Judaism, Yum

Monday, May 27, 2019
The New York Times reported this weekend that the average American wedding last year cost $33,931.  Wow!  I read this just as we celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary and, I must confess, we did not spend $25,470 (the 2003 equivalent of $33,931).  In fact, 17 people attended our wedding, including the rabbi and us, and spending almost $1,500 per person would have been a level of vulgar excess more characteristic of a Trump or a Kardashian than even the incipient Upper West Side Power Couple. 
. . .

I learned the factoid above in reading what-I-alone-might-still-call the society pages, a regular stop on my weekend information-gathering rounds.  Therein, I also came across a bride who "works . . . as a senior experience designer at . . . a digital transformation company."  Will someone venture an explanation of that in English?
. . .

In order to pay for that big wedding, you presumably need a job; someone needs a job; your in-laws need a job.  To get that job, a counter-intuitive trend may have to be followed.  "Superstar cities, the nation’s economic powerhouses, hotbeds of opportunity at the cutting edge of technological progress, are losing people to other parts of the country."  To be clear, this trend is stratified.  The onrush of college graduates to New York, San Francisco, Seattle is forcing non-college graduates out, unable to meet the rising cost of living.  https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/05/21/business/economy/migration-big-cities.html

The article is loaded with a wonderful collection of facts and figures, such as a janitor is better off (financially) staying in the Deep South than moving to Silicon Valley today, while a lawyer is much better off making the move.

And, New York's total population shrank in 2018 for the second year in a row, except in the subway.
. . .

Another reason why it was hard to find time to leave the house this weekend was this article: "The College Dropout Crisis."  https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/05/23/opinion/sunday/college-graduation-rates-ranking.html 

This provides comparisons of actual versus projected graduation rates among 368 colleges.  An interesting fact is that the University of Nevada, Las Vegas seemed to have the worst dropout rate, while Clark County, Nevada, home of Las Vegas, had the highest rate of population growth in the survey of cities above.  Go figure.
. . .

After all that good stuff in the weekend's paper, I was ready to rest today, but it was not to be.  The Metropolitan Diary is a Monday feature in the New York Times, containing anecdotes about big city life, often taking place on the the subways or sidewalks of the Holy Land.  My big mouth fell open when I read this entry: "In fall 1999, I was single and I decided to have a party where single men and women could meet.  The caveat was that everyone I invited had to bring an equally unattached friend, presumably someone they were not romantically interested in."   

 

I did exactly that almost 2 decades earlier in 1981.  I informally labelled the event, They Were Expendable, borrowing the title from the 1945 movie about the exploits of a PT Boat squadron in the Pacific, which included Lieutenant Junior Grade John F. Kennedy at one time.

I was living in Turtle Bay, a neighborhood that I shared with Katherine Hepburn and Stephen Sondheim, in the same building with Barry Beck, then captain of the New York Rangers, and Ed Kranepol, longtime first baseman for the New York Mets.  That did not save the evening from being a disaster.  While I invited many eligible single people, male and female (that's all you worried about back then), only Steve, a bright young colleague whose last name I have forgotten, Linda, an acquaintance whose last name I will charitably omit, and a young man whom Linda brought, faithfully, but fruitlessly, respecting the purpose of the evening, showed up.  To underline my gross miscalculation and add to my mortification, there was prompt delivery of the 50 BBQ chicken wings that I ordered from Best Wingers, still in business at 711 Second Avenue.  I cannot recall, however, to which collection of widows and orphans I forwarded the almost entirely undisturbed food package.

The author of the squib in the newspaper, fortunately, had much better luck and reported that she hosted a successful event, drat.

Thursday, May 30, 2019

[Clue] 65 Across - 1% of the body?
. . .

After a meeting last night, I sent this message to a fellow-attendee: "I am sorry for making a stupid, unfair and ill-informed remark."  I received this generous reply: "No apologies necessary.  I am not sure what you are referring to; I took no offense at anything said last night (or otherwise), my friend."  So, next time, I will speak louder.

