Holiday Travel

Saturday, November 22, 2025

This is a date as does September 11th that pulls me back to the past. There are other anniversaries that I am able to remember, my mind remaining more efficient than some other body parts. However, the shock of these two days has etched almost every minute into my memory. Although stunned, what I did, what I felt is still vivid.

There is a special poignancy today, the 62nd anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s assassination, in reading the essay by Tatiana Schlossberg, Caroline Kennedy’s daughter, his granddaughter about her terminal cancer diagnosis. 

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-weekend-essay/a-battle-with-my-blood

I find this young woman’s situation especially touching, even among the tragedies in her rambling family. There is no gun, there is no airplane cutting off her life. Her own body is her enemy as it might be inexplicably for any of us. 

Sunday, November 23, 2025 

There is increasing talk about a real estate bubble, dramatic increases in appreciation that may prove unsustainable. UBS, a major Swiss financial firm, analyzed residential property prices in 21 major cities around the world. Miami showed the highest bubble risk among the cities in this study, followed by Tokyo and Zurich, while generally global home prices remained virtually unchanged in inflation-adjusted terms.

https://www.ubs.com/global/en/media/display-page-ndp/en-20250923-grebi25.html

High real estate prices, whether sustainable or not, have either driven people out of the market or kept them from entering, thus our domestic affordability crisis. Ezra Klein, an astute journalist, made the following observation: “the hard problem at the heart of housing politics: It’s the people who already have homes who have a voice in local politics and planning. They often like their neighborhood the way it is. They don’t want more traffic or new neighbors or the hassle of nearby construction. What’s in it for them?” https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/23/opinion/housing-crisis-america.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

On the other hand, there seems to be a conscious effort to welcome strangers in some locations, at least as visitors if not neighbors. According to Time Out magazine, these cities are the most welcoming according to their inhabitants:

1. Porto, Portugal
2. Bilbao, Spain
3. Medellin, Colombia
4. Cape Town, South Africa
5. Lagos, Nigeria

https://www.timeout.com/news/these-are-the-worlds-20-friendliest-cities-according-to-locals-102725#

Might I suggest that local pickpockets were among the most eager participants in the survey?

Monday, November 24, 2025

Of course, I had to eat lunch. As I was returning to the West Side from the Least Side, I stopped at Sandwell, 412 Amsterdam Avenue, the second of two local stores. It claims to offer “hearty & healthyish toasted sandwiches,” mostly for takeout. I sat at one of the four two-tops; there is also a ledge with six stools facing the window and two two-tops outside on the sidewalk.

My turkey meatball sub, “turkey meatballs in classic sunday (sic) marinara sauce, provolone, parmesan, basil oil, arugula,” on a toasted 7” sandwich roll, was hearty and maybe healthyish ($14). All of their beverages, teas, juices and sparkling water, were $4 or more. A majority of their sandwiches are built on chicken and they offer a handful of salads as well.

Tuesday, November 25, 2025

I had lunch nearby today at the Gyro Project, 2062 Broadway. It's a bright, airy place that brings a sidewalk gyro cart indoors. I had a big salad with chicken shaved off a big vertical spit, olives, pickles, pita wedges, Greek slaw topped with tahini dressing ($16.95). It outlasted me. Their choices of cold soda included Coke Zero. 

 

Wednesday, November 26, 2025

If Mother Ruth Gotthelf were alive today, she would be 116-years old and she would remind you of it. 

 

Thursday, November 27, 2025

Whether it’s a byproduct of being an alte kocker or an insightful comment on contemporary manners and mores, I admit that I am often disappointed in the younger generations. However, bright spots do pop up. For instance, teenage Ari, one of Stony Brook Steve’s grandsons, just laid out an interesting excursion, visiting every Holy Land subway line in the most efficient way. His goal was to meet up with each of the system’s 28 lines, not necessarily to ride them.

There is another recognized subway challenge to hit all 472 stations in the least time, a record now held by a Swiss woman in 22 hours, 14 minutes and 10 seconds.

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

Ari’s plan:

 

LINE	FROM	TO
3	72nd St	34th St - Penn Station
A	34th St – Penn Station	42nd St – Port Authority
E	42nd St – Port Authority	5th Ave/53rd St
M	5th Ave/53rd St	34th St – Herald Square
N	34th St – Herald Square	Canal St
Q	Canal St	14th St
R	14th St	42nd St – Times Square
7	42nd St – Times Square	Queens Plaza
7 Exp	Queens Plaza	42nd St - Grand Central
4	42nd St - Grand Central	86th St
5	86th St	Lexington Ave/59th St
6	Lexington Ave/59th St	42nd St – Grand Central
S	42nd St – Grand Central	42nd St – Times Square
D	42nd St – Bryant Park	Herald Square – 34th St
B	Herald Square – 42nd St	Broadway/Lafayette St
F	Broadway/Lafayette St	Delancey St/Essex St
Z	Delancey St/Essex St	Chauncey St
J	Chauncey St	Broadway Junction
L	Broadway Junction	Metropolitan Ave/Lorimer St
G	Metropolitan Ave/Lorimer St	Hoyt/Schermerhorn St
C	Hoyt/Schermerhorn St	Franklin Ave
S	Franklin Ave	Botanic Garden
2	Botanic Garden	Chambers St
1	Chambers St	South Ferry
Bonus	Staten Island Ferry back and forth
W	Whitehall St	Times Square – 42nd St
2	Times Square – 42nd St	72nd St

 

.  .  .

 

America's Favorite Epidemiologist started preparing her Thanksgiving meal weeks ago, making sure that the ample spread was just right. She fed us Aunt Judi's Meatballs (actually just a naming convention, although Aunt Judi was present her role was solely as a guest), couscous, potato leek soup, green salad with apples and cranberries, turkey, stuffing, sweet potato soufflé with honeyed pecans, mushroom spinach strudel, chocolate cream pie, chocolate chip mandelbrot, lemon sorbet and mango sorbet, and a donated chocolate chip pie, which I won't even get to until tomorrow. The guests were all family and they deserve the best.