Friday, January 23, 2026

Bye Bye Bay

Saturday, January 17, 2026
Clearly, the outstanding value of this trip to the Left Coast is the opportunity to spend time with my young bride, sharing experiences and testing her patience. As each day goes by, I am reminded how fortunate I am.
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Another example of my good fortune is the company of America’s Loveliest Nephrologist and the Oakland Heartthrob. They picked us up this morning for a visit to Sonoma County where they have plans to build a vacation home. 

We had lunch at Salt & Stone, 9900 Sonoma Highway, Kenwood. It’s a big restaurant, combining farmhouse and Swiss chalet. We shared Burrata & Fried Flatbread, with “Oven Dried Tomatoes, Roasted Garlic, Kalamata Olives Frisée, Chive Oil & Chili Flakes,” absolutely delicious ($16). I washed it down with a raspberry lemonade mimosa, sufficiently alcoholic in spite of its fey name ($10). 

My main course was Crab & Bay Shrimp Melt, 
“Avocado, Tomato, Gruyere Gratin on Sliced Sourdough” with French fries ($26). Not up to the burrata.
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41.9 million people are a lot of people. That’s how many people live in Jakarta, Indonesia, making it the largest city in the world. It replaces Tokyo, now the third largest with a mere 33 million.
By the latest estimates, no state has as many people as Jakarta. California is the most populous with 39,896,400 people, Texas next with 32,416,699 + Ted Cruz.

Sunday, January 18, 2026
In these difficult times, with freedom on the line, stand up, choose your side and order a prune Danish.
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The Fab Four went to see Israeli comedian Yohay Sponder on his “Self-Loving Jew” tour. I found him funny mostly, but overly chauvinistic at times. He performed at the Palace of Fine Arts, 3301 Lyon Street, San Francisco, a beautiful landmark, originally built in 1915, known for its Greco-Roman rotunda. The 961 seat theater was nearly full, including many Israelis and no demonstrators.
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After the show, we went for dinner at Greens Restaurant, 2 Marina Boulevard, San Francisco,  occupying a large building on the waterfront. It has a capacity of about 200 and it was near full. It is strictly vegetarian, but shhh, I had a lot to eat and I enjoyed it.

We shared a bunch of things: a Falafel Platter, “seasonal hummus, muhammara [dip based on roasted red peppers and walnuts], lemon labneh [strained yogurt)], crudite, house made pita, olives, marcona almonds, orange balsamic marinated beets” ($28); Fried Cauliflower, “remoulade, our ‘Bay’ seasoning, lemon ($23); Grilled Polenta, “blue cheese cream sauce, roasted wild mushrooms, carmelized onions, toasted walnuts, fried sage leaves ($23); Butternut Squash Pizza, “carmelized onions, Asiago cheese, fried sage, walnuts, Grana Padano (Italian cow’s milk cheese) ($28); Hodo Tofu Brochettes, “sweet potato, cremini mushrooms, cipollini onions, couscous & pomegranate salad, tahini garlic cashew cream, zhug sauce [chiles, cilantro, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and spices] ($34). No dessert.

Monday, January 19, 2026
I have been driving a rental car around the Bay Area and have observed two very scary things. First, the roads are loaded with Teslas, so you can understand how that guy got very rich. Out here, gasoline is particularly expensive, $4-5 per gallon, making electric vehicles especially attractive. The other thing is the driverless taxi, the Waymo, owned by Google. They use electric Jaguars with an assortment of gadgets sticking out all over to calibrate the environment. 

I’ve driven next to them, but not in them. From the outside they look fine, no obvious boneheaded moves. Could they cope with the chaos of New York streets? I may be too much of a homer to concede that our worst traffic isn’t the best worst traffic.
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We drove a conventional car the conventional way to Daly City, south of San Francisco, to meet Laurence and Mark for lunch at Kaan Kiin Brunch & Thai Eatery, 201 Southgate Avenue, which has drawn positive attention from Michelin. Problem? At lunch time, the brunch comes before the Thai. The joint turns into an all-American diner. The real thing is available only at dinner.