. . .

Jeanne Friedman graduated CCNY in 1963 and headed west for graduate school and eventually a career and a family.  After decades apart, we have caught up with each other several times on both coasts.  Tonight, we had dinner together at Pastrami Queen, 1125 Lexington Avenue, the best Kosher delicatessen operating in the Holy Land at present.  Maybe someone should design an outfit for an occasion such as this, when someone gets a chance to reconnect with her historical and spiritual roots.  Sort of like the Society of Creative Anachronism dressed up in medieval costumes, jousting in Central Park.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society_for_Creative_Anachronism

The three of us, my young bride included of course,  approached the meal strategically; I had warned the two women that the sandwiches were particularly large.  They shared a pastrami on rye ($18), while I had a corned beef/chopped liver combo on rye ($23), giving 1/6 of it to each of them.  Various flavors of Dr. Brown's washed down the excellent sandwiches and the shared large portion of well-done French fries ($7.75). 

Jews don't proselytize, which I consider a mistake.  We sometimes give the impression of smugly sitting back, waiting for you to come to us.  In any case, were I in charge, I would serve Pastrami Queen's corned beef and pastrami at the rear of synagogues, requiring you to traverse the allegedly sacred space to get to the good stuff, just as supermarkets put the milk in the farthest corner from the front door. 

. . .

A combination of bad news and good news has produced what may be taken as good news.  The federal government's portion of the safety net has frayed (bad news), while state and local governments have introduced or improved paid parental leave and increased minimum wages (good news).  This has produced a notable increase in the employment rate of single mothers.  https://nyti.ms/2KbIUhk

By the way, the venues where you find these progressive social and economic policies are typically governed by Democrats, because Republicans are too busy listening for fetal heartbeats. 

Friday, May 31, 2019

It's that time of year again.  The unstructured Jews of West End Synagogue head to the country for a weekend, taking the opportunity to quibble, nit pick and split hairs out of doors, for a change.  Yours truly is managing this event, as I have year after year, which is why this essay is being delivered early, the sooner to be forgotten.   

Answer - SENATOR 

Fly Mets, Fly

Monday May 20, 2019

In a confessional essay printed this weekend, one obsessive compulsive quoted another: "I'd rather be nauseous with you than not nauseous without you."
. . .

I found this restaurant review on-line which had to have been created by voice recognition: "That miss fear is absolutely fantastic."

. . .

Tonight, we had dinner with Bonnie & Gil, visiting from Florida.  Since I know Gil from Stuyvesant High School, CCNY and Cornell University, I forgive his abandonment, which only came in his eighth decade. 

We dined at 8 1/2, 9 West 57th Street, a joint that deserves to be called and honored as an adult restaurant.  You enter on a grand curving staircase, befitting Fred Astaire, descending from street level to the large dining room.  Tables were large and well-spaced; background music was low and soothing; service was attentive and respectful (no introductions by Scott, "I am your waiter"); the menu avoided momentary trends.  It was also expensive. 

Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Today is the 115th birthday of Fats Waller.  If you need a reminder of his great talent, listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZZRAU3DeOo
. . .

America's Favorite Epidemiologist, taking a moment from her normal research, provides this list of local ice creamers.

https://ilovetheupperwestside.com/best-ice-cream-shops-on-the-upper-west-side/

While there are no surprises in this group, it is convenient to have them referred to in one place.
. . .

Unless you live and work in a cave, this article has to echo concerns that you have had about over-rewarded under-performing people.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/20/science/social-class-confidence.html

I would edit the title, however, to read "Why Supposedly High-Class People Get Away With Incompetence" because gall can be mistaken for "income, family wealth, professional prestige and other [socioeconomic] factors." 

. . . 
 

