one artist.

Our next stop was at Elizabeth Dee Gallery who has a small show up of Joel Otterson’s work.  This particularly piece is a memorial to …

… in the 1970’s. The parental expectations, the stories not told ends up taking a toll on one of their children. A really good read.
How to Build a Girl Caitlin Moran – British coming of age story of a young woman who bags school to become a music reviewer for a magazine. Post-Thatcher …

… the best was the “coffee and donuts”  spice chesnut donuts with coffee ice cream and whipped cream.  Really good.  
Great evening.  The music did move into some of the other decades later in the night.  Place was still hopping when we left.  Far but glad we went.  

I have been talking and working with some of the people in the Vegas Tech Fund which I believe is an arm of the Downtown Project in Las Vegas.  So when Fred and I were out there for a wedding we wanted to see the whole project in person.  It is pretty amazing what is …

I just got this awesome kit from littleBits to take your inner music person to a whole other level.  I love the tag line, Unleash Your Inner Rock Star.
 

Here is Reggie Watts rocking it out.

… Jess graduated she packed her bags and moved to Boston.
In Boston she landed a job in a music studio working on design where she had interned the past summer.  Then 9/11 happened and the economy changed.  She found herself in Boston without a job.  She needed to support herself and got a …

… figured if she could figure out how to be in the new media arena she would have an easier time with that Helena landed a job at agency handling Vanity Fair, Avon and Bloomingdales with their first websites. This is how she got into fashion and beauty.  She stayed 9 months at the agency …

Billboard Magazine ran a 10,000 word excerpt from the ebook How The Beatles Went Viral in ’64 this past week.  It was the longest excerpt ever run as a cover store in 120 years.  That says something about this ebook.
Steve Greenberg wrote the book and I can’t think of a more perfect …

As technology has taken over our social lives I continue to have conversations about how that has made an impact on our lives and what that means.
Let’s start with the short term and what is happening now.  Teenagers and tweens are all over instagram.  Some of these kids have thousands of followers.  That …

The second evening we went to Casa de las Americas to visit and hear from Pepe Mendez a graphic artist and Alberto Faya musician/singer. 
Casa de las Americas is a center for art.  
It was hard to take a photo of anything in there because of the reflection of the glass. This particular one …

… goods directly to hotels, people and restaurants.  We went to a farm one day and I will blog about that later on this week.
You can see the beauty of the buildings, the land and the ocean but everything is in decay.  Every single building has black mold growing outside of it and there …

Who would have thought when Fred and I conceived the name Gotham Gal that it would transform my next ten years. 
I started blogging because I was looking for my next career move.  I wanted something I could own myself with the hope that perhaps it would turn in to something.  I also wanted to …

… being
challenged.  She was the youngest person on the management team and the
only person of color.  The good news is she met this guy there that has
ended up being her business partner through many iterations of her
career.  They both decided to build a site called Urbanstarr. 
Urbanstarr was a guide of …

Sunday night was tricky driving back to the city.  We hemmed and hawed because of traffic and also the Gay Pride parade which takes over our neighborhood comes nightfall.  What we ended up doing was taking the Southern State instead of the LIE to Meadowbrook to the Northern State to the Jackie Robinson Parkway that …

I forgot how I originally met Abby but we have continued to talk since our first conversation.  Abby has been thinking about building something like Global Citizen Year as far back as she can remember.  Global Citizen Year gives students who are going to college an opportunity to take the a bridge year first and …

… dessert, churros with spicy chocolate sauce on the side for dipping.

And a nice chocolate truffle to end the meal.
When it gets warm and I am hoping that will happen before July, I am looking forward to returning with the windows wide open with a little Latin music in the background, sipping some …

… the top.  When you meet the other kids you do not always get that good feeling but sometimes a sense of frustration and sadness of how the system does not work.
I guess in the perfect world we would put the Department of Education in cruise control for a year while we took the …

There are not that many friends at my age that are as romanced as Fred and I are with the power of the Internet.  I have one close friend who is as passionate about the web as I am yet her passion is about the spiritual meaning where I am all about how many incredible …

I have said this before that I actually do read all my emails and respond.  I got an email from Jen that gave me an overview of Brika and of course a few of mutual connections.  I really love what both Kena and Jen built but told them about our house rule.  We have a …

The Quarterly Co is a quarterly subscription service that sends you curated picks from the contributors of your choice.  It is unique and creative.  I honestly could have subscribed to more than one.  Some of the curators are Food52, Josh Rubin & Evan Orensten from Cool Hunting (something I read daily), Pharrell Williams (musician/entrepreneur), Liz …

… corporation environment was making her itch for a start-up.  Tammy took a job with Filife under the roof of IAC/Dow Jones.  The company didn’t succeed but she learned a lot from the experience.  It was a crazy place with a group of incredibly talented people.  After two years the company died …

What I have found over the years is that artists tend to not be singularly dimensional when it comes to their field.  Photographers are also musicians, Painters are also photographers, etc.  Thomas Zipp is multi-dimensional.  Harris Lieberman just opened the show of his work over the weekend and it will run through mid-March …

I was invited to the annual lunch at the Apollo theater called Dining with Divas  There were many things about the event that just blew me away because it confirmed that New York City might be a small town but it is also a huge city. 
The room was filled with successful women from one …

… area where there is a street market.  I was looking for a particular stall but instead we just bought some of these sushi sandwiches.  Rice stuffed into a wrap of nori with a little fish on top or stuffed inside. 