I ordered as ethnic as I could find, Bangkok Golden, “Thai street-style fluffy scramble eggs with Dungeness crab, shrimp, scallops, calamari, onion, bell pepper in house curry sauce served with jasmine rice and house salad” ($32). It was very good and generously portioned, but only modestly Thai.

Tuesday, January 20,2016
In anticipation of a good dinner, we sought a simple lunch at the Doyle Street Cafe, 5515 Doyle Street, Emeryville. However, the quality of the food and service are worth noting. The large, high ceiling space must have had an industrial purpose in the past. The neighborhood itself combines residential and industrial structures.

I ordered a Garden Salad, red onions, red bell pepper, roasted beets, avocado, cherry tomatoes, English cucumber, heart of palm, and mixed greens with balsamic dressing plus six grilled prawns (not shrimp, I don’t know why) ($26). The ingredients were very fresh and I got three refills of Coke Zero ($3.50) although the glass was crowded with ice. 
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I first went to Scoma’s on Fisherman's Wharf about 50 years ago when I was living in Los Angeles. I have been there several more times over the years. Tonight, Andrea and Nate drove up from Los Altos to meet us there for dinner. While the distance from our hotel is 11 miles, it took us one hour and four minutes to get there during rush hour, theoretically against traffic.

While the company was first-rate, the dinner was disappointing. The sourdough bread was very good as was the bowl of clam chowder that I started with ($14). However, the fish and chips, on the menu as "crispy 'Firestone 805' beer batter, fresh Pacific cod," was only partially true. I can't confirm that they used Firestone 805 pale ale in the preparation, but the results were far from crispy, soggy in fact. The large portion of chips were conventional French fries. Of course, Scoma's has a large menu and I might have just landed on a weak spot. After all these years, it deserves another try.

Wednesday, January 21, 2026
We had brunch at 900 Grayson, 900 Grayson Street, Berkeley, a simple, friendly, funky place, away from the busier, college-focused part of town. Our company was my grandnephew Tomas and his companion Lehna who live south of San Francisco. They met at UC Santa Cruz and are now in masters programs locally.

I had a buttermilk waffle covered by two pieces of fried chicken and Vermont maple syrup ($17). It was remarkably good. 
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With a free afternoon, Madam and I went to the movies to see Marty Supreme. It’s an excellent movie, best described as frenetic. Most of us on Social Security will probably come away breathless. 
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After the movie, we went to Shimizu Sushi Restaurant, 4290 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, in a neighborhood that (blessedly) had many small, owner-operated restaurants. 

I started with Yaki Fry, four fabulously crunchy fried oysters, best I’ve ever had ($11.50). Then, a very fresh tasting, eight piece avocado and eel sushi roll ($11.50).
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By happy coincidence, walking back to the car, we had to pass Fentons Creamery, 4266 Piedmont Avenue, an ice cream parlor in business well over 100 years. We bought a hand-packed pint to take back to the hotel. It contained blueberry cheesecake and cream caramel almond crunch, some really good ice cream ($11).

What a day!

Thursday, January 21, 2026
San Jose, California has a population of over one million people and five COSTCO stores. The plan to open a sixth has been challenged in court without success. https://share.google/KLAYjD9vjiASamhpd

Objections included the prospective size of the store and its proximity to a high school. I understand especially the latter concern. Lots of kids would head to COSTCO to get those all-beef, quarter-pound hotdogs selling for $1.50 with unlimited soda instead of hiding under the bleachers on the athletic field smoking weed.

Thursday, January 22, 2026
With some idle time, we went to Gardensia, Archipelago Designs, 2820 8th Street, Berkeley. It describes itself as “Art and Accents from South-East Asia for Garden and Home,” but in reality it could call itself a museum and charge admission.