Tonight, I went to a cocktail party with about 150 men and one woman, but I had nothing to do with the guest list so don't bother me.  However, Tom Terrific was present and he pointed out Lawrence Block, one of the most prolific mystery/crime/detective writers ever.  He has published about 225 books, according to this web site.  https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/lawrence-block/

 

I have read about 4 dozen of his works (the Matthew Scudder and Keller the hit man series are my favorites), but knew that I was only scratching the surface.  Tom, who has also written detective novels, knows Block and he encouraged me to go talk to him.  Shy no one ever called me, but I didn't move, firmly clutching my second glass of Lagavulin 16 Year Old Scotch Whisky.  What do you say to a guy like Block, "Good job.  Keep it up."  He obviously doesn't need any encouragement.  "I like your work."  Now, that's a  grabber.  So, I left him in peace, with familiar companions of his own choosing.

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

When you walk down your neighborhood streets in the Holy Land, there are two dramatically different visual experiences.  Brand new things appear overnight or you notice something for the first time in spite of its being in place for a long time.

Giacomo Fine Food, 269 West 72nd Street,  has been in business for over 25 years, but I only noticed it today for the first time.  It's small, but not tiny; a grocery store that prepares food exclusively for takeout.  Fortunately, two wooden benches sit right outside the door, so the takeout may only be 5 feet long on a nice day.  While I sat there, many customers came and went, obviously more observant than I had been.

Giacomo features a relatively large selection of food made in house.  I had a pulled BBQ chicken sandwich on a baguette ($7.65), the chicken fresh, the sauce more tomatoey than spicy.  Certainly, with nice weather, I'll probably return to the benches and try other items on the long menu, accompanied by Boylan diet root beer at a reasonable price.

. . . 

Tonight, in the company of Stony Brook Steve, I attended my first Mets game of the season on a very lovely evening.  The first seven innings were a pitching duel between two of the very best pitchers in baseball.  Our guy gave up only 2 hits, but one was a home run.  Their guy gave up גאָרנישט, gornisht.  After seven innings, relief pitchers came in for both teams and we pounced.  Final score Mets 6-1 over the Nationals.
  

“Hold fast to dreams,
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird,
That cannot fly.”
― Langston Hughes

Friday, May 24, 2019

Happy Birthday, Oakland Heartthrob.

. . .

Speaking of hope, all you parents should be encouraging your kiddies to go to CEO school.  The headline reads, "It's Never Been Easier to Be a C.E.O., and the Pay Keeps Rising."  https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/24/business/highest-paid-ceos-2018.html

The article links to the latest list of executive compensation.  https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/business/highest-paid-ceos-2018.html  Plowing through the numbers, you can see examples of very good performance, warranting high rewards, sometimes extravagantly high rewards, but also many examples of the inverse relationship between competence and reward referred to several inches above.  

By the way, where else have you ever seen in print "4,575,310%"?

Not A Product-Forward Blog

Monday, May 13, 2019

You wouldn't believe that we only reached a high temperature of 48˚ today, would you?

. . .

I practiced law for almost 14 years, entirely within the New York State court system, never in the employ of a private party.  Thus, I avoided any ethical/moral dilemma associated with representing an unpopular or unpleasant client.  Lawyers are expected to zealously represent their clients; it's what you would expect from your own attorney.  In civil matters, lawyers may try to stick to one side of disputes -- tenants in rent cases, employers in wrongful dismissal cases, husbands in matrimonial cases.  In criminal law, one side is always the People prosecuting an accused lawbreaker, so criminal lawyers are aligned with the "bad guys."  Sometimes, this association has implications outside the courtroom.  
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/11/us/ronald-sullivan-harvard.html

Ronald S. Sullivan Jr. has been the faculty dean of one of Harvard’s undergraduate residential houses since 2009, in conjunction with his wife, also a member of the law school faculty.  When Sullivan joined the team defending Harvey Weinstein against sexual assault charges in New York County, students objected by various means, graffiti, a sit-in and a law suit.  The students believe that, as the New York Times put it, "his decision to represent a person accused of abusing women disqualified Mr. Sullivan from serving in a role of support and mentorship to students." 