We got a variety.  They are really good and inexpensive.

Our next stop was …

The Fourth Annual Latke Festival took place last night at BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music).  A great venue.  People were standing in line for the door to open at 630.  The smell of latkes was overwhelming from the minute you walked in the door.  There is someting to be said about the smell.  I love …

i love Etsy.  It is the worlds largest marketplace to sell and buy handmade and vintage items.  Etsy is a win for the consumer and a win for the maker.  They have created a very special community as well.

Last night we stopped by the Etsy pop-up shop located on Greene Street in Soho …

… municipality to go bankrupt in CA.  As Wandy said, what was amazing is that the financial controller actually thought he did nothing wrong and that he had this magical equation that would result in amazing returns.  The first thing Wandy’s group did (that was led by James Mercer) was sue every investment bank …

… into
Stanford Business School.  She asked her
boss at MGM if she should go and he said absolutely and so she did.
At Stanford she tried to start a business and worked with
the team on Current TV.   It was
something in the entertainment space because she knew it.  It did not work out …

… experience over
everyone.  It was an amazing time and a
story that should be written.  Gina wrote
a great book and interviewed people who I have not seen since then but it is
written for a college audience not beach reading.
I told one story that is only 15 years old and I will …

You say your husband is your best
friend. What is the key to a successful relationship and what advice do
you give your daughters?
This question caught my eye.  Every relationship is different and what worked for us doesn’t necessarily work for everybody.  Fred and I have been together for 32 years.  That is …

At this point I consider myself a veteran.  I believe I have been to all the burger bashes over the years.  This year marks the 6th.  The first one was at a house in the dunes of Amagansett on the back porch.  The second year was the same.  The third year was at a home …

… businesses are not about the tech start-up but becoming bakers, cobblers, restaurant owners, chefs, pickle makers because each of these businesses connect people back to their roots.  It is a disruption of everything.  People can also create a larger business model because through the net you can find a niche audience across the …

… Square, click on Classtivity and find out whats available and sign up.
Wander  A Beautiful Way to Share and Experience the World.  A mixup of Instagram, Tumblr, Foursquare and Twitter.
C1.  Powerful Immersive Experiences.  A very cool way to easily streamline video that makes you feel that you are actually there.
Poptip  Social Integrated …

Years ago I used to drive to Staten Island to visit the Macys store.  The smell getting out of the car was beyond terrible.  Life has changed out there and Freshkills Park is in the pinnacle of this change.
I took a drive out to Freshkills Park with Eloise Hirsh, the Freshkills Park Adminstrator who …

If you have not been to the west side of Manhattan in awhile, you are missing out on a massive transformation.  $350 million has been pored into the Hudson River Park and it is gorgeous. 
You can drive your bike down the path, you can take a jog, kayak on the waterfront, hit golf balls …

I could start with the name.  There isn’t a person that I know who wondered how could you call a festival Googa Mooga?  Also, nobody ever gets it right.  Mooga googa, or that googa thing or is it mooga mooga.  Anyway, enough on that name. This event was food and drink festival.  Think of …

This might be my second pitchfest but it might even be my third as I have done a bunch yet they might have been for others.  Regardless, I was so incredibly impressed with the caliber of ideas, students and pitches at the NYU ITP pitchfest that I was a little blown away.  From a tech …

At our kids high school (although Josh is the only one there at this point) has an assembly every week.  Each assembly is a little different.  One could be a poet reading their work, another could be an activist telling their story, another could be something that a group of students formed.  They are meant …

More business plans cross my desk these days.  I wish I had the time to meet every person but there is only so many hours in the day so I have to pick and choose mostly based on the concept.  Classtivity came into my box and it spurred my interest immediately.  Why isn’t there …

… prepared and we did have pretty good service.  Reminded me a little bit of La Esquina in their heyday. 
Saturday night was all about the drinks.  Packed bar in the basement, much more mellow upstairs so keep that in mind.  Music blasting and forget about someone helping you out in the coat check room …

I am surprised that Susan and I have never crossed paths before.  We worked in the garment world for years almost at the same time.  Her experience with it just made us both laugh as we know it all too well.  I had met someone a few months ago who was working with Susan on …

… then pour a bunch of sauces over it including lemon soda.  I have never seen anything like it.  We asked a woman about it later and she said it is one of the best street foods available.  Hmmm.
Here is a picture standing inside the church looking outside.  Ruins basically.
This is inside the …

… called Bien Cuit.  I finally got out there to visit with Emily.  The place had a line the entire time we were there.  They were understaffed but it could have been the day.  They are in desperate need of music because the place is eerily quiet.  But let’s get down to it, the …

… security program.  They had a network telescope where they could study reconnaissance activity on hackers.  At the same time Elena was applying for military grants to stay in the states.  What was amazing was how difficult it was for her to get a green card.  Our country paid for Elena to get a degree …

Kutshers was essentially a Jewish country club/holiday destination that was built in the early 1900s.  Located in the Catskills where women would take their children there for endless vacations and their husbands would take the train up at the end of the week.  Everything would be included from sports activities to food.  The staff …

A few years ago the movie Once made its way in to the theaters.  A total indie flick about a local Irish man and a refugee from Czechoslovakia who come together to create music and learn about love.  The movie got rave reviews. 
I saw the movie with my good friend who turned to me …

