Jackson Browne Plays At Zuccotti Park

When I heard that Jackson Browne was going to perform at Zuccotti Park at the Occupy Wall Street block in downtown Manhattan, I knew that I had to get down there.

I was a BIG Jackson Browne fan when I was about 15 years old.

I remember going to one of his concerts with a friend in Atlanta. I know it was before I could drive, because her Mom dropped us off, and my parents picked us up. My Mom got inside the venue towards the end of the concert and enjoyed watching a few songs.

My Mom liked his music, too.

She also liked his shiny long hair.

When I arrived at Zuccotti Park, it was empty. It had just been cleaned.

I wandered around for a while, and when I returned, Jackson Browne was in the park, and he was tightly surrounded. He asked for a mic check and then asked everyone to back up 2 feet, to give him a bit of breathing room.

Everyone backed up a bit and he started to play guitar.

I was about 10 people back from him. Because no amplified sound is allowed in the park, I couldn’t hear much.

And for a while, I though the only way that I could see him was through other peoples’ cell phones in the air.

Then the crowd in front of me shifted a bit and I got a few shots.

He played for about 30 minutes.

Then he made his way to the side of the park where he seemed to talk to reporters for a while, then he got into a van and was whisked away.

You can watch a video of a song he performed at the park here, and also see a brief interview.

And, this article tells us that there is “a benefit album planned with Jackson Browne, Third Eye Blind, Crosby & Nash, Devo, Lucinda Williams and even some of those drummers who kept an incessant beat at Manhattan’s Zuccotti Park.

Participants in the protest movement said Wednesday that “Occupy This Album,” which will be available sometime this winter, will also feature DJ Logic, Ladytron, Warren Haynes, Toots and the Maytals, Mike Limbaud, Aeroplane Pageant, Yo La Tengo and others.

Money raised will go through the nonprofit Alliance for Global Justice. The initial plan is that half of the proceeds will go to the New York movement that was based in Zuccotti Park until being kicked out last week, and the other half to offshoots across the world who apply for specific projects.”

Here’s a video from 1978 – Jackson Browne performing Doctor My Eyes and These Days for the BBC.

Wow, that sounds SO good.

Way past time to pull out those records again!

Thank you, Jackson Browne, for the many great songs that you have written and for all the years of some mighty fine entertainment!

“Do not confront me with my failures; I had not forgotten them.”

xoxo,

SAllan

Winter’s Eve At Lincoln Square – The Holiday Season Has Officially Begun!

When I saw this sign a week or so ago, I marked my calendar.

But, when I read that Arlo Guthrie was going to perform, I knew I had to go!

Last night was the 12th Annual Winter’s Eve At Lincoln Square.

All evening long

from Lincoln Center to the Time Warner Building in Manhattan, there was music – from the Newark Boys Chorus

and Arlo Guthrie and his family.

It was great to see Arlo!

After he played a number of songs, including some holiday-themed songs such as Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, the Lincoln Square tree was lit to much fanfare.

WABC’s Sade Baderinwa and Mayor Ed Koch joined Arlo on stage to thank him for being here.

“I’m home!” Arlo said. “I’m from Coney Island.”

After the show was over, I headed down Broadway towards The Time Warner Building at Columbus Circle.

There was a clown from The Big Apple Circus

handing out clown noses to the kids

while the stars glowed overhead.

I also saw ice sculpting demos, street puppets, kids making and wearing elf hats, and food trucks giving out free cookies and hot apple cider.

It was a magical evening!

The Holiday Season has officially begun!

xoxo,

SAllan

 

Yesterday On “Today” – Susan Boyle – I Think…

I have to admit, I’m a fan of Susan Boyle.

Well, maybe not “fan”, exactly – but I have a deep admiration for her.

Okay, I’m a fan.

On April 17, 2009 my pal Joe emailed me a link to view, and he enthused:

“I love this woman!

Listen to this!”

And I watched the video of  Susan Boyle on Britain’s Got Talent for the first time. And sobbed. And cheered.

I cheered for the 47-year old, dowdy Scottish woman, with the bad dress and the stomping feet, opened her mouth and sang like an angel before the eyes of the world.

And, I’ve been a fan ever since.

You should be able to watch it here. I just did, and I cried again. I’m SUCH a softy!

I’ve rooted for her to be able to overcome the unimaginable burden of her universe turning upside-down overnight. To overcome the strain of overnight celebrity. She had some ups and downs, but now that her third CD is about to be released, it seems like she’s showing the world how she has learned how to handle these challenges with grace.

Of course, she still sings like an angel.

She was on The Today Show yesterday. I hoped that she would be performing outdoors, so I went over early in the morn to try to get a photo for Hubby’s Mom.

She’s a fan, too.

It was a chilly morning, and perhaps for that reason (?), there was no stage set up out on the plaza. I could peer in the ground-floor window of Studio 1A, through a yellowish film (dang!) and there was Ms. Boyle. I took a few pictures (thank you, long lens!) – but that yellowish film on the studio windows (and the crowd inside the studio) kept me from getting a great shot (dang!).

She sang Joni Mitchell’s lovely song “Both Sides, Now”.

I’ve looked at life from both sides now
From win and lose and still somehow
It’s life’s illusions I recall
I really don’t know life at all

A little while later, the Today gang came out on the plaza, and despite the pushing crowd, I managed to get a snapshot or two, again thanks to my long lens:

But a couple of pictures that I took through the window after the gang went back into the studio are my favorites.

Ann Curry (is she giving me the Evil Eye??):

and Al Roker:

Call me goofy – I had fun! It’s interesting to me to see the studio (Small! Four or five sets in one small space), and I talked to Lenny.

BUT – this is VERY intriguing to me –  my camera timed the photos that I shot of  the songstress at 8:56 – 9:00. But, I Tivoed the show, and when watching it back, the time stamp on the scroll says 8:36 – 8:40 while she’s singing.

How could she have aired 20 minutes BEFORE I saw her live?

Hubby will attest that I am a stickler for correct time. My camera is MAYBE 30 seconds off.

Okay – after some investigative research with the recording of Today’s show, I have come to the conclusion that they aired a rehearsal song, and NOT what I saw live!!

I want my money back!

(Just joking about that; you can go peer into the windows of the Today studio for FREE.)

However, I am certain of my conclusion.

There was a interview that I watched being conducted BEFORE Susan sang – but on the Tivoed recording, that segment aired AFTER Susan’s performance.

And, when I saw Susan sing live, I didn’t think that I recognized the song. But, the speakers outside are rather poor, and I was so busy trying to take pictures, I wasn’t really focused on the song itself.

When I watched the show back at home, I told myself that I was just a little confused.

But – when I noticed the time difference – it all clicked.

We’ve been duped! Even by “live” TV.

I wonder if I’ll get a Pulitzer for this investigative reporting?

Well, I DID see Susan Boyle – I think… the pictures prove it.

Right?!?!

xoxo,

SAllan

P.S. (posted later) Please read the comments – a couple of intrepid fans have posted the answer to the mystery!

P.S.S. If you want to view The Today Show while you’re in NYC, follow these directions – it’s easy and FREE!

“The Today Show’s studio is on ground-floor level at the corner of 49th and Rockefeller Center overlooking Rockefeller plaza. Just outside the studio each weekday many eager tourists wave signs and hope to get on television and show the world and their friends they have made it to NYC.

If you want to join them, you’ll need to get there early! People have been known to line up as early as 5:00am. Just head up to Rockefeller Plaza between 49th and 50th Streets (between 6th & 5th Streets) and park yourself outside the studio.”

The Dachshund – A Mighty Little Dog!

My family always had dachshunds.

Here are a couple of pictures of my Grandmother TG with her precious baby Rusty:

And when I was young, we had a dachshund named Butch, until he bit one of my best friends and my parents gave him away to a fireman who owned a farm in the country.

I always wondered what REALLY happened to Butch… is the story about the fireman true, or family lore to protect the feelings of little girls?

Anyway, the other day I was walking across East 55th Street, and I passed this shop window:

I walked past, and then stopped and backtracked to it again.

Those are purses with dachshunds on them – cool!

There’s a purse with one dachshund

There’s a purse with two dachshunds

There’s even a purse with three dachshunds!

How cute are these bags?!

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time to go inside and price the bags; I did look at their website later, but the bags were not mentioned.

Boy are they cute!

Since we’re talking about these personable little hot dogs, here’s some dachshund trivia for you:

Author E. B. White wrote about his dachshund, Fred:

“Being the owner of dachshunds, to me a book on dog discipline becomes a volume of inspired humor. Every sentence is a riot. Some day, if I ever get a chance, I shall write a book, or warning, on the character and temperament of the dachshund and why he can’t be trained and shouldn’t be. I would rather train a striped zebra to balance an Indian club than induce a dachshund to heed my slightest command. When I address Fred I never have to raise either my voice or my hopes. He even disobeys me when I instruct him in something he wants to do.”

Other well-known humans and their dachshunds, according to Wikipedia:

John F. Kennedy – Dunker

William Randolf Hearst – Helena

Pablo Picasso – Lump

Jack Ruby – Sheba

Andy Warhol – Archie and Amos

xoxo,

SAllan

Soul Kitchen – Red Bank NJ

We’re stepping out of New York City for the day – heading to Red Bank, New Jersey.

Well, not literally, but figuratively.

Have you heard about the restaurant there that musician Jon Bon Jovi and his wife opened?

It’s called Soul Kitchen – and by all reports it is pretty special.

From a CBS news story:

“Jon Bon Jovi is trying to get rid of the negative stigma of getting a charitable free meal with his experimental new restaurant, The Soul Kitchen.

 The rocker makes it clear that his wife and his new establishment is not a soup kitchen, but a place for people who need a meal to volunteer in lieu of payment. Customers who can afford to donate a few dollars can leave a donation for their meal.