It has a fabulous collection of art and artifacts, originals and reproductions from that vast subcontinent.  Sekti Artanegara, the proprietor, is very friendly and informative.
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Speaking of friendly, when we finished at Gardensia, we noticed that we were just around the corner from 900 Grayson, the friendly place where we had breakfast yesterday, in time for lunch. We both chose the Charlie, “Coriander Crusted Rare Ahi Tuna, House Pickled Ginger & Carrot Slaw, Wasabi Aioli, Acme Bun” ($16.50) with a side salad (she) or French fries (me). An excellent choice.
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Eating well has been a motif of our trip and tonight we went out with a bang. The Fab Four went to the legendary Chez Panisse, 1517 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley. We ate upstairs off the à la carte menu; downstairs is a price fixed, four course menu at $175 plus 10.25% tax and 17% service charge. The menus change daily.

The food was good, not great overall. We got two salads, Little Gem lettuce with crème fraîche dressing, tarragon, mint and radishes ($20); and radicchio salad with marinated beets, toasted walnuts and sherry vinaigrette ($21).

My main course was braised Moroccan-spiced lamb with couscous, cauliflower, harissa and chermoula (North African spice based on cilantro, parsley, and garlic) ($43). The portion was modest, the lamb very tender, the spices muted. Dessert was excellent, bittersweet chocolate custard with crème chantilly and bourbon-pecan cookies ($15).

Remembering David Goldfarb, we drank 2020 Cour-Cheverny, Romo, Domaine des Huards from the Loire Valley ($68). In all, memorable for the company and closing two wonderful weeks.

Friday, January 23, 2026
We ended the longer leg of our vacation and flew to Palm Springs for a few days visiting with Barbara and Bernie, cousins of cousins. They have lovely, art-filled home in Palm Desert with a casita (free-standing dwelling), just right for easterners avoiding the storm a bit longer.
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The four of us went to dinner at Pacifica Seafood Restaurant, 73505 El Paseo, Palm Desert, a big, sprawling space whose 365 seats were mostly occupied and being well served.  

I had a very good seafood stew, a small lobster tail, shrimp, scallops, mussels, salmon and whitefish in a tomato broth ($49). The sourdough bread on the table was excellent as was the case at several restaurants in the Bay Area, less common in the East.
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Away from home, not getting a newspaper on your doorstep and facing unfamiliar news broadcasts, you can feel a temporary relief from the weight of the world. Maybe that guy isn’t the President. It can’t be that easy.
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Saturday, January 17, 2026

Baby Face

Saturday, January 10, 2026
In case you didn’t make it to shul this morning or any morning, here is a concise statement of basic Jewish teachings of universal value.

We had lunch at the home of America’s Loveliest Nephrologist and the Oakland Heartthrob and then went with them to see “An Evening With David Sedaris” at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. He read a half dozen or more of his recent essays in his droll fashion. I didn't realize that he was recording an audiobook at first, accounting for several annoying starts and stops. The audience was very appreciative nevertheless and much straighter than I expected it to be.

Before the show, we ate at Jupiter, 2181 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, which looks like a cross between a hunting lodge and a fraternity house. It serves excellent pizza. I had the Odysseus, “A garlic sauce base topped with fontina, asiago, and our house mushroom mix with cremini, portabella, and white mushrooms,” 9” pie for $19. 

Sunday, January 11, 2026
Hessy Levinsons Taft as an infant appeared on the cover of a Nazi magazine in Germany promoting her as the ideal Aryan baby, a distinction complicated by the fact that she was Jewish.

Jacobi Meyers, Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver, born 1996 vs. Jacoby & Meyers, personal injury law firm, formed 1972.
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Equal justice under law, Part 2 
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While President Trump had warned that the United States would intercede if the Iranian government killed peaceful protesters, he apparently has been distracted by the need to kill peaceful protestors here at home.