When I was traveling in South Africa, I got an email from Sally Broom.  She had been following my travels on my blog and wrote that her travels to South Africa had left a mark on her.  She told me that she runs a company called Tripbod that connects visitors with like-minded locals to …

… software business and decided to go to Harvard for graduate school to get a masters in education with a concentration in technology. At one point she went on to get her MBA at Stern Business school. 
She will tell you that she always had an entrepreneurial bend particularly with a bend towards social good …

… with strawberry jelly.  The empanada totally worked and the crust was killer. Their tag line is “handmade with love”.  No question about that.
Gotta love Porchetta.  There is nothing like the slow roasted pork chopped in a sandwich mixed with the crispy skin. 
Hot Bread Kitchen that is near and dear to my heart …

… total of specific in all of the United Kingdom.  Pretty amazing.  
We returned to the Biscuit Factory where I picked up the cheese platter made of the wine barrel top.  Had to have it.  After we went to the Goodman Gallery and saw a very cool installation.  The artist is Siemon Allen.  He started …

We had someone drive us up to the wine area for the day.  What is amazing is that the winelands are 45 minutes outside of Cape Town.  Tasting wine all day and attempting to drive is an ugly combination.  Our first stop was Meerlust.  A very old vineyard.  The grounds are beautiful.  This is the …

Between the ages of 10 – 17 I lived in Potomac, MD.  The funny thing about it is that even though I spent seven years of my life growing up there I do not feel like I am from Maryland at all.  Maybe I came out of the womb as NYer but happened to land in …

I have never been a huge Patti Smith fan when it comes to her music.  Many people told me what a great book it was and when Emily gave it the nod I picked it up. 
Just Kids is an incredible book.  It isn’t just the story of Patti and her journey to be …

By the time we got to Berlin yesterday we were starving.  We dropped off our bags with the front desk and went out in search of lunch.  We all had a hankering for something really good and in particular we really wanted a sausage with kraut.  Last time were in Berlin behind our hotel was …

Founders Lab, a five week intensive program built to help people incubate their mobile start-up ideas just completed their first program in NYC. 
Shaerose Charania is the force of nature behind this idea. Fred and I have been a big supporter of what she is doing.  We both popped in a few evenings to …

… dishes sounded good but we decided to be a bit adventurous.  Lightly crusted rabbit served with a light sauce and a variety of vegetables including carrots fava beans and turnips.  This was really delicious.  On the side was rabbit wrapped around ramps and a light japanese flavored curry. 
Both the appetizers and the mains …

… three years that she did.  At the end of her junior year she called it quits.  The hardest part was telling her parents.  Her father was surprisingly calm and just asked her to promise that she would finish her education.  Instead of staying in NYC, she traveled around the US for the next eight …

I was thrilled to be able to judge the final presentations at the Entrepreneurial Journalism class at CUNY that is headed up by the one and only Jeff Jarvis.  Not only was it an impressive group of people but I got to do it with my husband, Fred.  First time we got to do something …

… entrepreneur too.  I am invested in a brilliant man, like no other I have ever met, and I am not so sure he is multi-tasking but his brain is going so fast at all times that it is impossible not to multi-think, multi-task and multi-solve. ( I have not written about …

… ad on the Super Bowl? 
Three years after Hot Jobs was launched there was an IPO.  The company was doing over $100 million dollars in revenue and there were 800 employees.  It was 1999.  She was VP of Products and stayed for a few years after that IPO even going out to San Francisco …

We got up and did yoga this morning.  Yoga is a way of life in Tulum so as they say, when in Rome….  I did yoga pretty regularly for about five years and then one day I walked away.  I couldn’t do it anymore.  It was nice to do yoga today.  Truth is I …

I was at a party in Soho this past December where I had the pleasure of meeting Rana Sobhany who is known as the iPad DJ. She has some serious energy and I was delighted that she reads my blog and had made my chocolate chip cookies. We planned to meet for breakfast. One thing …

… flavors were nice, the presentation was good.  It was really like being served a good home cooked meal. 
Dessert was a spicy chocolate soup with small light marshmallows served on top.  A real spicy kick.  Kind of like slurping down a spicy cup of hot chocolate.
Here is my total wrap up.  Great concept …

… great.  Dried fruits, nuts galore and a small oven that could have been for bread.  The basics.  I picked up dried pomellos which are sweet and sour at the same time.  Pomello is big here not so much in the US.
Continued our way through Florentine on Vital street which is supposedly big for …

So many people told me we have to go to Abraxas Tzafon.  We were scheduled to go there the last night in Tel Aviv but we realized we were leaving in the morning not the evening and we had to get it in.  We opted for lunch.  For us, it was the right call.  Much …

Every single person I spoke to about going to Jerusalem recommended going to Mahneyuda for dinner.  It is supposedly the hottest place in town recently opened in 2009 by three local chefs; Uri, Papi and Buffalo.  Located near the Mahane Yehuda markets on a sloped street in a random building. 
They designed the restaurant around …

As a rule, I do not like touristy things but last night we did one anyhow. We went to the David Tower light-show.  The good news is that the show only lasts about 40 minutes. 
Everyone is seated outside inside the David Tower which is spectacular at night.  Then over the course of 40 …