The Red Bank, N.J.-based restaurant served crusted catfish with red beans and rice, grilled chicken breast with homemade basil mayo and rice pilaf, and grilled salmon with soul seasonings, sweet potato mash and sauteed greens during the Oct. 19 opening. “This is not a soup kitchen,” he said. “You can come here with the dignity of linens and silver, and you’re served a healthy, nutritious meal. This is not burgers and fries.”

For those who can’t afford to pay for a meal, The Soul Kitchen asks that you volunteer at the restaurant washing dishes, busing tables or working in the kitchen.

Envelopes are placed on the table for those who can afford to pay. Patrons are encouraged to leave what they can afford and feel is appropriate for the meal.”

The restaurant is open Thursday, Friday & Saturday
from 5:00pm – 7:00pm
Sundays from 12:00pm – 3:00pm

Reservations should be made in advance by calling 732-842-0900.

The location is:

207 Monmouth Street
Red Bank, NJ

 New Jersey Transit trains travel from New York City’s Penn Station to New Jersey’s Red Bank station – takes maybe 1-1/2 hours each way (anybody? Is this correct?).

Sounds like a fun outing – great food, great cause, a new (for me) town to explore.

Plus, the restaurant has cute tee shirts for sale (and other merchandise as well, through the JBJ Soul Foundation).

From the restaurant’s website, here’s what they say about their volunteer opportunities:

“Our volunteer opportunities fall into two categories: 1) those that need to volunteer in order to provide a meal for themselves and/or their families; and 2) those that volunteer to help staff the kitchen to assist in providing the meals to those in need. So, if you are local or have the ability to visit the Kitchen, the best way you can help would be to patronize the kitchen as a paying customer or to spread the word of our community kitchen to your neighbors. By doing so you support the financial balance of this model, where our greatest need is for a large percentage of paying customers whose payment offsets the costs of the client population who need to volunteer in order to provide their family with a healthy, nutritious meal. By dining at Soul Kitchen, you are also providing fellowship and aiding us in bringing communities together. We understand that there are many who, in addition to paying, also want to provide some service and we encourage all to get involved in their communities. Please continue to visit our website for updates and information on specific volunteer opportunities or events.”

Kudos to Mr. & Mrs. Bongiovi!

xoxo,

SAllan

The Edgar Allan Poe Cottage In The Bronx – Well Worth A Visit!

Open House New York was this past weekend, and a glorious weekend it was!

Many homes, businesses, facilities, normally closed-to-public places threw open their doors over the 2-day period. It happens once a year, and already I can’t wait until next year.

One of the places that I visited was the Edgar Allan Poe cottage, in the Bronx.

Edgar Allan Poe

lived here, with his young wife (and cousin) Virginia

and his mother-in-law (and aunt) Maria Clemm. Virginia suffered from tuberculosis, and the family hoped that living in the country air would help her.

This is what the area looked like, then:

This is what the area looks like now:

The Poe family lived in a little cottage there where the tall brown building now stands (in the very center of the picture), from 1844 – 1849.

The cottage, which was built in 1812, was later moved across the street into a small park, where it is now on the National Register of Historic Places, and is a small museum.

The park is named, aptly enough, Poe Park.

The cottage is currently being renovated, but was open these 2 days just for OHNY.

Poe paid $100.00/year rent for this cottage. He wrote some of his most famous works here, including “Annabel Lee,” “Eureka” and “The Bells.”

He loved the small home.

The kitchen:

The parlor (the rocking chair is Poe’s original chair – all other furniture is of the period but not from the family):

The bedroom:

The bedroom is still being renovated – here’s a picture from the house’s website:

The bed is the original Poe bed. It will soon be back in the Poe cottage bedroom.

According to Wikipedia:

“Virginia and Poe were by all accounts a happy and devoted couple. Poe’s one-time employer  George Rex Graham wrote of their relationship: “His love for his wife was a sort of rapturous worship of the spirit of beauty.” Poe once wrote to a friend, “I see no one among the living as beautiful as my little wife.” She, in turn, by many contemporary accounts, nearly idolized her husband. She often sat close to him while he wrote, kept his pens in order, and folded and addressed his manuscripts.”

Sadly, Virginia died in that bed at the age of 24, on January 30, 1947.

After she died, Edgar Allan Poe became increasingly unstable.

He died a broken man, not quite 2 years later.

Again, from Wikipedia:

“On October 3, 1849, Poe was found on the streets of Baltimore delirious, “in great distress, and… in need of immediate assistance”, according to the man who found him, Joseph W. Walker. He was taken to the Washington College Hospital, where he died on Sunday, October 7, 1849, at 5:00 in the morning. Poe was never coherent long enough to explain how he came to be in his dire condition, and, oddly, was wearing clothes that were not his own.

All medical records, including his death certificate, have been lost. Newspapers at the time reported Poe’s death as “congestion of the brain” or “cerebral inflammation”, common euphemisms for deaths from disreputable causes such as alcoholism. The actual cause of death remains a mystery.”

Despite the somber ending to this story, the Poe cottage is well-worth a visit. Be sure to check their website for the details on when it will reopen.

It’s located at 2640 Grand Concourse, 718-881-8900 (I took the 4 subway to Kingsbridge Road, then it’s a 3-4 block walk.)

Here are two paintings of the cottage which hang on its walls.

Dark:

and happy:

Rather like Edgar Allan Poe’s own life…

xoxo,

SAllan

Steve Jobs – One Less Genius In Our World Today

A month or two ago I wrote about my love of all things Apple.

So, although it wasn’t exactly a shock, I am very very sad this morning to hear the news that Steve Jobs died yesterday.

The morning news shows are  airing tributes and reading quotes from Mr. Job’s 2005 Stanford commencement address.

I just read the speech, and it moved me very much. I also really appreciate some of the photos I’ve seen this morning.

Like this one, of partners Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs, who together developed their first computer in Jobs’ parents garage.

And this one, of Jobs with an early Mac.

He will be on the cover of this week’s Time Magazine.

Undoubtably the Genius Of Our Times.

The Apple website says this:

The commencement address that Steve Jobs gave to the graduating class of 2005 at Stanford is well worth reading – again, this link will take you to the text of the entire speech.

Here are a few quotes that inspire me:

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”

“Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.”

“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

The Apple site says: if you would like to share your thoughts, memories, and condolences, please email: rememberingsteve@apple.com

Long live the King.

xoxo,

SAllan

Dylan’s Candy Bar – The Largest Candy Store In The Galaxy!

Recently I found myself at 59th Street and Lexington Avenue, here in New York City.

And what delightful vision appeared before me?

Dylan’s Candy Bar, of course!

I’ve certainly visited before… one of my nephews is named Dylan, and when he was small I loved getting him little tins of candy with his name all over them.

Dylan’s Candy Bar is considered the largest candy store in the world – it has 3 floors of candy, candy candy!

BUT, I’ve never visited before in October – the month of my favorite holiday – Halloween!!

The store is currently chock full of spooky, Halloween-themed candy.

Like candy corn lollypops

and mummy head cookies

and chocolate pumpkin heads

BUT, even better than all this (can you get better??) are the REALLY spooky…

candy FINGERS

GUMMY EYES

and spooky spider WEBS

What a Halloween party you could throw with these goodies!!

BUT – almost EVEN better than all that – are the unusual items they carry – like…

Pet candy

Astronaut candy

International candy

OH MY GOSH!

They have a chocolate dipping station

where you can chose between a goodies like a pretzel, a strawberry, a marshmallow – then you put it on a stick and dip it into the waterfall of chocolate!

Can anything get better than THAT??

Well, maybe…

just maybe…

The Retro Candy Wall!!!

The vintage TV plays vintage candy commercials

And, who remembers Candy Cigarettes?!

No kidding, this place is beyond cool.

Er, it ought to be! Dylan’s Candy Bar is the brainchild of Dylan Lauren, Ralph Lauren’s daughter. According to Wikipedia: “it was inspired by seeing “Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory ” on her sixth birthday. She describes it as the most “memorable birthday party I ever had. I must have been in kindergarten, and I had all my friends over. Somehow my parents got a print, set up a movie screen in our house, and did a little show there. It was like going to Disneyland.”

From Wikipedia, here is a photograph of Dylan Lauren:

And, inside Dylan’s Candy Bar, you can see her likeness – in jelly beans, of course!

It IS a Willy Wonka-like magical place! The kids adore this store. And the kid in you will adore it, too.

If you’re in NYC, be sure to pop in and give it a visit. You can also order some of that cool Halloween stuff from their website, including Gummy Teeth, Zombie Blood and Brain Freeze Floating Brain Ice Molds.

Gummy Teeth, Zombie Blood and Brain Freeze Floating Brain Ice Molds??

I didn’t see those when I was in the store…

I’m gonna have to go back!

xoxo,

SAllan

Naked Cow Folk In Times Square

Lots of people ask me about The Naked Cowboy and The Naked Cowgirl.

The Naked Cowboy is aka Robert Burck. You can learn more about him here at Wikipedia; in short, it says:

“… is an American street performer whose pitch is on New York City’s Time Square. He wears only cowboy boots, a hat, and briefs, with a guitar strategically placed to give the illusion of nudity.”

There are a number of women who call themselves The Naked Cowgirl.

Here’s a photo I took a few years ago of one, aka Sandy Kane:

Here’s her closeup:

and her other side:

I love the expressions of the onlookers!

There was an article in People Magazine 6-22-2010, from which I found this photo:

and this story about the ongoing “Times Square Showdown” between The Naked Cowboy and the various Naked Cowgirls. The story reports that Ms. Kane is “a veteran of New York’s comedy circuit who generated some heat after closing her act by setting her breasts on fire.”