Monday, January 12, 2026
Newlyweds Jeanne (CCNY ‘63) and Martin spent the day showing us a different California, not the sprawl of greater Los Angeles or the variety of Bay Area hip. We drove through Marin County to the Pacific Coast, stopping in Stinson Beach and Point Reyes. Part of the drive had the death-defying character of Italy’s Amalfi Coast, turn your head and see a sheer drop of hundreds of feet. We kept our whimpering in the back seat to a minimum.

We had lunch at Parkside, 43 Arenal (not Arsenal) Avenue, Stinson Beach, which encompasses a bakery, a cafe and a snack bar. I had fish and chips, befitting the oceanfront location. There were two pieces of beer-battered cod and a large portion of French fries, not the traditional British chips, but I’m not complaining. However, at $32, it was pricey.

Tuesday, January 13, 2026
The Silence of the Lambs
Where are our progressives when the Iranian government kills its citizens? Is it okay that only Muslims kill Muslims? Must the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei be Jewish to rouse indignation?
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Nephrologist, Heartthrob, Epidemiologist and I went to dinner tonight at Popoca Cucina & Bar, 906 Washington Street, Oakland. Popoca “serves progressive Salvadoran food” and does it very well. It occupies two rooms, the second a covered patio. The main room, holding about 20 two-tops in various configurations, has a large, exposed brick wall, keeping the noise level high.

The menu was unique in my experience. We shared Nabos Asados, grilled Riverdog Farm turnips, brown butter, cream, lime, relajo (Salvadoran spice blend), panela (mild cheese) ($16); Pupusa de Hongos, oyster mushrooms, queso (cheese), lemon, burnt butter ($9); Pupusa de Loroco, loroco (an edible flower), perejil (parsley), queso ($8). Pupusa is the national dish of El Salvador, a thick, corn or rice flour tortilla. I then had Pollo en Chicha, chicken glazed in fermented pineapple sauce, prunes, olives, radish, potatoes ($36). A bottle of Bohemia Beer from Mexico went well with this ($6).

Wednesday, January 14, 2026
Madam and I drove to Tiburon, a lovely, upscale town on San Francisco Bay. We were invited to lunch at the home of Annie and Dick R. (Cornell ‘67) and what a home it is.  It’s the kind of home where you say, “I wonder who lives there?” Its style and dimensions are impressive and it has a spectacular view from its hilltop location.

Dick trained as an engineer and has been a very successful business strategist and entrepreneur. He also proved to be a very talented chef, much to my delight. He served the best guacamole that I have ever tasted and steamed mussels in a vegetable broth. Ice cream for dessert can't hurt.

Thursday, January 15, 2026
Collective bargaining vs. Collective guilt
Today's paper:
"N.Y.C. Bakery Workers Demand Owners Stop Supporting ‘Israeli Occupation’
Workers at the popular New York City chain Breads Bakery, who are trying to unionize, included the demand in a list alongside higher wages and special overtime pay"
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I was left alone for lunch, so I walked across the street from our hotel to The Public Market, 5959 Shellmound Street, Emeryville, a food court housing 18 vendors with some empty slots. Paradita Eatery offers “Modern Peruvian Street Food.” I bought Lomo Salgado, absolutely the messiest sandwich that I have ever eaten, containing stir fried beef tenderloin, tomatoes, onions, pisco-soy reduction, topped with fries and chile rocoto (Peruvian pepper) aioli ($18). It was fabulous. Fortunately, there was a bathroom right next to the booth. 

With more or less clean hands, I went to Mr. Dewie’s Cashew Creamery for an ice cream surrogate made with cashew milk. I had two scoops, chocolate cookie crumble and chocolate orange chip ($9.50). They were very chocolatey and just about tasted like the real thing, and, if it were, I would expect to pay a couple of dollars less.
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Our Fab Four went to dinner at Belotti Ristorante e Bottega, 5403 College Avenue, Oakland, an intimate place that has drawn favorable mention from Michelin.

Its focus is pasta, an interesting variety of sizes and shapes. I had Bilogi Al Sugo D’Anatra, bilogi (thick, spaghetti-like) pasta, duck sauce, orange zest, Grana Padano cheese (hard, granular cow’s-milk cheese) ($19.95). It was very good, distinctive from the typical red sauce dish.