Last night we had dinner at Arcadia for our first night in Jerusalem.  The restaurant is down a tiny street and easy to miss.  There is a gate and behind it is a large garden and to the right is the restaurant.  You have to ring the doorbell for access.  We finally figured it out …

Our first night in Jerusalem we took a walking tour of Mt. Zion.  We basically never travel with guides or use a travel agent but for this particular trip we did.  I just didn’t know what to expect.  I am very glad we had someone with us in Egypt and Jordan but not so …

… was enjoying her life.  She had created the financial rewards that she had always wanted with the flexibility an entrepreneurs life style provides.  She was competitive although hated confrontation and wanted to live life on her own terms.  The business truly consumed her.  She was determined to be financially successful. 
I always wonder what …

About a year and a half ago I got the privilege of taking a tour of Jeff Koons studio.  Koons employs roughly 120+ artists to collaborate on his work.  When I was there I mentioned to the woman who gave me a tour how cool it would be if all these artists were put in …

I have eaten at Babbo many times over the years since the doors first opened.  I have had some unbelievable meals there and I have had some okay meals.  Last night I returned with two friends, Carole and Sarah, and we had an amazing meal (I’d put up their pic but the one I …

I had the pleasure of speaking with Pamela Ryckman for quite a while this past week.  She had told me that this article, The Risk-Taking Edge of West Coast Women was coming out this week in the Small Business section of the New York Times.  She plans on writing more on this topic and …

Last night I stopped by to see the opening of Casey Cook’s work at I-20 Gallery.  It is absolutely worth going to see….and I bought a piece, the one above.  Her works melds her two passions together, music and art.

I have a long history with Casey which makes the piece I …

Amazon delivered Freedom to my door the first day it was released, in hard copy.  I consumed all 576 pages over the course of a few weeks.  There has been plenty written on this book but I can’t help but chime in.  Bottom line, it’s brilliant.  Not a word goes wasted.  Each section …

After my exhausting morning dealing with Swiss Post and the British Post, we finally got out of the apartment.  We grabbed the bus which took us directly into Sloan Square and down Kings Road.  We got off at Bluebird. 

Bluebird is a bit of a concept store.  Mostly clothes, a few cafes and some home …

Fred, Josh and I got up in the morning and took a short ride
to Montepulciano to explore.  A
classic Tuscan town.  On a hill
with a few stores and a few restaurants with architecture dating back hundreds
of years ago.  To me, this is the perfect sized Tuscan town.
 

Parking is generally in the …

… consistency.  Really good.  

Seventh was hamachi tartare.  A cylinder of chopped hamachi sitting in a sauce of ginger jus topped with a spicy chile oil.  

Eighth was simple with a true hit of wasabi.  Wild Bluefin Otoro with wasabi oil and lots of green onions.

For our ninth, we moved into pork.  Tea brined …

The Kid, the latest production put on by the New Group will probably never play in Peoria but it should. 
A new musical, in the same vein as Next to Normal and Passing Strange.  The tale is told through the songs.  The story is one that happens in every corner of America but one that …

We all hit up the slopes yesterday.  Typical first day.  A little altitude sickness, a little bit of soreness and a little sticker shock.  The apple and water above cost ms $8.30. 
Fred and I skied with Jim Keenan who is a local and fellow twitterer.  He is an incredible skier and a super …

… takes on.  I have seen her on Broadway before and would go see anything
on Broadway that she performs in. 
Abigail Breslin plays Helen. 
She confirmed for me that she is the real deal.  She can seriously act.  Matthew Modine, after 50 some odd
movies, debuts with his first Broadway performance.  Who knew?  He …

Slowly but surely Greenwich Avenue between 7th and 6th has changed.   From the stores to the restaurants.  Yerba Buena Perry, although located on Perry, is right on the corner of Greenwich and Perry.  This is the latest addition to the block. 
This is not the first restaurant from the group.  Yerba Buena is also located …

Last night, my Dad and sister came over for dinner and my
brother was hanging out with all of us earlier in the day.  The siblings ( + Fred ) went to my
brothers best friend (from the time he was 7) oldest daughters bat
mitzvah.  It was really nice
watching her knowing that I knew her father …

I am so ready for 2009 to leave and 2010 to begin.  Although it is just a one day that
separate the year, it is a mindset.
 I am not sure there is anyone I know who doesn’t feel the
same way.  It was just a crazy
year.  Stressful on many
levels.  Overwhelming too …

    Although there are many art galleries in the area of San Telmo ( which we will return to ), the day to go to San Telmo is on Sunday.  Sunday is the day when the streets are filled with people selling their wares.  One big open air market.  The best market are really inside the Square …

How will we correspond in the future? 
Of course, we are corresponding at lighting speed these days.  We are also communicating more now than ever than before through email, text, bbm, etc., Yet, how about for special occasions or just a shout to say feel better or bar/bat mitzvah and wedding invitations or all …

 Last night I was speaking with a man whose son just graduated from Stanford Law School.  30% of the graduates from last June do not have jobs yet.  30%.  I mentioned this to Fred last night and he said “if they knew Java, they’d have a job”. 
So, 30% of recent graduates from …

Last night I attended a fundraiser/awareness event for Creative Commons.  Awareness event because this particular organization seems to have already planted their foot pretty firmly in the Bay Area of San Francisco.  Not surprising based on what they do.
Larry Lesig is the man behind the origins of Creative Commons.  Creative Commons basically provides …