Harvard responded by terminating Sullivan's and his wife's position in the residential unit at the end of this semester.  Their faculty status remains unchanged.  Before I step back to allow rancorous debate to begin, note that Sullivan and his wife are African-Americans, the first ever appointed by Harvard as faculty deans.

. . .

Here is another dispute, far less prickly.  "A diner who spent more than six hours eating in a restaurant and then refused to pay the bill has been jailed for 34 weeks."  This took place in Cambridge, England late last year.  The bill amounted to $68.29, at the present rate of exchange. 
https://www.itv.com/news/2019-05-13/restaurant-diner-who-refused-to-pay-for-six-hour-meal-is-jailed/

I find two things remarkable about this event; 1) the perp sat in a restaurant for over six hours while only spending $68.29; 2) the restaurant's name is Frankie & Benny's, New York Italian Restaurant & Bar.  Somehow, I believe that if, in fact, this had occurred in an actual New York Italian restaurant and bar, somebody would have been hospitalized. 
. . .

I came across something called Gear Patrol, which I had never heard of, self-described as a publication for “young affluent men seeking inspiration for a life well lived . . . [containing] immersive stories, deals, buying advice, product-forward editorial, and reports from far-flung places."  Of those words, only "deals" spoke to me.  Skimlinks, a publishing industry web site that I also had never heard of, said that Gear Patrol's "mission was to focus on telling captivating stories while still writing about products and earning, whenever possible, commissions from the sales they drive."  How much do you get for inspiration?

Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Thanks to notorious thespian Paul Hecht for this contribution.  https://www.zumper.com/blog/2019/04/mapping-nyc-neighborhood-rents-spring-2019/

This article graphically presents the apartment rental picture in the Holy Land, showing that DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) is the second most expensive neighborhood to Tribeca (Triangle Below Canal), measured by the median rent of a one-bedroom apartment.  It also illustrates how much faith realtors place in snappy acronyms. 

. . .

Opinionated About Dining publishes surveys about restaurants around the world, gathered from "people who demonstrate knowledge and expertise on the subject of fine dining."  Obviously, I qualify.  Here is the latest list of cheap eats in North America.  

http://www.opinionatedaboutdining.com/2019/nacheapeats.html

. . .

Far removed from cheap eats is the latest list of the richest people in the United Kingdom.  

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sunday-times-rich-list-top-20-hl0k6kvzx?utm_source=Silverpop&utm_campaign=RA_Engagement_Global&utm_medium=email&utm_content=RL_Top_20

What's most interesting about this group is how un-British they seem to be.  The last names of only 8 of them are likely to be found in the first British telephone directory, published in 1896.  Names such as Hinduja, Blavatnik, Agarwal and Usmanov evoke exotic locations far from Britain's "green and pleasant land" and people more likely to have studied English as a second language than Shakespeare at Oxford.

If Brexit results in walling off the United Kingdom from the rest of the world, who actually will be ruling Britannia?

Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Today is National Chocolate Chip Day, so pronounced by the National Day Calendar, "the authoritative source for fun, unusual and unique National Days." 

https://nationaldaycalendar.com/

It could easily be one of my favorite holidays, without the undertone of sadness in so many Jewish holidays and the constant standing up and sitting down that characterize our services. 

I am concerned, however, with the presence of National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, observed annually on August 4th.  It's like someone at my birthday party in February reminding me that he has a birthday in September. 

Thursday, May 16, 2019

When I learned that one of my periodontist's children planned on taking a post-doc at the Sorbonne, I hastened to make an appointment with the good doctor to help out.  Conveniently, this brought me to Midtown at lunchtime, where I ventured into Urban Space Vanderbilt, 230 Park Avenue, the food court with more than 20 food vendors representing almost as many cuisines and countless customers 1/3 my age crowded at picnic tables.  I stopped at the booth combining two merchants, The Kati Roll Company and C.C. Saha & Granddaughter. 