Yikes!

Here is a different Naked Cowboy (aka Cindy Fox) that I have encountered:

and her closeup:

And, then there’s another woman who calls herself The Naked Cowgirl – Louisa Holmlund.

I don’t believe that I have encountered her; Here’s a screen grab from her website:

Lastly, there was a time a few years ago, when there was a Naked CowM&M on a Times Square animated billboard:

The Naked Cowboy didn’t want it thought that he endorses M&M’S candy.

Here’s what the Wikipedia site has to say about this:

“Mars Incorporated created a short animation of the Blue M&M’s character playing a guitar while dressed in a white cowboy hat, cowboy boots and underpants on the electronic animation display that hangs outside the M&M’S store at Times Square. Burck, who owns registered trademarks to the Naked Cowboy name and likeness, filed a Trademark infringement lawsuit against Mars Incorporated on February 15, 2008…. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.”

(If any of you Naked People see this and don’t want to be featured here on my little old blog, please let me know and I will happily remove the content. Please don’t sue me!)

And, that’s about all I can tell you about The Naked Cow Folk in Times Square.

If anyone can share their encounters in the comments section, we’d love to hear them!

xoxo,

SAllan

The Big Lebowski Festival (has been) And The Jazz Age Party (coming up)

I’m a little chagrined that I just heard about this event, 2 days after it occurred.

From the website:

“Lebowski Fest is a celebration of all things related to the 1998 Coen brothers cult comedy, “The Big Lebowski.” Fans of the film (aka “Achievers”) come from far and wide to drink white Russians, throw some rocks and party with an array of Dudes, Walters and Maudes (not to mention a nihilist or two). It’s a two-day party that typically opens with live performances and screening of the film the first night and concludes with a raucous bowling party the following night.”

Did you go? I’d love to hear any reports about it!

If you’re in Los Angeles, there’s a Lebowski Festival taking place there on September 23-24.

I’ve made reference to “The Big Lebowski” before. If you haven’t been to the NYC store The Little Lebowski Shop, you REALLY must check it out.

Now, on to something I must give you a heads-up about:

This weekend (August 20-21), on New York City’s Governor’s Island, The Jazz-Age Lawn Party.

Not to be missed!

They held a jazz-age party earlier this summer, which I attended and LOVED. Here’s my report about it. The costumes are fantastic, the music is fantastic, the FREE ferry ride to the island is fantastic. You can take a picnic, or purchase food there.

If the weather is decent, I say “Get Ye To Governor’s Island This Weekend!”

If you purchase tickets in advance here, it’s just $7.00 per person. On the island on Saturday or Sunday, tickets are $10.00 per person. (Kids under 12 are admitted for free.)

A bargain!

xoxo,

SAllan

 

American Folk Art Museum – Free In NYC!

American Folk Art.

I love it. It can be almost anything – that’s what’s so beautiful about it.

I have this signed print by Howard Finster:

I got it in 1995 when Mr. Finster himself was at a showing in his hometown of Summerville, Georgia.

Here he is signing at his table:

Wouldn’t it be nice if his art became as valuable as Grandma Moses??

I recently read that “A 1942 piece by Grandma Moses, “The Old Checkered House, 1862” was appraised at the Memphis 2004 Antiques Roadshow. The painting was a summer scene, not as common as her winter landscapes. Originally purchased in the 1940s for under $10, the piece was assigned an insurance value of $60,000.00”

You gotta love American Folk Art!

Recently I paid a visit to The American Folk Art Museum here in NYC, at Columbus & 66th Street.

It’s just about right across the street from Lincoln Center.

It’s a FREE museum, and well worth a visit. Their gift shop alone is like a museum!

I absolutely LOVED this papier-mâché piece:

and this all-too-true wooden sign:

At the time of my visit, the museum’s display was Quilts.

They were amazing!

The colors, and the tiny detail. I can barely sew on a button!

I really love the colors in this one:

Orange is such a happy color!

They also had a series of quilts which are a 9-11 tribute.

Here’s some detail of one section:

Just amazing. Left me speechless…

If you visit, and then want a recommendation of a nearby restaurant, I LOVE Rosa Mexicano, which is at Columbus & 62nd Street.

It’s a *slightly* more upscale Mexican eatery (in other words, NOT Tex-Mex) – on a nice day, sit outside and share the large guacamole, made table side, served in a molcajete and enough for 2-3.

YUM!

A perfect outing.

xoxo,

SAllan

Review Of Movie Night On The Intrepid: William Shatner’s “The Captains”

First of all, it was a lovely evening for an outdoor screening.

When I arrived at 6:30, there was already a bit of a line.

They started letting folks on board at 7:30, but the wait was pleasant, as the sun was setting and the breeze off the Hudson River was cool.

The golden sunset glow on The Intrepid was lovely.

Once on the flight deck,

I set up my little stool and picnic basket, and waited with the Trekkies for the show to begin.

There were an estimated 1500 of us there, but the flight deck on The Intrepid is so huge, I didn’t feel like it was overly crowded.

We watched previews

and the Shatner Palooza kicked off

when Mr. Shatner himself appeared above us in a spotlight to introduce the movie.

The crowd went wild!

And the movie began.

I enjoyed it – I can’t say that I am the world’s biggest Star Trek fan, but the crowd around me also seemed very appreciative.

I was most appreciative when Scott Bakula was on screen.

The entire experience was great! The crowd, the (few) costumes, The Intrepid, the movie, the weather – I would do it again in a heartbeat!

The city behind as the backdrop when we were leaving was spectacular!

Thank you, Captain Kirk! And, all of The Captains.

Next Friday night, 8/5, The Intrepid is screening “ET” for free.

Color me there!

xoxo,

SAllan

 

 

Tonight! William Shatner! The Intrepid! Free Screening Of “The Captains”!

NEW YORK EVENT

FREE Outdoor Screening of The Captains, an EPIX Pictures presentation produced and directed by William Shatner with a in-person appearance and introduction by the legend himself.

WHEN:

Saturday, July 30th, 2011
Doors open at 7:30PM
Festivities start at sundown

WHERE:

Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
One Intrepid Square
12th Ave and 46th Street
New York, NY 10036

SPECIAL CALL TO ACTION:

Grab you phaser (set to stun of course), strap on your best Klingon armor and get down to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum on Saturday evening. Everyone in attendance wearing Star Trek gear has a chance to win:
* A commemorative The Captains movie poster to the first 1,000 guests arriving in costume
* Limited edition The Captains t-shirts for top costume efforts
* The chance to meet and get a photo taken with William Shatner for the night’s best dressed

ENTRY:

Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis. Seating is limited.
Screening is an outdoor event and as such is subject to adverse weather conditions. Alcohol is prohibited from being carried into the museum.

Be There!!

xoxo,

SAllan

A Sporty Tuesday in Bryant Park and Times Square (Kevin Love, Anyone?)

A while ago, I had seen this sign in Bryant Park and was very intrigued:

“Meet The Birds” on Tuesdays in the park.

Okay, I want to do that!

So, on a recent Tuesday, I set out to Meet The Birds in Bryant Park.

But, when I got there, I saw this:

“We’re sorry, this Event is Canceled” read the sign.

“What?” I said to myself. “This is for the birds!” (ha – bird humor. Plus – another post for another day; I just learned that “canceled” can properly be spelled with either 1 “L” or 2. Who knew?)

So, no birds to be met, but lots of other activities were going on.

In the park, there is a “Reading Room” – where the library puts out shelves of books and newspapers – free for people to sit and enjoy during their stay in the park.

While I wandered, I saw a Book Club Reading-In-The-Round.

There were ping pong tables set up, where anyone could play

and also a couple of courts of people playing Pétanque.

Who knew that Bryant Park is such a bustling place?!

Not to mention the Carousel, the Accordion Player, the Snack Shops and Restaurants, the Fountain, the Lawn, etc.

After having my fill at the park, I headed back west towards home – passing through Times Square.

What do I see?

Tons of sand, nets, cheerleaders… this must be…

Beach Volleyball in Times Square!

Staring none other that the NBA’s Kevin Love, who is playing Beach Volleyball now during the NBA lockout.

At the time, I didn’t know that Kevin Love’s uncle is Mike Love, of The Beach Boys. Mike is Kevin’s father’s brother. So, what does that make Brian Wilson to Kevin? Brian is Kevin’s father’s cousin.

Does that make Kevin and Brian 2nd cousins?

Can we go back to how many “Ls” there are in “canceled”?

And so ends today’s class, children.

xoxo,

SAllan

William Shatner’s “The Captains” – Debut Screening One Week From Tonight On The Intepid

One week from tonight, there will be a free screening of the movie “The Captains” on The Intrepid.

Hosted live by William Shatner himself!

Here’s what you need to know about the film:

“The Captains – an Epix Original Documentary produced and directed by William Shatner. In The Captains, he travels the world to connect with each of the actors who have played Captains over the long life of the Star Trek franchise. Shatner recalls his own experiences in the role that made him a star by interviewing Patrick Stewart, Kate Mulgrew, Scott Bakula, Avery Brooks and Chris Pine while interweaving clips from their respective shows and movies.”

You’ll sit yourself down on the flight deck of The Intrepid, cozy in, and watch the movie.

The Intrepid (located at 12th Avenue & 46th Street in Manhattan) hosts movie nights throughout the summer. You can check out the info here.

Here’s a photo from their website showing a past event:

But, this is a special screening – a New York City debut.

This website tells us all the details. Like:

NEW YORK EVENT

FREE Outdoor Screening of The Captains, an EPIX Pictures presentation produced and directed by William Shatner with a in-person appearance and introduction by the legend himself.