Friday, January 16, 2026
We had lunch with Margarita K. (Stuyvesant ‘07, Harvard ‘11) who has a very successful career in finance out here. I first met her as a four-year old, new to America, in 1993. 

We ate at Il Parco, 215 Lincoln Boulevard, a cafe on the grounds of the Presidio, once a formidable military base, dating back to 1776. Now, it’s a park with beautiful views of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco Bay. Il Parco is a grab-and-go joint with a variety of seating outdoors. Clear skies, mild temperatures made for a delightful experience.

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For dinner, madam and I sought an Indian restaurant, not terribly common around here. More uncommon even was an Indian restaurant with a parking space. We wound up at Marigold Indian Eats, 4868 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland, a very modest place with four two-tops and two two-tops. It was devoid of decoration and it must have been the owner or his wife serving as waiter.

I had rogan josh, eight small cubes of lamb in a thick red sauce ($20.99). The spiciness was balanced nicely by basmati rice and Diet Coke.
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Saturday, January 10, 2026

In With The New

Saturday, January 3, 2026
I must have been wrong in thinking that Donald Trump did not listen to Harry Belafonte’s music.

Hey! 
Matilda, Matilda, Matilda 
She take me money and run Venezuela

Sunday, January 4, 2026
The Times of London says “Forget Manhattan — this is New York’s most exciting borough“ and they mean Queens. 

They point out that “Guinness World Records crowned New York’s largest borough, on the western end of Long Island, the most ethnically diverse urban area on the planet,” with at least 138 languages spoken here and cuisines to match. 

Monday, January 5, 2026
Serious attention is deservedly being paid to this administration’s real and threatened territorial grabs in Venezuela, Cuba and Greenland. Meanwhile, a shift in sovereignty is being launched locally. 

A little hometown geography first. The Holy Land is the only American city that I know of that includes more than one county, five in fact, called boroughs, borrowed from the British. With the exception of the Bronx and a sliver of northern Manhattan, they are detached from the continental United States. Staten Island, Richmond County, is somewhat physically removed from the rest of New York City, sitting in New York Harbor closer to New Jersey. It is also separated from the other boroughs politically, demographically and culturally.

The typical Staten Island resident is more likely to be a cop or a firefighter than a librarian or social worker. He (pardon me) is white, Christian and native born. He is inevitably Republican, voting for Trump in the last three elections and a variety of local Republican candidates. The result — Secession and the creation of a 51st state, reliably Republican and conservative. While Stephen Miller threatens Greenland out loud, he is quietly leading a task force to liberate Staten Island, intent on yielding two more senators and one representative to do God’s work in Washington.

Remember, you heard it here last.

Tuesday, January 6, 2026
Today is the fifth anniversary of the Second American Civil War. Like the First, the Bad Guys lost originally, but wound up winning. This time, it only took one election to turn the results upside down. 
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I had lunch at Tacos Grand Central, 711 Second Avenue, a very small and very busy place. It has only two four-tops and two ledges with seven stools. I was one of the few customers to sit and eat, most grabbed and went.

I ordered the lunch special, three tacos and a can of soda for $12. You can choose corn or flour tortillas, beef, chicken or pork filling, cilantro and onion dressing or lettuce, tomato and cotija cheese. I had chicken on corn tortillas with cilantro and onion. It was a little dry; the lettuce, tomato and cheese probably would have been better and messier. Still, a good lunch.

Wednesday, January 7, 2026
In less than five years, 7th Street Burgers has grown from its original East 7th Street location to over two dozen spots in New York, New Jersey and the DC area. And that’s with a menu that contains only hamburgers, fries and soft drinks. Their hamburgers are smashburger style, flattened, cooked fast with well-done edges.