There are 3 other Kati Rolls around Midtown, featuring paratha (Indian bread) or roti (Indian pancake) wrapped around some combination of meat, vegetables and spices.  I previously ate at one on East 53rd Street (November 28, 2018).  Today, I had a Kosha Mangsho Roll ($7.85), nothing to do with the name.  The roti cylinder contained "Hand-pulled tender goat meat, marinated and slow braised."  Quite delicious. 

Neither C.C. nor his granddaughter were personally serving the "Indo-Burmese Fine Foods" advertised, including the Momos at the center of the menu, described as "Tibetan Nepali Dumplings," thereby encompassing four countries and much of a very large continent, all at 6 for $5.99.  My tasty pan fried Momos were filled with ground chicken with soy sesame dipping sauce. 

On the way out, I stopped at one of the bakery stands, admired their Brooklyn Blackout Cake and informed the patient young woman at the counter about its origins at Ebinger's on Flatbush Avenue. 
https://www.6sqft.com/the-history-of-brooklyn-blackout-cake-german-bakeries-and-wwii-drills/

 

Friday, May 17, 2019

Here is a piece of good news for just about every resident of Manhattan Island and neighbors nearby.  Local commercial real estate rents are dropping sharply.  https://wolfstreet.com/2019/05/16/brick-mortar-meltdown-manhattan-style-asking-rents-plunge/

I imagine that they are still far from a bargain, but the movement is in the right direction.  Maybe someday we will see the return of independent clothing and shoe stores, tailors and seamstresses, owner-operated cafés, bars and bistros, toy and book stores that gave our streets such color and life.  

The only ones unhappy with this news are commercial landlords, not the most lovable characters, such as you-know-who.  They are people who, apparently, never saw a bank branch or a chain drugstore that they didn't like.   

Neighborhood

Monday, May 6, 2019

We had some good eats this weekend that are worth reporting.  Saturday night, joined by intrepid fellow travelers Jill & Steve, we celebrated Erev Cinco de Mayo at Fonda Chelsea, 189 Ninth Avenue, a contemporary Mexican restaurant.  The food, variations and updates on familiar themes, was quite good.  I started with Ensalada de Aguacate y Zanahorias, "avocados, roasted carrots, toasted pecans, soft goat cheese, sprouts and bibb lettuce drizzled with a lime mustard vinaigrette" ($11.95) and had as a main course Pollo Norteño, "boneless guajillo marinated chicken tossed with melted Chihuahua cheese, served in a skillet topped with chiles serranos 'toreados' and cured red onions, with warm hand pressed tortillas" ($23.95).  Only the hibiscus margarita was frozen ($15), the several other varieties served straight up.  In this case, the frozen margarita was sufficient to warm me up.

Sunday, we went to a catered event at Lincoln Ristorante, 142 West 65th Street, on the grounds of Lincoln Center.  We had eaten there before, but today we each had a superlative meal, even though we were in a crowd of almost 90 people being served simultaneously.  After passed hors d'oeuvres and drinks, we all had Insalata di Rucola, arugula, toasted walnuts, red onion, with Meyer lemon vinaigrette, and rigatoni with spring vegetables (asparagus and peas).  I chose the beef, Filetto Mignon, a nice chunk almost rare.  Everyone else at the table had the fish, Orata alla Griglia, grilled fillet of sea bass, delicious according to my date.  The meal did not ultimately rise to perfect, however; the dessert did not contain chocolate.
. . .

Sunday and Monday, my mobile telephone rang several times with calls from Sierra Leone (232 21 001963 and 232 21 001492) and Lithuania (370 650 17642 and 370 650 19682), none of which I answered.  However, if I were still awaiting my luggage from Casablanca, I might have picked up, in a fit of optimism. 