WHEN:

Saturday, July 30th, 2011
Doors open at 7:30PM
Festivities start at sundown

WHERE:

Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
One Intrepid Square
12th Ave and 46th Street
New York, NY 10036

SPECIAL CALL TO ACTION:

Grab you phaser (set to stun of course), strap on your best Klingon armor and get down to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum on Saturday evening. Everyone in attendance wearing Star Trek gear has a chance to win:
* A commemorative The Captains movie poster to the first 1,000 guests arriving in costume
* Limited edition The Captains t-shirts for top costume efforts
* The chance to meet and get a photo taken with William Shatner for the night’s best dressed

ENTRY:

Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis. Seating is limited.
Screening is an outdoor event and as such is subject to adverse weather conditions. Alcohol is prohibited from being carried into the museum.

Of course, prepare for the heat. Even at sundown, it will likely be mighty HOT.

This was our local gas station temperature reading yesterday at about 2:00 pm:

DISCLAIMER: Their thermometer sits directly in the sun, so its reading is slightly higher than the actual temperature. It was ONLY 104 degrees here in NYC yesterday.

Next Saturday evening (7/30), on the flight deck of The Intrepid, it may be be HOT.

Speaking of HOT, I wonder if Scott Bakula will be in attendance?   : )    : )    : )

Get your costume ready! I will remind you again next week, but I wanted to give all you Trekkies a heads-up!

xoxo,

SAllan
 

Harry Potter NYC Premiere – I Was There, With A Few Other People…

Yes, I was there. I joined a few Potter Pals and we hung out for a bit…

Saw a star or two.

Screamed our heads off!

Let me start at the beginning.

Here’s the Lincoln Center fountain at about 11:00 am on Monday morning.

Wait, what it that behind the fountain? A little taste of things to come?

A little while later, the red carpet starts to get rolled out. Hm, looks like something rather important is going to be taking place…

A crown has gathered across the street from the plaza.

A crowd with signs.

A LARGE crowd with signs.

The crowd was happy, excited! And the signs were heartfelt

and very funny.

“I’m In Love With A Werewolf”? Wrong movie…

I camped out behind these girls, who had been there since about 8:00 that morning.

A girl with her Golden Snitch

and the ever-present Harry Potter book

A baby bird flew down and landed on this boy’s shoulder. A very good sign! It thought it was an owl!

Here are some Hogwarts students:

As time passed, the stage across the street was all glitz and glamour. They displayed some AWESOME posters.

4:30 pm. The stage was set. It was almost time for The Big Event.

Everyone is excited! Pushing forward. Cameras at the ready. Who is that?? SHRIEK! !

DISCLAIMER: I was far, far away from the stage. In order to show the celebrities, I am cropping way in on my photos. Don’t judge. Don’t throw tomatoes. Don’t hate.

It’s the best I got.

OK.

Sarah Jessica Parker walked the red carpet.

I felt really old when I heard someone behind me say “She’s from Sex And The City, right?”

My Hero! Snape – er, Alan Rickman was there. SNAPE SNAPE SNAPE!

Ron (Rupert Grint) as cute as could be:

Hermione (Emma Watson) – as lovely as she could possibly be. She has indeed blossomed into a star.

and… HARRY! Daniel Radcliffe has finally entered the building! I mean, the Red Carpet outside of the building!!

At this point, my poor feet couldn’t take it any longer. I had been standing in one spot for over 7 hours. As I pushed my way to the back and hobbled out of the crowd I heard more cheers. The stars were probably posing together – I saw this picture this morning, thanks to Stephen Lovekin and Getty Images:

But I was happy to get on the next bus heading downtown. Why was I in pain? Some people had been camping out there for 6 days!

We were all happy campers. We had witnessed movie history.

The Final Harry Potter Premiere.

I had tears in my eyes.

Were you there? Were you at the London Premiere?

Are you going to see the movie on Friday?

Tell us about your experience/expectations in the Comments Section.

Thank you Harry Potter. Thank you J.K. Rowling.

Long May You Live.

xoxo,

SAllan

Harry Potter NYC Premiere – Monday 7/11/2011

The Deathly Hallows Part 2 opens here in New York City on Friday 7/15, and the movie’s premiere is here Monday night.

I feel like these guys are my friends. I want to go cheer them on.

How we’ve all grown. From the fabulous books, through the enticing movies…

The first film in 2001:

And now, the final (sob) film in 2011:

Call me crazy, but I want to join the screaming throngs of fans and celebrity-watchers on Monday afternoon.

Will Snape be there?

Yes! I’ve read that Alan Rickman is scheduled to attend!

If I manage to make it anywhere near the red carpet to get any photos, you will be the first to know.

Wish me luck!

xoxo,

SAllan

Chocolate, Jacques Torres, Molinillos, Tyler Florence And Me

I recently found myself at the Jacques Torres chocolate store on Hudson Street, in New York City.

I didn’t even buy a thing (it’s true, Hubby – not ONE thing!) but I had so much fun just wandering through the store – looking at all of the luscious chocolate goodies, the chocolate-making stations, and the hot chocolate bar.

From their website, I took screen grabs of these images to tempt you, dear reader. Is your mouth watering yet?

and

and

I REALLY want one of those chilled chocolate drinks right this very minute!

What especially intrigued me on that day, was this Mexican display on one of the walls:

This display consisted of over a dozen molinillos.

I own one, but didn’t know what it was called until now.

According to our friends at Wikipedia:

A Molinillo is a traditional Mexican turned wood whisk. Its use is principally for the preparation of hot beverages such as hot chocolate, atole and champurrado. The molinillo is held between the palms and rotated by rubbing the palms together, this rotation creates the froth in the drink.

Here’s a snapshot of mine:

You can see the rings that create the froth here:

If it weren’t about 90 degrees outside, I’d make up a big mug of Mexican hot chocolate right now.

But, instead, maybe – I’ll just head back down to the Jacques Torres little shop on Hudson for that chilled chocolate drink…

In case you want to try the hot chocolate – come a cooler season – here is a great recipe from my friend Tyler Florence:

 

Mexican Hot Chocolate

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

Serves: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 3 ounces (tablet or cone)  Mexican Chocolate or bittersweet chocolate
• 3 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• Pinch salt
• Miniature marshmallows, for serving
• 6 cinnamon sticks (preferably Mexican canela), for serving

Directions

Using a sharp knife, break up the chocolate into smaller pieces. In a saucepan, combine the chopped chocolate, milk, sugar, and salt over medium-low flame. Heat and stir until the chocolate is completely melted and milk is very hot, but not boiling, about 10 minutes.

Remove from the heat and froth the chocolate milk with a mini whisk or molinillo. Divide the hot chocolate among big mugs, top each with a few marshmallows, and serve with the cinnamon sticks as stirrers.

 

Did I mention that this recipe is from my good friend, Tyler Florence? Here we are together after he whipped up a nice garden salad for us to enjoy together:

Sorry, not really… it was taken during a photo shoot that I worked on with him – HA – gottcha!

Grab your molinillo, enjoy the hot chocolate recipe, and be sure to visit a Jacques Torres store when you’re in the neighborhood. There are a number of them around town:

xoxo,

SAllan

Gay Pride, Andrew Cuomo, Sandra Lee And Cupcakes

Yesterday’s Gay Pride Parade here in New York City was quite the PAR-TAY.

There was much dancing in the street.

I totally loved this guy in his white wedding dress

and I cheered at this sign:

This fellow was swinging on the street sign, where it all began in the summer of ’69

Flags and beads were everywhere

as were references to marriages

Parade members were carrying signs saying “I Do” and “Thank You Governor Cuomo”

I didn’t see the whole parade – it went on for over 6 hours! I wish I had seen Governor Cuomo go by; I read in The New York Times that:

“Mr. Cuomo marched with several local politicians, including Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and the New York City Council speaker, Christine C. Quinn, who is gay. But there was little question that the governor was the parade’s rock star, eliciting shrieks as he made his way down Fifth Avenue.

The roar became almost deafening as the parade turned onto Christopher Street in the West Village.”

WOW – I can just imagine.

The Times goes on to report:

“It was Mr. Cuomo who basked in the crowd’s attention, beaming and pointing at individuals along the route.

“I’ve been to the parade many times, and there’s always a lot of energy and it’s always been a ball, but this was special,” the governor said as he stepped out of the parade on Christopher Street. “I think you’re going to see this message resonate all across the country now. If New York can do it, it’s O.K. for every other place to do it.”

“In a rare public appearance with the governor, Mr. Cuomo’s girlfriend, Sandra Lee, a celebrity chef who has a gay brother, marched by his side. Ms. Lee figured into Mr. Cuomo’s deliberations over same-sex marriage, according to those who know the couple: she repeatedly reminded him that she wanted the law changed.”

YOU GO SANDRA LEE!

For those who do not know, Sandra Lee is a celebrity on The Food Network. Honestly, I’m not a huge fan of her show. But, I am a fan of the woman. She was the oldest of a gaggle of children, and after her folks divorced, she helped raise the younger kids, while the family was on welfare.

And, according to the paper, she may have been the driving force behind the Governor and the signing of the Same-Sex Marriage bill.

Last year, when I was working at a large agency, we had a Cupcake Contest, and they brought Ms. Lee in as the Final Judge.

Here were the Cupcake Finalists:

And here is the panel of judges, Ms. Lee in the center:

I became a fan of the woman on that day. She was very warm and personable – not at all overly-sweet and bubbly.

Turns out our Cupcake Contest was one of many that she was sponsoring, for Share Our Strength – an organization dedicated to ending childhood hunger in America.

She may be Ms. Lee today, but I have a feeling that sometime down the road, she may be First Lady. What do you think?

BTW, my favorite cupcake in the bunch – the piggy – was not the winning cupcake. I think the winner was the chocolate cupcake.

But the piggy cake will always be the winner in my heart.