I ate at 424 Amsterdam Avenue, a place where you could pack 12 very good friends, at most. I had a double cheeseburger with onion and pickle on a potato bread bun ($9.50) and fried matchstick potatoes ($4.50). As its website promises, the hamburger was “Gloriously greasy,” my fingers carrying the wonderful smell for more than an hour after I finished eating.

Thursday, January 8, 2026
Equal justice under law, except -- https://www.nber.org/papers/w34643

Friday, January 9, 2026
The Upper West Side’s Power Couple heads for California today. For more than two weeks we will be meeting family and friends in the Bay Area with a side jaunt to Palm Desert. Reports will follow.

The Other Gotthelf Curse is still in effect. Our departure gate #33 was one building over and at the end of the 31-47 bank, the numbers going from high to low, preparing you to face a meaningless universe where you can never know what to expect. The flight itself was uneventful and we are settled in our hotel room. We rented a car at the airport from Alamo, which upgraded us to a VW SUV upon seeing my ample dimensions. It has Texas license plates, tempting me to display my most obnoxious road manners.
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Saturday, January 3, 2026

Out With The Old

Saturday, December 27, 2025
The Times of Israel reported today: “Thousands of protesters are expected to take to the streets in the nation’s largest cities on Saturday night amid a series of damning reports about Qatar’s ties with aides to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.” This statement alone provides two major reasons to remain engaged with Israel. Vigorous public dissent is part of its political process, not the case in any of its neighbors. The many domestic opponents of the current regime need to be encouraged.
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I’ve been a sports fan all of my conscious life, focusing on New York teams. Additionally, some major events attracted me, such as the Kentucky Derby and Indianapolis 500, more for the spectacle than any rooting interest. New Year’s Day offered the Rose Bowl, two of college football’s best teams, preceded by a colorful parade. There was also the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl, usually featuring college teams a cut below.

Today, the last Saturday before the New Year, a variety of college football bowl games are being played across the country and televised nationally. The choices include the Go Bowling Military Bowl, the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl, the Wasabi Fenway Bowl, the Pop Tarts Bowl and the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl. In this regard, I do not believe that civilization has advanced.

Sunday, December 28, 2025
Metropolitan Diary appears every Sunday in the New York Times. It consists of “an anecdote, memory, quirky encounter or overheard snippet of conversation” submitted by readers. I made it twice so far, Aunt Judi once.

The best entry of 2025 was selected by a poll. I love it.
 Dear Diary:

I went to a new bagel store in Brooklyn Heights with my son.

When it was my turn to order, I asked for a cinnamon raisin bagel with whitefish salad and a slice of red onion.

The man behind the counter looked up at me.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I can’t do that.”

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New College of Florida, in Sarasota, is not to be confused with the New School in Greenwich Village. New College, originally private and now public, started in 1964. Until recently, it combined elements of Hampshire College, Simon’s Rock, and Reed College, in other words loosey goosey. At the direction of Governor Ron Desantis, that has changed. It now has a curriculum rooted in the Great Books. 

The most dramatic example of the newness of New College is the plan to erect a statue of Charlie Kirk on campus. He’s the guy who, before he was shot dead, said: "It's worth it to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year, so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights.” He called Martin Luther King, Jr., "awful" and "not a good person." This was consistent with his view of empathy: "I can't stand the word empathy, actually. I think empathy is a made up new age term that does a lot of damage." 

A statue? Maybe at Mar-a-Lago, but not on a college campus.

Monday, December 29, 2025
Speaking of bagels, New Absolute Bagels, 2788 Broadway, opens today at the same location as old Absolute Bagels, often rated as the best bagel emporium in the Holy Land. It was closed a year ago by the Department of Health because of an exaggerated concern for having bagels cohabit with rats.
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Stony Brook Steve, Terrific Tom and I had lunch together. We headed to Tacombi, 377 Amsterdam Avenue, a good Mexican restaurant, surprisingly busy at the end of the normal lunch hour on a dull Monday. We soon learned why it appeared so busy; there was only one waiter running around trying to handle a couple of dozen tables. Once seated, people sat and sat. We walked.