When I saw the first call, I was reminded of a comment by Henry David Thoreau, who retreated to Walden Pond near Concord, Massachusetts to escape the onrush of civilization emanating from Boston.  "We are in great haste to construct a magnetic telegraph from Maine to Texas; but Maine and Texas, it may be, have nothing important to communicate."  What might I hear from Sierra Leone, or what of interest might I convey to them?
. . .

Most of you are far too young to be concerned about the following: "Of the 30 most populous cities in the United States, New York has the largest share of households of renters age 60 and over — 572,132, to be precise."  And, their share of the market has been growing.  https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/03/realestate/over-60-renters.html

There is the convenience of moving or staying close to friends, families, the Metropolitan Opera, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the New York Mets.  The economics may also prove favorable, assuming some capital gains from disposing of residential property.  Using that equity to finance a comfortable, if overpriced, lifestyle as a renter might be preferable to keeping it tied up in real estate that eventually might pass to an ungrateful nephew last sighted in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
. . .

A practical reason to rent, not buy, if you are making a move in or around the Holy Land is the high cost of real estate.  This article shows that the Manhattan market has become a parlor game for the over-rewarded. 
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/02/realestate/following-the-money-in-residential-real-estate.html

"[T]he high cost of land combined with easily available capital made building anything but the highest-end properties unappealing to investors and developers" in the last two decades goes the explanation. 
. . .

My dear friend David McMullen teaches history at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, site of the latest (as of now) campus killings.  He had left his classroom one hour before and was safely home, this time.  Here is his commentary soon after the event.  https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/171892
. . .

If you lack a college degree, go job hunting in Toledo, Ohio, Anchorage, Alaska or Des Moines, Iowa, but avoid Washington, D.C., New York and Los Angeles according to this survey.  https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/02/business/economy/good-jobs-no-college-degrees.html  

Or stay put, take opioids and vote for someone who does not represent your interests.

Tuesday, May 7, 2019

Ever reliable Wo Hop, 17 Mott Street, hosted Michael Ratner, Mark Nazimova and me for lunch today.  Soup (two hot and sour them, one egg drop me), fried crispy noodles, boneless spareribs, shrimps with lobster sauce over shrimp fried rice and honey crispy chicken put us in such a good frame of mind that we were willing to answer Jerry Nadler's subpoenas. 

. . .

Not 24 hours after I cited my friend David McMullen's account of the UNC-C campus shooting, there was a fatal school shooting outside Denver.  Is this a great country or what?

 

Thursday, May 9, 2019

I may have been too busy eating, but the news of the remake of West Side Story by Steven Spielberg has just caught up with me. 

https://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/news/west-side-story-remake-release-date_88673.html/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=09may2019

I've seen the movie a couple of times over the years and I saw the play on Broadway late in its original run.  As is the case more often than not, I preferred the play to the movie, which unfortunately cast two non-singers in the lead roles.  However, I maintain a sentimental attachment to the movie primarily because of its opening scene, the stylized confrontation of the Jets and the Sharks, choreographed by Jerome Robbins.  The scene takes place on a pile of rubble, which allows the respective gang members to jump in and out and up and down as they demonstrate their mutual animosity. 

This was real rubble, not some Styrofoam construct on a Hollywood sound stage.  It resulted from the demolition of residential and commercial buildings to be replaced by Lincoln Center and adjacent properties.  The pile of rubble sits on the actual fictional location of the story on Manhattan's West Side.  More important, the pile of rubble sits on the ground upon which the Palazzo di Gotthelf would later rise.  Neither a Shark nor a Jet, I remain devoted to this turf.

I feel less conflicted about the remake in process.  Is this trip necessary? -- the question that was asked of civilians during WWII to encourage the conservation of fuel.  Remakes, just like adaptations of plays and books, too often are inferior to the originals even with the technical improvements that come with the passage of time.  The only aspect of this effort that interests me is the employment of Tony Kushner to write the screenplay.  Kushner, Oscar nominee, Tony winner, Pulitzer Prize winner, is my neighbor and he too lives above what was once only a pile of rubble. 