Thank you, Governor Cuomo and Sandra Lee.

xoxo,

SAllan

The Empire State Building Shouts Out Rainbow For Same-Sex Marriage

New York State is now the 6th state to legalize same-sex marriage. We join Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont, (and the District of Columbia).

YAY!

It happened last night, as Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the historic bill at 11:55 p.m.

The Empire State Building was decked out in all Rainbow colors, to celebrate.

I got that photo from this website, which goes on to explain how the ESB was able to “Go Rainbow” so quickly:

“Less than an hour after the New York legislature passed a marriage equality bill during a late session on Friday, Twitter started filling up with messages about how the Empire State Building had “gone rainbow”.

“How was the staff at one of the most iconic buildings in all of New York able to so quickly light up the exterior with the colors of the Gay Pride flag?”

“They were ready to flick the switch because the lights had been installed more than six months ago. The building was then seen sporting that fabulous purple and red glow. The rock band  Further ( founded in 2009 by  members of the Grateful Dead) played at the Madison Square Garden in November of last year. The Empire State Building was at that time made to shine like a rainbow at night in honor of Jerry Garcia.”

So, the Rainbow lights were just waiting.

Thank you, Governor Cuomo.

Thank you, Senators.

Thank you, Jerry Garcia.

You’ve done The Right Thing.

Well, I didn’t look up to see The Empire State Building last night, dang it.

Hubby and I had gone to City Winery, where we enjoyed seeing the fantastic Los Straitjackets

and the masterful Dave Alvin.

City Winery is a very nice restaurant/club where they serve wine on tap (Yay for wine drinkers!) – you can even participate in making  your own barrel of wine there!

They store their barrels downstairs beneath the dining/stage area.

All very cool.

Of course, they have beer and a mixed bar, as well – but I have to give a special shout-out for the wine on tap.

We wine drinkers are often discriminated against.

Which, in a very round-about way, brings us back to Same-Sex marriage being legalized in New York State last night, while we were enjoying the music.

YAY. Hip Hip Hooray.

xoxo,

SAllan

P.S. Who ARE those masked men, anyway??

Bieber Fever At Macy’s NYC

I’ve been meaning to write about Macy’s Department Store in New York City.

It is called the World’s Largest Store.

One of the things that I like most about the store is its old, wooden escalators.

Today, when I went, I discovered that it was Justin Bieber Day at Macy’s. It was the launch day of his new fragrance Someday.

The perfume department was quite crowded.

I understood that Justin was coming in a couple of hours to meet the fans and help sell some perfume. I was impressed to learn that 100% of the proceeds are being donated to charities.

The girls were VERY intense about seeing their hero, and buying his new fragrance.

They were shelling out their money as quickly as they could.

Here is The Future Mrs. Bieber:

 Or, at least, one of them.  🙂

The crowd inside rapidly grew

and there was a tremendous crowd outside on Broadway, as well. I could hear them chanting his name over and over.

I went upstairs to the Starbucks to grab a seat and an iced coffee. Maybe I’d wait and catch a glimpse.

Mostly what I saw was the crowd growing, and barricades going up. At one point I saw a number of medics rush through the crowd.

Finally the crowd erupted. I think my hearing will never be the same.

I did not get to see Justin, sadly. But the crowd seemed very happy.

When I got home, I heard that Justin had gone outside to greet the fans, and was tackled by a man and knocked to the ground.

I hope that he’s okay! I’m not a Belieber – I don’t really know his music much, but I feel for a 17-year old young man who is under this much pressure, and is missing out on a normal, teenage existence.

He’s sure making a lot of girls very, very happy.

I know how they feel.

When I was their age, it was ALL about Donny Osmond.

xoxo,

SAllan

Watching The Filming Of “Boardwalk Empire” In New York City, And Running Into Will Smith

Hubby and I do not have HBO, so we’ve never watched its hit show “Boardwalk Empire“, staring Steve Buscemi.

But, when I read recently that the TriBeCa street Cortlandt Alley was being transformed into a 1920-era set for filming of part of the show, I was eager to go down to take a peek.

Here’s what Cortlandt Alley normally looks like:

But when I got down there on filming day, the first thing I saw was the north side of the street – behind the set – where up in the air “washed garments” were hung to “dry”.

And then I walked another block south, to the front of the set.

Yuck, is that a cart filled with sides of beef??

No kids, just a cart full of props – *pretending* to be sides of beef. Whew!

I love this time period – thanks to my extensive Grandparents Research in the 1920s, so I particularly dug the vintage 1920s cars

and the wardrobe. (Sorry – when the actors were on set, we were sternly told “No Photography”, so I didn’t get any good, clear photos of the costumes.)

I did get a kick out of this one, with the chauffeur on his cell phone in between takes.

Here is the set – a grimy, gray, working class neighborhood:

and here is a tighter crop of the set – you can see the actress in the period hat *right* in front of the camera. Maybe you need to enlarge the picture to see her…

After this excitement, I started to head back home, and then recalled that “Men In Black 3” was still reported to be filming in the city.

I headed a few blocks towards SoHo, and soon saw filming notifications.

And who did I almost run right in to?

None other than Will Smith, himself.

He was heading to a trailer while they broke for lunch, I overheard him say.

It was a good, movie-making kind of day in New York City!

xoxo,

SAllan

P.S. I couldn’t help myself; here is a picture of my Grandmother (on my mom’s side) in 1927 – she’s the passenger in the front of the car. The date on the photo is 1927, but I’m betting that the car itself is a few years old:

and here’s my Grandfather (on my dad’s side) beside his car, no date but I’m guessing about 1925?

Does anyone know how to date these cars? Please tell me, if you do. Thank you, thank you, thank you!   🙂

I LOVE these old cars!!!

Oprah’s Last Show

Did you watch?

Oprah Winfrey’s last show, after 25 years, aired last week. I Tivoed it, and watched later that day.

I used to watch Oprah years ago, when the show was young, when I worked later in the day. I really loved the show, and got a lot out of it – but then lost track a bit over the years.

I was very moved by her last show. Inspired.

Sammy The Cat and I watched it together.

I loved that it was just Oprah and her audience – no big-name guests, no giant giveaways, no sobbing dramatics.

Just Oprah and a good bit of her wisdom.

She encouraged us to have Passion, a Calling. Sure, we need to make a living, but we each have a Calling – a Reason for Being.

What Sparks a Light in us.

We deserve to be Happy, and we are Worthy.

She wants us all to stay in touch. She provided her personal email address.

She teared up a little towards the end

and said “Until we meet again”, and departed the stage

Waved her final goodbye

and then backstage, hugged members of her crew – and finally, her dog Sadie.

What did you think of the last show? Was it Inspirational to you, or merely Preachy?

Does Oprah Touch you, or Bug you?

I think, either way – her message is great.

We are all Worthy.

We all have something that we’re Good at – Right For.

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

And, what will Oprah be doing next? Have you watched her new network? Will she go into politics?

Here are some of her very Inspirational quotes from the last show:

“Don’t wait for someone else to complete you. ‘Jerry Maguire’ was just a movie.”

“Your life is speaking to you. What does it say?”

“Every day that I stood here I knew that this was exactly where I was meant to be.”

“This is what I was called to do…Everybody has a calling, and your real job in life is to find it.”

“There’s a difference between thinking you deserve to be happy and knowing that you are worthy of being happy. Your being alive makes worthiness your birthright. You alone are enough.”

“You also have to know what sparks the light in you so that you in your own way can illuminate the world. You have the power to change somebody’s life.”

“Nobody but you is responsible for your life. You are responsible for your life. What is your life? What is all life? What is every flower, every rock, every tree? Energy. And you’re responsible for the energy you create for yourself, and you’re responsible for the energy that you bring to others.”

“Well, I say, all sweet, no bitter. And here’s why. Many of us have been together for 25 years. We have hooted and hollered together, had our a-ha moments, we ugly-cried together and we did our gratitude journals. So I thank you all for your support and your trust in me. I thank you for sharing this yellow brick road of blessings. …I thank you for being as much of a sweet inspiration for me as I’ve tried to be for you. I won’t say goodbye. I’ll just say, until we meet again. To God be the glory.”

xoxo,

SAllan

Sunday In New York

It being Sunday and all, Hubby and I went for a stroll.

I wanted to go by Radio City Music Hall, to take a picture of the marquee. Charlie Sheen is “performing” there again tonight.

It seemed necessary at the time to get this captured  for current and future entertainment.

Plus, they have decent art work around the block. Decent. Right.

And, a little ole ice skating rink.

After watching the skaters for a few minutes, Hubby said, “I think that’s Meat Loaf”.

Hubby can always spot celebrities.

What do you think?

 

I think Hubby was right. But Meat Loaf wasn’t exactly skating. Let’s say that he was *learning* to skate.

After that excitement, I went into the Lego store to shoot Atlas made of legos

And then, the real deal

Across the street, I was intrigued by the windows at Anthropologie. It looked like they were all designed using corks.

Another couple was there admiring the window display. We started talking, and the woman said that her niece worked on the windows. The team worked with 75,000 corks and cut them all with razor blades.

And, then they introduced themselves.

“Hi” she said. “I’m Cherie and this is John”.

Hubby and I said “Those are our names!!”

(Even though she spelled hers wrong.)  🙂

We chatted a little while longer, then we went our separate ways. Hubby said, “You should have taken their picture.”

I said, “Right, but I’m not going to chase them down now.”

We took a few more pictures, then turned to go home. A block later, who did we see walking in our direction?