… for the soft which was like a crusty Parker house roll.  Really delicious.  After the previous nights eating extravaganza, I went with 2 appetizers.  Yet, there were a variety of options on the menu I would have gone for.  The menu leans towards richer food.  The chef came out of Gramercy Tavern and I …

If you are an Eels fan, and I am, this is a must read book.  I was turned on to the Eels from a woman who used to babysit our kids over 10 years ago.  She knew we were into music and knew what we liked and said that we would love the Eels.  Right …

Last week I met my friend at the Ace Hotel for coffee.  Totally curious to check out. 
I walked inside the hotel and Led Zeppelin Whole Lotta Love was blasting in the lobby.  Not sure that is my first choice for lobby music but that’s ok as the next song moved into the indie …

A little shopping.  Sadly, like NYC, the small boutiques are in very little abundance.  I’m not a huge fan of the department store after working at Macys in my early days.  I do have my favorite shops in NYC certainly love that they know me.  This afternoon I hit up my 2 fave …

 
Last night i subjected myself to an hour of the VMA awards.  i wondered if it was age (on my behalf) or just awful.  Was I seeing that less and less talented people are making their way into the music industry?  The dj of the night not only rambled on, he said things that …

We are dropping Jessica off at college tomorrow.  First kid to leave the nest. No doubt
the other 2 will be gone before we know it.  Of course the first question everyone asks when they hear
Jessica is going to college this year is “how do you feel about that”?  So, how do I …

We decided to spend a few days in Stockholm for a few reasons.  Indie music galore and Acne to name a few.  The town is small, the people are beautiful and there is a very cool vibe.  Also, really clean. 
We landed around noon and we were the hotel by 1ish.  We are staying at …

I got a full on tour of the City Winery last night, Michael Dorf’s latest venture.  Quite impressive.
The place is huge.  Great venue for events.  Has a very down home look almost like a place that has been around a long time.  You can go there to listen to music which you can …

… at my day to day and giving each segment a color.  So, put in Green for the family stuff, Red for the kids stuff, Blue for my stuff, etc., and see where the majority of my time is spent.  It was pretty enlightening.  I spent a lot of time on family and bullshit so …

Years ago, when there was just Amazon to do research, I was the keeper of finding new music.  Partnerships are funny.  When one person picks up the slack on something, the other one generally lets go.  So, as Fred has returned to his music passions, he has become the music man and I literally don …

After attempting to get to see Everyday Rapture three separate times, we finally got there last night.  I was a bit ambivalent considering the play is a musical but the reviews were great.  Also, the play is one and a half hours without intermission and figured, why not. 
Everyday Rapture is in essence a one …

Photo by Jessica Wilson
Contact: [email protected]
Biography
I have had many careers. Buyer at Macys, ran a company in the rag trade, dabbled in a few friends businesses, spearheaded sales of a start-up magazine/e-zine/events company in Silicon Alley, chaired a non-profit organization focused on technology in inner city …

After leaving the theater at the civilized hour of 9pm last night, we went to find a place for a light meal.  Theater started at 7 last night which is music to my ears.  8pm means you have to eat at 6 and ending at 10 or later means eating too late.  So, theater on …

Memorial Day is a kick off to summer.  It is the first journey to the beach.  Cold but warm weather is around the corner. 
I find that when we come out east that I spend more time hanging at home then the city which is a nice change.  I am far from social out here …

The Demy arrived at my house at the end of March and I finally got around to really playing around with it this past week.  The Demy is gadget/device (sort of looks like an old school Sonos player) that holds all of your recipes in it.  Instead of on paper, you can store everything …

… hour and a half.  She was quite good.  I am not a fan of most of the music she sang but she was engaging, funny and put on quite a show.  She knew how to work an audience.  But most important, you could tell how much it meant to her to be on the …

Emily gets a byline too.  I love it!
In times like these, designer diffusion lines for stores such
as Macy’s, JCPenny, and Target are more popular than ever. Last night
brought the launch of yet another: Rachel Rachel Roy for Macy’s.
An airy space in Midtown was lined with RRR merchandise, with racks …

Today was the last day in Napa and the last day of our vacation unless you include tomorrow which basically consists of traveling home.  I am frankly surprised that I have not put on 10 pounds over the course of these past 2 weeks.  Luckily we actually did exercise the first week hitting the slopes …

At one point of our lives, we went as a family on the weekends to see movies.  Saturday night was generally a movie and dinner.  Somehow over the past year, our children have all gone their separate ways on the weekend and Fred and I are solo.  The 3 day weekend, cold as it is …

Last night, on Christmas, we went to see the Nutcracker at the German Opera House.
The building is modern and with little fanfare. Totally works. One of the things they do there, which is genius and I wish they would do in NYC, is there is a huge coat check.  A coat check that is …

… California.  Way before his time. This is a museum that is not to be missed.  This picture is of some yarmulkes featured. 