Friday, May 10, 2019
Speaking of Tony Kushner, this evening we went to a production of Caroline, or Change, a play with book and lyrics by Tony Kushner.  It centers on a young Jewish boy and his family's black maid and the racial climate surrounding them.  It is set in Lake Charles, Louisiana in 1963 at a time when Kushner was living there as a boy. 

Besides the evident challenges of the material, we were drawn to this performance at the Astoria Performing Arts Center, 21-12 30th Road, Astoria by the casting of our friend Scott Mendelsohn as the boy's father.  He and the entire cast were first-rate and we hope that this run is extended beyond the end of May.  I may have to hang out in the lobby, cornering Tony when he comes down to walk his poodle.  That has to be more effective than a "like" on Facebook. 

Food Street

Monday, April 29, 2019
There are a couple of interesting studies of how and where people are living in America today.  The first tells us about adults living with their parents, usually as a result of economic pressure. 
https://www.magnifymoney.com/blog/life-events/where-adults-still-live-with-their-parents/

The top 10 places where the nest remains occupied are an interesting mix, led by Riverside, California, known for a large university and little else.  It was followed by Miami, Los Angeles and New York, with high costs of living.  Notably missing are Rust Belt cities, where young adults seemed to have shown some initiative and got out of town as the industrial base shrunk.  Most curious is the gender profile of stay-at-homes, more men than women in most cities.

If you are finally ready to make a move and go out on your own, you might seek a congenial setting.  Another study sorts three basic population groups -- Baby Boomers, Generation X and Millennials -- into their most supportive locations.  There are some interesting flip-flops; Raleigh is reputedly the worst place for Baby Boomers, but among the best for Generation X; Las Vegas rates high for Baby Boomers, but is near the bottom for Millennials. 
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/25/realestate/the-best-cities-ranked-by-age-group.html
. . .

When I first read that the remains of 1,214 Nazi victims, surely almost entirely Jews, were discovered in Brest, Belarus, a former Soviet Socialist Republic, I forwarded the article to Grigoriy K., who left Grodno, Belarus, the capital, in 1993. 
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/27/world/europe/belarus-holocaust-mass-grave.html

A straight line between Berlin and Moscow slices right through Belarus, making it a killing field for its Jews.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holocaust_in_Belarus

Grigoriy responded quickly and plaintively.  "In 40 years [in Grodno] I met only one Jewish man, was told his father survived with partisans." 
. . .

The annual Tony Awards for Broadway performances are approaching and the weekend arts section was full of full-page advertisements for all possible contending shows.  One of the biggest hits with excellent reviews has been To Kill A Mockingbird, the Broadway version of the fabulously successful novel published in 1960, which is why I never read it.  I was in colIege at the time and took only one literature class, satire with Edgar Johnson, chairman of the English Department.  Otherwise, we were too busy at CCNY reading Marx and Lenin to be reading Harper Lee.   

I had some recollection of the movie, though.  Gregory Peck standing as tall as Atticus Finch (Academy Award for Best Actor 1963) as he did earlier as Philip Schuyler Green in Gentleman's Agreement (Academy Award for Best Actor 1948).  Righteous gents. 

I left the play thoroughly underwhelmed.  Finch only departs from substituting gentility for conscience when his own children are threatened.  The death of Tom Robinson is almost taken for granted.  Maybe we were supposed to be satisfied that he was not lynched by a mob, merely shot to death in a supposed prison break. 

 

Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Michael Ratner and I returned to our native land, going to the Brooklyn Public Library to see an exhibit on the Jewish refugees in Shanghai during WWII.  My original wife was born in Shanghai to a couple who fled Vienna after the Anschluss.  They were among 15,000 to 20,000 European Jews who had nowhere else to go, having been stripped of their citizenship wherever the Nazis reigned.  

The exhibit was thin, only still photographs and photocopies, but a good introduction for those unfamiliar with the plight of these people, living under the authority of the Japanese Army as the Germans pressured it to institute harsh, or worse, anti-Jewish policies. 