Just a typical Sunday in New York.

xoxo,

SAllan

New York on Sunday
Big City taking a nap
Slow down, it’s Sunday
Life’s a ball, let it fall in your lap
If you’ve got troubles
Just take them out for a walk
They’ll burst like bubbles
In the fun of a Sunday In New York
You can spend time without spending a dime
Watching people watch people pass
Later you pause, and in one of those stores
There’s that face next to yours in the glass
Love smiles her greeting
Then the dream that has seen you thru the week
Comes true on Sunday In New York

Todd Rundgren And His/My/Your Friendship Tree

I’ve been a big Todd Rundgren fan since about 1975 or so.

So, imagine my excitement when, in June of 1996, I found myself in his home in Woodstock, New York.

Well, Todd was not there. He was in the process of moving to Hawaii – and he was having an Estate Sale at his Woodstock home.

My friend R and I went. Nothing could stop us.

Here’s R – posing at the Mink Hollow Road sign:

and me, too:

The  street sign has significance because Todd put out an album in 1977 called “Hermit Of Mink Hollow”

Anyway, R and I were there – inside Todd’s house! Buying his stuff! Peering into the window of his recording studio!

We had found Utopia!

I purchased Todd’s pagoda. I like to think it is a spiritual connection.

Here it is residing in Woodstock:

And here it is residing in my Mother-In-Law’s yard in Long Island:

In his Woodstock home, Todd had a playroom for the kids, and there was a sand box. In that sand box, I found a leaf of a Jade Plant. Also known as a Friendship Tree.

I pocketed that leaf.

I took it home and planted it.

It grew.

Eventually it became this Mama plant.

When Hubby moved into my apartment, it was too large for us to keep. I was afraid that it would die in the smaller, less-lit apartment, so who did I call?

My buddy R, of course.

Here he is, barely able to get Mama Plant into his car.

Good bye, Mama Plant! Good bye Todd’s and my Friendship Tree!

But – of course –

I kept a leaf.

And now, here’s the Grandbaby of Todd’s plant:

And, the cuttings I had to give it yesterday to keep it well pruned.

Todd fans around the country – no, the world! should have these cuttings – to be able to spread the Love, spread the Friendship!

Please let me know if you want me to mail you a cutting. But hurry, they won’t last for long, and I don’t have that many.

Comment to this post if you want a Great-Grandbaby Todd Friendship Tree leaf, which you can plant and have grow into your very own Friendship Tree. A direct connection to The Man Himself.

Thanks, Todd. We love you.

xoxo,

SAllan

PS added July 2016 – The above post is several years old; I’m afraid I no longer have cuttings available to send out.

Charlie Sheen

I have only one thing to say publicly concerning Charlie Sheen – I want it noted here and now that I came up with this blog’s name “SAllan’s Corner” MONTHS before Mr. Sheen came up with his “Sheen’s Korner”.

Do you hear that?

MONTHS BEFORE.

Period.

In fact, I think he stole the idea from me, and I am calling my lawyers.

If he can do it, so can I.

End of rant.

Now on to something much more important.

Sammy.

This afternoon we are entering a new world of holistic treatment.

There was an article in the New York Times a couple of weeks ago about people who home make their pet food. Here’s the link in case you are interested in reading it for yourself:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/19/dining/19pets.html?ref=cats

People who do this seem to swear by their successes. The article mentions a store here in New York City called Whiskers, which sells their own brand of homemade pet food.

Hubby and I decided to try it out for Sammy.

We have been battling this and that for so long now, and on Sunday Sammy had another Scare. I won’t go into vivid detail but it had to do with clear liquid (lots of it) on the bed and less of it (lots less of it) inside our dear kitty’s tummy (or where ever clear liquid resides in cats).

After that he refused to eat much (his poor throat probably hurt!) and subsequently lost a pound in 3 days.

I’ll report on the homemade food as soon as I have an opinion – I know you all are on the edge of your seats.

It’s almost as riveting a story as Charlie Sheen.

xoxo,

SAllan

Mario Batali’s Eataly (part “due”)

Ciao amici!

I recently revisited Eataly here in New York City. What a grand and glorious place. A mecca for foodies, photographers, tourists, locals.

One of the first things I saw was Signore Batali himself! Chef Mario Batali is one of the partners responsible for the opening of this glorious place here in New York City.

He was being interviewed/filmed as he walked through the aisles of pastas, sauces and other goodies.

I took a quick picture or two, then moved over to another side of the store. I visited the seafood station:

The meat station:

and the cheese station:

I checked out the produce section. 2 million different types of tomatoes:

Tangelos and other citruses (citri?):

and these cutie little baby artichokes – yum!

I watched this fellow making fresh pasta, and asked him if I could take his picture:

Here’s some of the variety of the fresh pasta they offer for sale at Eataly:

I moved back over to the aisles of canned goods, where I marveled at these truffles:

and these pestos:

Everything is so beautiful, and so orderly, and so photographic!

Look at these ales:

Please take a closer look at their labels – they are works of art!

As are these!!

YUM!

There are sandwiches to go:

Or, if you’d rather, quite a few restaurant seating areas:

I understand that there will be a rooftop beer garden, but it will open in the Spring.

Ciao, Mario! Thank you for helping bring to New York City this fabulous extravaganza – it cannot be called just a “store”.

Again, here is Eataly’s website link:

http://eatalyny.com/#1

And, here is what Mario Batali’s website has to say about Eataly:

Eataly, the largest artisanal Italian food and wine marketplace in the world, is finally here in New York. Two years after Oscar Farinetti opened his groundbreaking food and wine market in Turin, Italy, he has teamed up with Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich, and Lidia Matticchio Bastianich of Batali-Bastianich (B&B) Hospitality Group to transform a 50,000 square – foot space in the Flatiron District into New York City’s premier culinary mecca.

The marketplace located at 200 Fifth Avenue (the former Toy Building) is the city’s ultimate destination for food lovers to shop and taste and savor – an extravaganza includes a premier retail center for Italian delicacies and wine, a culinary educational center, and a diverse slate of boutique eateries. This gourmand’s delight features cured meats and cheeses, fruits and vegetables, fresh meats, fresh fish, handmade pasta, desserts and baked goods and coffees.

Enjoy!

xoxo,

SAllan

Pete Maravich

In 1973, when I was about 14 years old, I had a BIG crush on Pete Maravich. For those of you who don’t know, he was a basketball player who at that time was with The Atlanta Hawks basketball team.

He played with The Hawks for 4 years, and then he was traded to The New Orleans Jazz. When he made the move to New Orleans for the 1974-1975 season, I subscribed to the New Orleans newspaper, The Times-Picayune, in order to keep tabs on my hero (this was WAY before The Internets.)

I LOVED basketball and Pete. My family and I went to many of The Hawks’ games. I asked my Dad to put up a basketball hoop on our house above the garage. He was happy to do so, as he had always played basketball, himself.

Pete was just so darned cute. He had floppy hair and wore floppy gray socks – his good luck charm. And he was a terrific player. He was quite the showman and a joy to watch on the court. Some people called him a ball hog. He was a Superstar just a tiny bit ahead of his time.

And his hair – he even made a series of commercials for Vitalis – a mens’ hair product. Oops – he’s so cute!

Check them out, here:

Anyway, after my Dad put up the basketball hoop, I became a pretty decent basketball player, myself. I was pretty much the best player amongst my pals in the neighborhood.

Here I am, about that time:

I know, not just because my Grandmother dated the photo on the front, but also because I’m wearing my favorite pair of basketball shoes.

Green leather – I was HOT!

In high school that year, I tried out for the girls’ basketball team, and actually made the team! I was so proud! I was going to be the best! A female jock at the dawn of female jock-hood. There was no telling where this would lead me! Maybe I would be on the first team of The Women’s National Basketball Association. The WNBA league was founded in 1996, but perhaps with me, a future basketball star, I would help form the league decades earlier.

Man, I had dreams!

Until, after the first week of practice, I was told that I was being cut from the team because they didn’t have enough uniforms.

Do you think this was true?

Or, were they only being nice?

I’ll never know. But, I can proudly and accurately state: I was either the best of the worst, or I was the worst of the best.

God Bless Pete Maravich.

xoxo,

SAllan

“There, But For The Grace Of God, Go I.”

I just spent 6 days on jury duty. I was selected to be a juror on a murder trial.

I went to the Criminal Court Building in lower Manhattan last Monday.

I’ve learned since that this building is where part of Law And Order is (was?) filmed – I can’t say as I’ve never seen the show. But it’s an impressive building. All of the police at the entrances wear bullet-proof vests and you can see defendants being brought in wearing handcuffs and sometimes leg irons. No cameras are allowed inside, of course, and during deliberations our cell phones were taken away from us.

I did take this cell phone picture from the window on the 13th floor.

On the first day, I didn’t expect to be picked, and was happy to be in the neighborhood of my favorite Vietnamese restaurant.

I used to rent darkroom space  a couple of blocks away from here, and loved eating lunch at this restaurant.

The darkroom space was owned by the husband of Sex And The City‘s Cynthia Nixon. This was about the time that she broke up with him. While I was renting the space from him, he started staying overnight in his office area, and keeping his toiletries and shaving equipment in the darkroom. It became a little awkward and eventually I quit renting the space – I never knew if I’d be walking in on him sleeping, or worse – “bathing” in the darkroom!

Above, a young Cynthia Nixon pic was drying in the darkroom, and I took a pic of the pic.

Anyway, back to my story at hand. I enjoyed my first day at jury duty, playing solitaire on my phone and eating at the Vietnamese restaurant. It felt a little like a vacation.

But that afternoon, I was selected for this murder trial. It was no longer a vacation.

As we started hearing from the prosecution and the defense, I just felt sorrier and sorrier for the people who are born into poverty and crime-infested projects. How do they ever escape the horrific situations that they are surrounded by, day in and day out? I am afraid that most of them do not.