Nice Matin, 201 West 79th, across the street, was also very busy, almost every table full. But, it seemed to have a full complement of waiters and it didn’t take long for us to be seated.

The menu was fairly typical for a French bistro (redundant?). I had Pan Bagnant, salade niçoise on a baguette, a little weak on the promised garlic aioli ($22). It came with a generous portion of excellent fried matchstick potatoes. And, with a little coaxing, my second glass of ginger ale had no ice.

Incidentally, our table might have been the only one without a woman.

Tuesday, December 30, 2025
My young bride, Joelle, Kathleen and Liddy graced my table today at lunch at Jing Fong, 202 Centre Street, along with second cousins David, Didier and Jerry. Jing Fong was also very busy, with lots of carts heaped with dim sum scooting around the tables.

Under the circumstances, the food comes fast and furious and I lose track of the fare. I know that at least 13 plates hit the table and someone else paid. What more can you ask?

Wednesday, December 31, 2025
Thanks to Alan Silverman, an original member of the  All-Alan Chorus, for this information. “Irondequoit, NY, a suburb of Rochester, is the most competitive housing market in the U.S. Homes in the lakeside town typically sell in just 8.5 days and for well over their asking price. It’s followed by Sunnyvale, CA, Santa Clara, CA, Tonawanda Town, NY (a Buffalo suburb), and Mountain View, CA.” 
While this NY-CA nexus is interesting, there is a sharp distinction. The median sale price in Irondequoit is $249,132 while in sunny Sunnyvale it is (hold on) $2,671,373! 
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We attended the annual New Year’s Eve party at the lovely home of Judy and Roger. It’s a classic apartment directly overlooking Central Park. Another guest commented that it reminded them of the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia with walls entirely covered by art works. At midnight, it affords a good look of the fireworks display over Central Park.

Everyone present were our contemporaries, so there were no references to ephemeral fads or current one-hit wonders that we have chosen to ignore. Instead, we uncovered some old acquaintances or shared experiences, an excellent way to celebrate the passing of time.

Thursday, January 1, 2026
A survey reports that 38 percent of adults in the United States are currently estranged from a close family member.

Why go to strangers?
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The holiday season is noted for parties, dinners and a variety of gatherings. Guests often bring gifts. Why do they bring red wine, not white?

Friday, January 2, 2026
If you would like to begin 2026 with a healthy dose of indignation, watch the documentary Coverup on Netflix.
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Zohran Mamdani promised to govern expansively and audaciously in his inaugural address. 
 
There are, indeed, many problems in the city that would benefit from an aggressive new approach. So why did he bother to revoke two Israel-related executive orders on his first day in office that were issued by Mr. Mamdani’s predecessor, Eric Adams?
 
Can't he start off with affordability, homelessness, education, transportation, sanitation or some other issue that affects the daily lives of us here and now? Has he got his Holy Lands mixed up?
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We celebrated my brother's birthday belatedly today at lunch at Seasons 52, 21 Lafayette Avenue, Edison, New Jersey, very close to his longtime residence. We have been there before, enjoying good food and excellent service on their large premises. It has a very suburban vibe, big tables, a lot of parking spaces, but, having given it the benefit of the doubt years ago, I've become a fan even in the absence of small tables jammed together, bad lighting and indifferent service. 
 
I started with a bowl of Farmhouse Chicken Soup, "pulled roasted in-house rotisserie chicken, rich spaetzle noodles, carrots, spinach and garnished with fresh dill," which hit the spot on this freezing day ($8.50). Then, I had Wood-Grilled Tenderloin Salad, with romaine and spinach, sweet corned, red peppers, pumpkin seeds and six slices of steak, cooked rare as requested (a rarity itself) ($25). The portion was large, the preparation and presentation first-rate.
 
Seasons 52 has 44 U.S. locations. I have not been to any other, but this spot does not feel like part of a chain. To its credit, nothing seems prepackaged or formulaic. Gee, next I'll be enthusing over a mall.

 


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