Before the exhibit we had lunch at Cheryl's Global Soul, 236 Underhill Avenue, less than half a block from the library.  It's a comfortable place and it emphasizes comfort food.  One wall is white-painted brick, opposite raw pine planks, which also cover much of the ceiling.  Color came from the portraits of, not by, Frida Kahlo on the white wall.  There are 15 two tops, which were all occupied at lunchtime. 

We both ordered the very good fried chicken sandwich on a brioche bun ($10.25).  Since we still react as teenagers to certain stimuli, we shared an order of French fries, as well ($5).  I was disappointed, however, that the iced tea ($3.25) was not replenished for free. 

Wednesday, May 1, 2019
One graphic in this article in the New York Times tells the story.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/01/upshot/all-white-neighborhoods-are-dwindling-as-america-grows-more-diverse.html

In 1980, more than 25% of the census tracts in the US were almost entirely non-Hispanic white, 97% or more of the residents.  By 2017, that percentage has shrunk to under 5%.  On the whole, this has resulted from minorities moving into neighborhoods, more often than not in the suburbs, that once rejected them implicitly or explicitly.  A counter-movement, but of a smaller dimension, has been the gentrification of urban neighborhoods, young white families looking for bargains and older white empty-nesters seeking the conveniences of a dense urban environment. 

So far, though, public education in New York City and similar locations has not seemed to benefit from these population shifts.  Arguably, minority families that can afford suburban living might have been the bulwarks of a stronger public school system.  However, their lack of confidence in the urban public school system may have driven them away in the first place.  A lot of money will be needed to attempt to break this cycle, with no certainty of success.

Thursday, May 2, 2019
When asked what New York has that Los Angeles lacks, Mark Kolber once answered concisely, "The Statue of Liberty."  While I can't improve on that response, I will offer an additional perspective. 

The distance between 2nd Avenue and 3rd Avenue on East 53rd Street is 610 feet, shorter than some other crosstown blocks, such as 5th Avenue to 6th Avenue at 920 feet, or 6th Avenue to 7th Avenue at 800 feet.  What I observed there today, though, helps set the Holy Land far apart and above other cities, anywhere.

About 1/3 of the block on each side of the street is occupied by high-rise office and residential buildings.  So, roughly, there is about 800 feet of street-level space for rent, 400 on each side of East 53rd Street between 2nd Avenue and 3rd Avenue.  In that space, now operating are Hudson Malone Grill, Antico Noè Panini of Florence, Obao Noodles & BBQ, Angelo Bellini Italian Restaurant, Cello Wine, Cocktails  & Good Eats, La Gioconda Italian Restaurant, Lucky Cat [Japanese], Peking Duck House, Gotham Coffee [more of a candy and tobacco store], Hot Kichen [Chinese], Le Petit Parisien, Beard Papa's Fresh and Natural Cream Puffs, Insomnia Cookies, Go! Go! Curry, Shishi Ramen, Little Tong Noodle Shop, Souvlaki GR, Vote for Pedro, Little Thai Kitchen, Strangelove Cheap Beer Punk Rock, and The Kati Roll Company.  

That is 21 different places to get something to eat.  Not a food court, not a food hall under one roof.  There is also a bookstore, a frame shop, a center for Sikh prayer and meetings, and several empty storefronts scattered among them.  What do you have?

By the way, I ate at Antico Noè Panini of Florence, 220 East 53rd Street, the local branch of a long-established Florentine sandwich shop.  I had the #4, "Antico Noè’s Famous Stuffed Chicken with Prosciutto Cotto, Mortadella, Sautéed Mushrooms, Fresh Mozzarella & Antico Noè's Famous Rosé Sauce" ($13) on an 8" long Italian roll, pressed down and toasted, which makes a panini a panini.  It was good, but the pressure and the heat made distinguishing the ingredients near impossible without a scorecard.