After 4 days of hearing witnesses, including the Medical Examiner, Ballistic Experts, Detectives on the case, the Assistant DA, three Eye Witnesses, and the Defendant himself, we deliberated for the better part of 2 days and found the defendant “Guilty” on 2nd-degree (not premeditated) murder charges.

He and another young man shot and killed the 3rd young man “execution style” at 4:30 am one morning a couple years ago. Rumor around the project was that the victim’s dog bit someone, and this was the reason for “the incident”.

Everyone involved had criminal histories, including the three eye witnesses. Lots of perjury was going on up there in the witness stand.

One of the eye witnesses, the most credible of the three, was staying at his aunt’s apartment the night in question. Sick and awake, he heard an argument and looked out his window. He saw the shooting take place beneath him – 1 shot by the man in “the gray hoodie” and 2 shots by the man in “the blue hoodie”.  He’s the person who called 911 immediately after the shooting.

He was silently crying while on the witness stand. When he was asked to give the address of where he had been, he asked not to, but was told that he must. He gave his aunt’s address. I imagine that he is afraid now for her safety.

We heard a recorded phone call that the defendant placed while in prison at Riker’s Island. He is heard threatening the life of one of the other eye witnesses (who has since moved from the project from fears of retribution).

The Foreperson on our jury was somewhat nervous about standing up to state the “Guilty” verdict. She and several other jurors said that they felt the defendant had been staring at them, trying to intimidate them.

Yesterday, after the case was finished, I came home drained. I looked up the Polo Grounds on Google News and found this picture and following article, from The Daily News, dated just last Sunday, 2/13/11:

“Elected officials want an emergency meeting with Housing Authority Chairman John Rhea in response to a Daily News report on a crime spike in public housing.

“We believe there is much more crime than has been revealed,” a Harlem State Senator said yesterday.

Urging against an increase in police stop-and-frisks, Perkins called for more surveillance cameras and more transparency. He also said tenants were concerned about residents with long criminal histories.

Bettey Rolle, who lives in the Audubon Apartments at 155th St. and Amsterdam Ave., said open drug dealing plagues her building.

“In the past year, we’ve had stabbings, robberies,” she said. “It’s getting worse.”

She also said criminals seemed aware of the cops’ surveillance schedule. “After that, they run rampant,” Rolle said. “People are being terrorized. They’re afraid to say anything because of retribution.”

Rolle, whose family has been in the building for two decades, suggested cameras and outside doors that lock more securely.

At the Polo Grounds Towers in Manhattan, Dorothy Brown, 73, said she stays in at night to avoid frequent gunfire.

“We need more of a police presence,” she said, adding that the complex is getting cameras but that door locks are frequently broken.

“You’re constantly watching when you come out,” she said. “I’m the type of person that when I go in my house, I stay.”

A Housing Authority spokeswoman said the agency declined to comment.”

 

Thanks Mom and Dad, for bringing me and Sis up safe and secure,

xoxo,

SAllan

 

Behind The Scenes, Part 3 (With Kirstie Alley and Tyler Florence!)

Hi there! I think that everyone is enjoying this little segment of my blog called Behind The Scenes. Here’s part 3.

For a pharmaceutical company, we shot on a plane set outside of Los Angeles. Here’s a BTS shot:

Now, take a look at the finished ad:

Here’s when I worked on the shoot with Kirstie Alley for Jenny Craig. We were shooting both a tv commercial and a print ad, so there was a lot going on. On shoots like this, I get my job done but also stay out of the way of the tv crew.

Lots of crew and equipment:

Lines to learn:

The star on set and on monitors:

Kirstie Alley herself!

And, the final ad:

I went to San Francisco to shoot Chef Tyler Florence for Wishbone salad dressing. We shot a print ad and videos for on-line.

Salad prep:

Tyler on set:

The monitors for the video taping:

And, here’s the final ad:

Here I am, with some of our crew – with Mr. Florence. A very nice man.

xoxo,

SAllan

The Pioneer Woman

Last night, The Pioneer Woman had a reading/signing at one of our local book stores here in New York City. I had been planning to attend for weeks, but because of our Sammy Scare, decided not to go.

I had met The Pioneer Woman a couple of months ago, when she was in town for another literary event.

Here she is, after having signed a plate for my kitchen wall.

She is from Oklahoma, and I read on her blog that she may be stuck in New York because of the weather issues the middle of the country is experiencing. I hope she gets home okay.

She was in town to read from her new book, “Black Heels To Tractor Wheels – A Love Story”.

She also has a cookbook available:

Here’s what Amazon.com has to say about this lady:

“Ree Drummond began blogging in 2006 and has built an award-winning website, where she shares recipes, showcases her photography, and documents her hilarious transition from city life to ranch wife. She is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling cookbook The Pioneer Woman Cooks. Ree lives on a working cattle ranch near Pawhuska, Oklahoma, with her husband, Ladd; their four kids; their beloved basset hound; and lots of other animals.”

I like The Pioneer Woman. I like her spunk. I like her style. I like that she loves animals, food and photography.

In fact, I might make her enchiladas for dinner tonight. What’s not to like?!

She is my blogging-inspiration.

Here’s her website. Check her out, but please don’t forsake me for her. You can continue to check us BOTH out!  😉

http://thepioneerwoman.com/

xoxo,

SAllan

Farewell, The Minimalist

The New York Times will never be the same.

Wednesday’s Dining section will no longer be what I look forward to on that day’s morn.

The Minimalist has run its last column.

For those of you who do not know The Minimalist, this information may not destroy you. You can, of course, find a treasure trove of past columns, videos and recipes on the internets and in bookstores.

But that there will be no more! My heart is breaking.

The Minimalist is Mark Bittman. Here is the link to his final column from this past Wednesday:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/26/dining/26mini.html

And here is the link to his 25 favorite recipes article:

http://tinyurl.com/6ze9wan

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Bittman recently at a book signing

I told him that I really enjoyed his short videos, and he said that The Cooking Channel plans to do something with them. Something to look forward to!

Mark Bittman is a man who cooks, travels, produces cookbooks and until last week, writes a weekly food column in The New York Times called “The Minimalist”. He does not call himself a chef. He is an “everyman” who cooks.

As he says of his column, “I described its typical recipes: nearly all of them use minimal technique, minimal time or minimal ingredients; many recipes meet two of those standards, and quite a few all three. The column’s goal, my job, has been to help make home cooking more accessible.”

Hubby and I have several of Mark Bittman’s books. The one we go to time and time again is “How To Cook Everything”.

You can buy it at Amazon.

http://tinyurl.com/66wascz

There is also an app for a digital version of the book (“lite”), if you have an iPhone.

It’s called “How To Cook Everything Essentials” (free) or you can buy the full version for $4.99.

But, I’m not trying to make this a commercial for spending of your hard-earned cash. Just pointing out some options.

I, for one, am going back to the article about his favorite 25 recipes, and am printing out a few.

And, as he says, Mark Bittman is not going away. He will have a column in the Sunday’s paper starting in March. And, if you happen to be in San Francisco anytime soon, in today’s paper, he has an article on some of his favorite Italian restaurants in that wonderful city.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/01/30/travel/30choice-san-francisco.html?src=dayp

Hm, maybe a good time to plan for a trip to the West coast?

xoxo,

SAllan

The Soup Nazi, Back Then

A day or two ago I posted about The Soup Nazi store here in New York City. Nowadays, it doesn’t quite live up to it’s reputation as being a formidable experience. The employees are just too nice. The soup is still great, but there are no terse orders to follow.

But, back in 1993, I had gone to get soup there, and I documented that experience.

Here is the line of hungry people waiting for their soup:

Here is the awning of the store front back then. As you can see, it was called “Al’s Soup Kitchen”, where now it’s called “The Original Soup Man”.

Here’s the list of instructions that was exhibited back then. Follow explicitly, or “NO SOUP FOR YOU!”

(As always, you can click on the image to see it larger, then click your “back” arrow to return to the blog.)

And, here’s Al Yeganeh himself, dishing up my crab bisque:

Interesting the difference that 8 years makes, eh? My 1st pictures (shown in this blog) were taken 8 years after the “Soup Nazi” episode of Seinfeld aired in 1995, and my current pictures (shown in the previous blog entry about this topic) were taken 8 years after these. Hm, there must be meaning in that, somewhere…

xoxo,

SAllan

The Dude Abides

The weather outside has been frightful, but I have been hankering to go down to Greenwich Village ever since viewing the PBS American Masters documentary on Jeff Bridges a week ago.

I hadn’t heard of it previously, but the show has a segment of Mr. Bridges going to a store on Thompson Street called “The Little Lebowski”. It’s a tiny store that’s more or less all merchandise pertaining to the Coen Brothers’ movie “The Big Lebowski”.

I couldn’t wait to go see it for myself!

Recently, the weather was nice enough to venture out. Here’s the window of the store:

And here’s a view of the inside of the store:

This store is awesome! It’s tiny, and whichever way you turn there’s something else wonderful to see. The owner couldn’t have been nicer. We talked for quite a long time – he asked me how I heard of the store and I mentioned the documentary. He told me how the producers of the show had wandered in, and then they had the idea to include the store in their show. When Jeff Bridges and his wife were in town for an event, the producers called up the owner and asked if they could come in a do some filming within the store – and next thing he knew, in walks Jeff Bridges, his wife and the camera crew! They were there quite a while, and he said that Mr. Bridges couldn’t have been nicer.

There’s a YouTube clip you can watch here – about 3 minutes which includes part of the store and the owner meeting Jeff.

I asked the owner (who works every day in his bathrobe and shades, just like The Dude) if I could take his picture, and he obliged:

A terrific guy with a terrific story.