After we went over to the Neu Gallerie.  A glass box structure is the first floor and the second floor is underground.  A very cool structure by Mies de Van der Rohe …

 Love the lists.  This year, in addition to the top music of the year, I decided to create a list of the most memorable omigod food moments of 2008.  When you think about, it just shows how my brain works.  I can remember the meals that I had but I can’t remember people …

When Irving Mill first opened a few years back we went for dinner with a few friends.  The owners came from Gramercy Tavern and by the looks of the restaurant, they were certainly paying homage to GT.  The feel was very similar but it just wasn’t the same.  The food was okay, not great …

 As I get older, my quick recall has become delayed.  So when someone says, “where should we go to dinner” or 
“what are your favorite restaurants right now”?  I go blank.  It is like turning the computer on.  I sort of need a second to boot up, then I’m good to go. 
The …

The Dia Art Foundation launched Rehearsal last night which is a web-based project by artist Liliana Porter.  The Dia is involved with an ongoing series of online works. 
We came to this event through someone we met that has been working with Josh, teaching him to write code, etc.  Pravin Sathe has been not …

Image via WikipediaThe Ten Bells opened a few weeks ago on Broome Street right off of Orchard on the LES.  Opened and run by a 2 men from Paris.  At least there were 2 of them behind the bar last night and they appeared to be the owners.  A nice addition to the neighborhood.
Ten …

My friend saw Billy Elliot in London and loved it.  You literally could not pick up a magazine this fall and not read about Billy Elliot.  Granted, I am not a fan of musicals but I couldn’t help myself but not buy tickets.  Jessica and Fred gave the idea a big thumbs down.  Josh …

Sometimes seeing theater in NYC is like watching history in the making.  Conversations take place years later where someone says “I saw Jeremy Irons in his first Broadway performance”, blah, blah, blah.  I admit, there are many performances I have seen over the years where I can now say the same thing.  It isn’t …

A friend of mine is having their family come over for four days from Europe.  They want to experience NY through food.  My kind of people.  Here is the quick list I sent.Spotted Pig.  You must go early or you have to wait but it is happening and the food is fantastic.  Our favorite …

… into a paragraph but in essence I believe that this sort of direction is bad for our country on so many levels.  How does this type of education ( that would be without the arts, music and little phys ed) create the next Jasper Johns, the next Einstein, the next Jesse Owens, the next Martin …

… large pieces. These are photos of the small ones that we bought.  I saw it on Friday but wanted Fred to come back with me and take a look before I bought 2 pieces.  The woman who owns the gallery used to work at a store that I used to frequent, she dates one …

Anyone who has read my blog posts over the years, knows that our family is very much into music particularly alternative music. As much of our life is about the new new and what is coming around the corner, we continue that theme in our love of music. No surprises, the kids love music too …

… gong, weird music and crashing of waves. I suppose the show was supposed to be spiritual and anti-establishment fashion. Perhaps appealing to the anti-fashion sect. Not sure I see many men wearing the denim dress that one man was wearing during his tai chi exercise. Let’s get real, fashion is fashion …

… never struck me as good as the others. 
Jessica was in the neighborhood and stopped by.  She grabbed a cab with us to go uptown and Fred and I got off on Christopher street to walk down to the pier.  Our temple, was having a sunset sabbath.  Loved the idea but unfortunately we got …

We went to see Little Jackie last night at the Mercury Lounge.  A small venue on Houston near Allen Street.  A one room box with a stage. 
The first time I heard Little Jackie I immediately liked it.  Someone told me last night that she has been described at Lily Allen meets Lauryn Hill.  Perfect …

Josh’s band, White Label, played the Bitter End this evening.  I guess they can retire now.  The Bitter End has been around for a long time and a lot of rock and roll icons have played the Bitter End.  So, it was quite cool. 
Old friends came, new friends came, and of course family …

I saw the Visitor this weekend which is the second film from director Tom McCarthy.  His first being The Station Agent (another indie film). 
As our country is watching more every day about the unraveling of the Bush administration and their lies, this movie is an interesting film to watch.  The Visitor introduces people from …

How could I resist a book about Carole King, Carly Simon and Joni Mitchell? Not only did I grow up listening to these three rock stars, their music influenced me. I truly grew up on their songs because it was the time of my life when I started to explore my own musical tastes. These …

… lover. Totally creepy film.
Fourth film was 57,000 Kilometers which was so bizarre that I still can’t figure out what the film was about.
The last film was Baghdad High. A total winner. Four boys, a Christian, a Kurd, a Sunni and a Shiite, who document their last year in High School …

I love the name, Passing Strange, which is one of the new musicals to hit Broadway.
Josh and I had a date last night and I got tickets to Passing Strange. Clever production but neither of us could get into it. We left at intermission. Bottom line, musicals don’t work for us. I have …

Round two at Webster Hall this week to see Kate Nash. I went with Emily, her friend and Jessica (who showed up the last 20 minutes which couldn’t have been more perfect timing to see the best part of the show). Some times when you see an artist live it changes your perspective for …

She and Him, she being Zooey Deschanel, him being M. Ward played at Webster Hall last night. They were supposed to perform Monday and Tuesday night at Hero Hall but she was under the weather on Monday night and the performance was cancelled. Somebody was obviously on top of it because both performances grouped together …

I have been an Amazon customer since the beginning. I used to believe that when their computer saw me log in, the lights would go off in their offices. I spent some serious money in the old days, before you got music for pennies. The brilliance of their software is so impressive and still one …

Jens Lekman played at Webster Hall last night. Another great musician from Sweden. What’s the deal with the Swedes. Is it in the water?
Jens reminds me a bit of Jonathan Richman. When he starts doing the “bamp ah, bamp ahs” and everyone in the audience participates, I think of Jonathan singing “da da …

… the world. One guy has a store where he paints surfboards and cranks out music with his kids. Our favorite spot was the local shrimp buses. Shrimp, supposedly local at one point but doubtfully now, is served up in a variety of ways from local buses that have been written all over. We went …

Last night we all went to see the Shout Out Louds at Joe’s Pub. A really great band from Sweden that we have been listening to for the past few years. I really do like the venue for a variety of reasons. We got a great table, the place is small so the experience …

We had quite the evening last night. We started at Kyma which is a Greek restaurant on 46th and 8th. Believe me, nothing to write home about but edible. Delicious food in the theater district is hard to come by. I know a few new places have opened up recently but I am not sure …

We left Melbourne and flew into Cairns, switched to a smaller airport and hopped on a puddle jumper off to Dunk Island. The short flight was beautiful. It took us about 35 minutes. We got our rooms and got into the island mentality. Dunk Island is one of the resorts owned by Voyages who has …

Our friends had four tickets to see Rock ‘n’ Roll and we were the lucky one’s asked to join them. I rarely buy theater tickets outside of the subscriptions we own because between the movies, the music, the arts, the kids etc., I am not sure I could fit anymore in.
The play centers …

Why is it that the more you drink the better the food tastes?
I went out with my sister this evening to her local hangout. Diablo Royale on West 10th Street. I love this place. The atmosphere is warm and inviting with great music and just a good vibe. We sat at the bar, no …

I was a bad Mom. Josh was totally under the weather yesterday. He slept 13 hours the night before. He stayed home from school. Fred and I went for dinner with friends and the kids were supposed to hook up with us about 930/10 to see Ben Lee at the Blender Theater at Gramercy …

We have been listening to Conor Oberst for maybe 9 years. Truly talented. He is the lead singer of Bright Eyes who we saw at Radio City last night. They were great.
Oberst is a total talent. I believe he has been churning out music and lyrics since he was 14. He plays guitar, piano …

Tv’s in the cabs. I hate them. I turn them off the second I get in the cab. First of all, there is plenty to look at outside the window of your cab in NYC. Not only do I now get to hear the music the cab driver is playing in the background while …

I have been diligent about entering my catalogs in to the system of Catalog Choice daily. I realized that we got a lot of catalogs but entering them in hits home. I probably enter in 5 a day. That makes about 25 catalogs a week. So far I have received some that I had already …

I am always compelled to read the latest and greatest. I particularly like young novelists. It isn’t so easy to follow up on the second book although at times it is apparent from the first book that the author has yet to write their big novel because the fundamentals are there in the writing …

Josh’s band played at the LREI coffeehouse on Saturday night. The 4 Fellas have a new addition, a girl. A girl with a serious set of pipes. She is cute, hip and has lots of moxie. It is only a matter of time before she takes over the stage. The boys definitely have the …

I saw the HBO special, Alive Day, with host James Gandolfini the night it aired. Probably a few weeks ago. Honestly, I can’t stop thinking about it.
Our country is at war in Iraq but our country is not at war at home. Alive Day is a documentary. Gandolfini interviews 10 soldiers and marines …

I have always loved seeing a concert in Central Park. The venue of being outdoors and listening to music is something I have done since I was a kid. It is almost magical.
Last night we went to see Voxtrot and Arctic Monkeys. Love both bands.
Although, I can see our concert going experiences changing …

Honestly, I can’t remember the first time I saw Hairspray. I thought the first time I saw it was in 1981 when I was living in Boston. It was a terribly hot day in the middle of August and my friend Audrey and I (Audrey is a total blast from the past who I …

It was fun to go to Maine. A place where I had not been since college days. Josh’s camp is about 40 minutes outside of Portland.
This is his 4th summer at sleep away camp. 3 years at one camp and his first summer at this camp. Co-ed vs. single sex. No sisters …

… delicious. The fig had been brushed with possibly cinnamon that created a whole other flavor next to the warm salad and perfectly cooked scallop with the miso. Yum.
2 large Grilled Maya prawns that were peppered and then served over a vegetable stir fry of bok choy, bean sprouts and sugar snap peas with …

Today marks our 20th wedding anniversary. Truth is, although today is an official mark of time, we have known each other 27 years and been together 26. Over half of my life.
This day certainly gives room to pause and look back. I remember our first meeting. He was a total asshole. I had rented …

There is something about smells that can trigger memories instantaneously. I recall seeing someone that I had not seen in many years and the first thing she said to me is “you still smell the same”. I was wearing the same perfume I had worn for years but it made me laugh.
We were somewhere …

1967 is referred to as The Summer of Love. 40 years have passed and the Whitney has taken the opportunity to celebrate with an exhibit. I just wish they had really taken the opportunity and blown it out. So much potential not executed on.
The exhibit takes places on 2 floors, I wish they had …

When I am alone, I usually listen to more mellow music. When everyone is around, we listen to Arctic Monkeys, Kings of Leon, etc. I admit, I have been bit by the bug. I am now listening to Kings of Leon solo. Glad to know that my musical tastes can still scale to the 20 …

Music has always been a big part of my life. Not only do I continue to be interested in music, there is always music on in the background and something different in heavy rotation each week. Music has always been a connection with people too. Fred and I definitely connected with music. We made tons …