He said that he opened the store just before the recession hit. He was trying to sell children’s books, comics, etc., and just couldn’t sell enough to make ends meet. He was finally about 2 weeks from being evicted, and he said to himself, “Self – why not have fun for the last couple of weeks?” So, he filed the store with the Lebowski merchandise that he had, put on the bathrobe, and started selling!

Now, after being mentioned in the documentary, he’s getting calls and emails from around the world.

Finally, a story about this recession with a happy ending.

Check out the store’s website and buy a tee shirt.

http://www.littlelebowskishop.com/

And, when you’re in New York City, pay this store a visit, and meet The Dude!

Abide!!

xoxo,

SAllan

A Dilemma

We got some more snow last night. About 6 inches. It’s the same storm that hit the South a couple of days ago. Not a giant wallop here, but enough to make it sloppy.

Slushy streets and puddles at crosswalks – yuck.

On a day like this, one craves comfort food. For Hubby (who is home with a bad head cold) this means Ramen Noodles. For me, it’s Chicken Pot Pie.

I know, not very gourmet of me. But totally satisfying. However, it takes 70 minutes to cook, so that’s why I am typing right now as it bakes – to tell you about my dilemma. It’s grown to the point that I need to air it out.

One day last summer I was at my local grocery store. I was buying the ingredients to make a scrumptious Tres Leches Cake. The list of ingredients is interesting, and the nice cashier asked what I was making. I told her, she was intrigued and she asked for the recipe.

(Here’s the one I made, back then. I’ll have to make another one soon so I can photograph the process and post it.)

Later, when I was in the store and saw the cashier again, she raved about the recipe. Then immediately asked me for another recipe to share with her. So, a few days later I took her a recipe that I love for an apple cake.

For Christmas, I made some mouse cookies. Again, my friendly cashier saw my purchases and asked what I was making. I told her about the cookies, and she said that the recipe sounded too complex for her liking. She asked for me to bring in a different recipe for her. I told her that I was going to make some chocolate bark, but I hadn’t made it before and wouldn’t want to share untested recipes. Pretty much end of story, right?

Wrong! I saw her a week or so ago, and she commented that she had “waited, and waited… Christmas came and went, New Years came and went – no recipe”. I laughed and joked how she was trying to guilt-trip me. Another customer in line got into the conversation. Laugh, laugh…

This sort of thing has happened to me before. I used to frequent a particular restaurant in the neighborhood. I liked their salad. I’d go every couple of weeks or so with a good book. It’s kind of a suburban, touristy place, but I liked it anyway. One particular waitress used to always wait on me. It got to the point that whenever I’d go in, she would run over and hug me. Once she introduced me to her coworkers. I don’t really recall HOW she did this, as we never knew each other’s names, but somehow she did. I guess she was a lonely person, but all I wanted was the salad and a good hour to read. I finally quit going to the restaurant.

Does this make me a bad person?

So today, back at my local grocery store for my chicken pot pie – there was the cashier. In with it she started: “I am patiently waiting”, “I will wait until Easter”, etc.

It’s not like I can go to a different grocery store. This one is pretty much it.

So, I guess I have to break down and give her a recipe to quiet the storm? Then another, and another? How can this possibly end??

Hubby joked the other day that he has a history of having to quit going places because he gets into arguments with people (one day I’ll tell a few stories here about some of his more humorous encounters), and how I have to quit going into places because I’m too nice.

It hurts.

Maybe the chicken pot pie lunch will help.

xoxo,

SAllan

And The Humanitarian Award Goes To…

Jimmy Carter has always loomed large in my life. First of all, we’re both from Georgia. And, when I was just a little goober, I was a page in the Ga. Senate when Mr. Carter was Governor and he hugged me and we took our picture together.

That’s me on the left, Jimmy in the middle, and my friend Becky on the right. Becky’s father was the photographer, and the real reason we were there in the first place. Thank you, Becky’s Dad!

I love the portrait of Rosalynn and Amy on the wall! You can click on the image to make it a little larger so you can admire the painting, if you’d like.

Anyway, back to the present – or at least January 26, 2009. That’s when President Carter was in New York City on a book-signing tour. I went straight from work to buy the book and get his autograph. Now, I’m not sure exactly what I was thinking. Maybe I was thinking that we’d line up inside the store. Or, maybe I just wasn’t really thinking.

I just had a medium winter’s jacket on. No heavy coat, no gloves, no scarf, no hat. Turns out that we lined up OUTSIDE of the store that evening. I think the low was about 24º that evening. And we were standing outside for a couple of hours. Needless to say, I became chilled to the bone pretty quickly!

Despite the cold, the folks around me were very friendly, and we all commiserated with one another.  As I listened to the young lady 2-people in front of me talk about how she admired President Carter, I began to think – “That sounds a lot like Renee Zellweger!” After a few minutes, I thought – “That IS Renee Zellweger!”

And, it was! There she was, standing in line with the rest of us schmegeggies – no entourage, no driver – just her. Talking with us in a low, quiet voice. She seemed very sweet and genuine. She stamped her tiny feet in the cold, braving the weather and the 2-hour line with the rest of us.

Finally, we rounded the corner and were on 5th Avenue. Renee asked if we would mind holding her place in line, and she slipped into a nearby store. She was out again in a few moments – tying a scarf around her neck which she had just purchased. Then she handed a newly-purchased scarf to the gentleman directly behind her in the line, and another one to me!

My heart was so warmed by her generosity and thoughtfulness, it made my whole body toasty! What a Lady.

We finally got into the book store and through security. I was able to ask her if I could repay her for the scarf, and she refused to accept any money. Then we separated and I was able to get this quick shot of the back of her head:

I kind of wish that I had been forward enough to ask to take a picture of the front of her head, but after she was so kind and genuine and sweet and giving, and “one of us”, I certainly didn’t want to come across as a fanboy.

Finally it was my turn to step in front of President Carter. While he was signing my book, I showed him the picture of us together, and asked him if he would mind signing it. He replied “Well, you know the Secret Service won’t let me” as he smiled and signed it for me. (You can see his signature across Becky’s legs!)

Oh, what a night! I think I floated home!

And, The Humanitarian Award? Who wins it? It should definitely be a tie. Renee and Jimmy are equal saints in my eyes!

xoxo,

SAllan

Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?

During the holiday break, hubby and I watched the classic “Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?”. It’s out on DVD with lots of extras, which we haven’t gotten to yet. Just watched the movie – and WOW! The movie from 1962 still has what it takes. If you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor. It’s fantastic!

Now, not saying this in disrespect to the original, but just to take this posting to another level – what do you think of a remake of this movie staring Donny and Marie Osmond? Who would play which part?

They were just here on Broadway; Froggy paid them a visit.

(You don’t know Froggy? Well, more about him later. This is ALL about Donny and Marie.)

I was a big fan of The Osmonds back in my bubblegum days.

I’m the red-eyed dork here in 1971.

But, back to the remake. I think I can see Marie as the Betty Davis character – here’s her doll they can use in the movie:

Of course, there are lots of dolls put out by Marie that do not resemble her, but I think this Marie doll is perfectly spooky enough for the movie.

Then, Donny will have to play the Joan Crawford character of the sibling in the wheel chair.

I can really see this, can’t you? Who’s going to contact their agent?

xoxo,

SAllan

My Birthday Lunch

Today hubby treated me to my birthday lunch. We had reservations a couple of days ago on the actual BDay day, but the blizzard rolled into town, and we postponed the lunch until NYC was functioning again.

Does anyone recognize this?

Or, how about this?

Here’s a picture of hubby with the menu:

(Isn’t it cute how he purposely color-coordinated his outfit to match the menu?!)

Yep, we dined today in splendor at Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill on 5th Avenue here in New York City.

Hubby had the pumpkin soup:

and the sweet potato ravioli:

I enjoyed the squid:

And a wonderful striped bass:

And we finished the meal by splitting a piece of 7-layer coconut cake:

Everything was absolutely out of this world! You can access the menu and read all about Mesa Grill here:

http://mesagrill.com/

Around Thanksgiving, Bobby Flay was on CBS and shared his recipe for his pumpkin soup. Here it is – Bobby won’t mind if I post it here? If he does, please let me know and I will remove the recipe!

Mesa Grill’s Pumpkin Soup with Cinnamon Crème and Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Serves: 6-8

Pumpkin Soup
4 cups enriched chicken stock or low sodium canned chicken broth or vegetable broth
3 cups pumpkin puree (not flavored pie filling)
1 teaspoon ground Mexican cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons chipotle puree
3/4 cup crème fraiche
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Roasted pumpkin seeds (recipe below)

1. Bring 3 cups of the stock to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Whisk in the pumpkin puree, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, honey and chipotle puree. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more stock, if the soup is too thick.

2. Remove from the heat and whisk in 1/4 cup of the crème fraiche and season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Mix together the remaining crème fraiche and 1 teaspoon cinnamon until combined.

4. Ladle the soup into four bowls; drizzle with the cinnamon crema and sprinkle with roasted pumpkin seeds.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Makes 1 cup

1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Kosher salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350º F.

2. Toss the seeds with the oil and season with salt to taste. Spread the seeds evenly on a baking sheets and bake for 25-30 minutes, tossing occasionally, until they are lightly golden brown and crisp. Let cool. Can be made 2 days in advance and stored in an airtight container.

YUM, YUM!

Thanks Bobby, and thanks hubby!

xoxo,

SAllan

Bubbles In Central Park

Yesterday hubby and I walked through Central Park – to see the snow there and eat at a favorite pizza joint nearby. When walking by the Bandshell, a glint of color caught my eye. The was a Bubble Artist creating gigantic bubbles!

Here I am shooting directly inside one of his bubbles:

Then, hubby got stuck in a snow drift and had to be rescued!

(Just kidding!)

Pizza sure tasted good after all this excitement!

xoxo,

SAllan