… are they incapable of running an efficient test. If you are asked to be there at 745, open the door and get the kids sitting down and starting at 8am. It is disrespectful to the kids, to their parents and the whole process.
Shame, shame on the SAT’s. I hope that as universities …

I admit it, I am a sucker for previews. You can tell a lot about a movie in a few minutes. Obviously they are edited incredibly well to pull you back to the theater for the whole film but it is a quick glimpse of what is to come.
I saw the preview for Once …

I was sent the new disc just released of Johnette Napolitano.
There are some original songs and the covers a few songs too. Her voice is sultry, song and intense. My guess is she puts on quite a concert. She reminds me a bit of PJ Harvey. Those intense girl songs with lots of bravado …

We are annual members of a few theaters. I like it for a variety of reasons. We like supporting the arts, pushes us to see stuff we might have never seen if we had to buy tickets here and there and opens our eyes to different theater.
For instance, last night we went to see …

Love Dave Matthews. He is beyond talented, tells wonderful stories in concert, continues to put out music solo and with his band and with Tim Reynolds who he played with last night at Radio City. Radio City is one of my favorite venues in the city. Also, this concert was entirely acoustic. The stage looked …

We do love to entertain. Had 2 couples over this past weekend to eat, drink and listen to music. Can’t beat it. I made a duck dish from Vintage that I had made for the family before. Second time is a charm.
Besides a mixed batch of wasabi nuts and some fresh
radishes served …

Saturday we planned on doing the Brooklyn shop. Jessica and Emily got on Jargol, a great site for where to shop in a variety of cities. You can view each city, comments and tags, etc. Then they used Google Maps to point us in the right direction. Damn, what did we do before the Internet …

J
essica and I went to see Spring Awakening last night. An old play remade into a musical. I am not a huge fan of musicals but the tag line on this play is “A New Musical”. Hmm?
The cast can’t be older than 25 except for the two people that play all the …

My sister in law took me to her workout place. I wish they had this in NYC. YAS. A groovy converted garage that has two things, spinning and yoga. The concept is 45 minute classes, simple and you get what you need. The Yoga is called yoga for athletes. They do the same routine, intense …

Downtown Manhattan from 14th street and below has been completely transformed the past 5 years. Construction is everywhere from the World Trade Center to the Highline. Numerous amount of places to live are being built around these areas. New stores, restaurants, etc. open daily. Downtown Manhattan is returning to the turn of the 20th Century …

… beer float so quick that I didn’t really get a taste but I think that speaks for the flavor.
A wonderful addition to the neighborhood. Good vibe. They play good music too. We will be back, for sure.

… stuffed naans. Gobi Ka Naan. Indian pita bread stuffed with cauliflowers, onions and cumin. This alone makes a great lunch for one. We all loved this. More next time.
Lots of spice and lots of taste. I really liked the vibe in the restaurant too. Particularly the large flat panel over the bar playing …

This past Friday night we were invited out to see a production by Cynthia Hopkins at St. Ann’s Warehouse in DUMBO (Brooklyn). I loved that our friends were getting together about 40 people to see something. They are both involved in the arts, mostly theater, and thanks to evite, they said it wasn’t …

When we were in Italy, the kids wondered if we go to such fantastic restaurants when we travel, how come we don’t get to do that in NYC? Huh. Good question. We decided to start going to a nicer than the norm restaurant one Sunday a month. Our first outing was this past Sunday …

I saw the Vertical Hour a few days ago and had to let it sit with me before I could write about the play.
Many plays are thought provoking and they sit with you for a very long time. Other plays are just fun silly stories that make you laugh. Some plays are just dumb …

We are getting ready to take off on vacation and since I love the top ten lists, I am going to start doing them now. For some reason, I thought last year was a much better year for music. Maybe because I took so much in this year I was overwhelmed. But, then I started …

The past week I have read a few “best of” lists. Best books, best music, best movies, best cookbooks. Admittedly I have seen and read a majority of the “bests” and I have found most winners of the lists just have the best publicists. Sad but true.
We were out in Sun Valley, Idaho this …

When I first started working at Macy’s, right out of college, I learned alot about the financial importance of the Christmas Season. There were some hard and fast rules about advertising, decorating, etc. Everything rolled out the day after Thanksgiving. The windows were presented to the public. The store started piping in the Christmas …

Every time I went up Madison Avenue I got to see the progress being made at the Morgan Library. The work was completed a few months ago and one of the first exhibits is retrospective of Bob Dylan during 1956-1966.
Both Emily and Jessica are going with their school so it was essential (being …

… honey. Wow. This was served with a Batar…I believe white but at this point I wasn’t paying much attention.
Seventh Course. Deep fried Ricotta served with an Apple Mostarda. I think they served the Eight Course at the same time which was a milk chocolate panna cotta. I remember that everyone was …

Sundays are not your normal day in Barcelona. Most things are closed. So, it ended up being a strange day. We got up late and had a basic breakfast down the street at a cafe. One one hand, it is inspiring that the culture of closing on Sunday and shutting a lot down between 2 …

MUG , Manhattan Users Guide, is one of the emails that I subscribe to. The topics are anything from politics to art to music to trivia about NYC. Always fun to read. Today the email was about Urban Outfitters. Urban Outfitters is chain of stores that began in Philadelphia many years ago and have grown rapidly …