The following is by Andy Rooney from 60 Minutes. This was a very touching dedication we wanted to share with you.
Tomorrow is Memorial Day, the day we have set aside to honor by remembering all the Americans who have died fighting for the thing we like the most about our America: the freedom we have to live as we please.
No official day to remember is adequate for something like that. It’s too formal. It gets to be just another day on the calendar. No one would know from Memorial Day that Richie M., who was shot through the forehead coming onto Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944, wore different color socks on each foot because he thought it brought him good luck.
No one would remember on Memorial Day that Eddie G. had promised to marry Julie W. the day after he got home from the war, but didn’t marry Julie because he never came home from the war. Eddie was shot dead on an un-American desert island, Iwo Jima. Read more »
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60 Minutes,
Andy Rooney,
Happy Memorial Day
Lara also is founder and editor of Grits in the City
Thursday after going to Mé Bar for a friend’s “farewell for now” gathering, we were hungry and ready for a change of scenery. While Mé Bar does offer somewhat of a view of the Empire State Building, it is a bit cramped and no matter the rooftop access, you are just on the top floor of a La Quinta. A friend summarized it best in stating “this is the McDonald’s of New York rooftop bars”. Wiser words were never spoken. Their cayenne dusted popcorn was good, but only served to work up our appetites for the main portion.
Korean BBQ – Kang Suh
I’ve been meaning to try Korean BBQ for a long time, and we found ourselves in the midst of Koreatown. Perfect location to rectify that. My friend’s favorite is Kang Suh, so that was our end destination. When we walked in, I saw the seating area was massive – extending far all around and encompassing two full floors. The tables reminded me most of fondue – seating all around the edge of the table with a metal portion in the middle for cooking. This time though instead of a hot plate area in the middle, the center had an actual metal grill.
We of course went with the BBQ. What all it came with, well, that I can’t get into too many details because I don’t quite know. They don’t really tell you. I was only left hoping there was nothing mushroomy to contend with my allergy. We went with three different selections – grilled shrimp, grilled boneless sliced chicken, and the grilled sirloin steak. They brought us a plate of large lettuce leafs to use similar to a tortilla, if you wish, to roll up your selected items from the spread. The accompanying vegetables did include some extremely spicy peppers, freshly sliced onions and garlic, bean sprouts, and seasoned cabbage. Upon request, they’ll also bring you rice – or extra go chu jahng (the spicy bean paste that I couldn’t get enough of!). We also tried soju, a Korean beverage similar to sake. Apparently it was originally made from grain, but is now also made from sweet potatoes. I think I actually liked it better than sake!
Watermelon Finale – Kang Suh
At the close of the meal, they brought out a plate of fresh sliced watermelon as a form of a dessert. Juicy and slightly sweet, I have to say it was a welcomed change for a finale on this warm spring day. We each ended up paying approximately $30 for the meal. Not bad for all of the different things we were able to try. I highly recommend Kang Suh (hello, it’s even open 24 hours – a good one to add to the mental roladex) and am looking forward to continuing my exploration of Korean cuisine.
Kangsuh – 1250 Broadway (at West 32nd Street) - 212.564.6845
Reservations not required
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Dish Buzz,
good for groups,
Grits in the City,
Kang Suh,
Korean BBQ,
Koreatown,
nyc
Finally it looks like summer is here and it couldn’t have come a moment sooner. If you are around for the long holiday weekend, while the rest of the city exits in droves, check out some of these hot happenings in town.
A good indication that summer is approaching by my time clock is when the Rooftop Film series starts. So far they have had an amazing line up and this week it only gets better. Tomorrow night Etienne!, a quirky movie about a man and his hamster premieres at Brooklyn Technical High school, which just happens to be in my new hood of Fort Greene. Doors open at 8pm with live music by Natureboy. Friday and Saturday, they will be featuring a series of short films, both of which look great. Not to mention, the after party that will have FREE radeberger pilsner at Fontana’s in the Lower East side.
If you feel like getting a little adventurous and in need of some water action, Good Peoples is throwing an all vinyl disco party on a boat! This monthly boat party takes place Friday, May 28th and can only accommodate 100 people, so get your tickets before they’re gone. Music will be provided by Lloydski and Vin Sol, both great DJ’s who promise a great show featuring some good oldies. Meet at Clipper City, Pier 17 at 9:30 and sets sail at 10. Tickets are $18 and available here.
Last but not least, one of my favorite spots in the summer is the Brooklyn Yard. If you are fortunate enough to have Monday off, come join the party with DJ’s, outdoor views of the heavenly Gowanus canal, food carts, booze, and lots of dancing.
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Brooklyn Yard,
clipper city,
Events,
good peoples,
Gowanus Canal,
memorial day weekend,
nyc,
pier 17,
Rooftop Films
Taking a break from the Twitter world, I figured it was high time I went out and explored some of the new night life and to find some new hot spots. Living in New York for over eight years now, one would think I would have grown to love the Yankees, well don’t count on that happening anytime soon… You see for as long as I can remember I have been a huge Red Sox fan!
Read more »
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Boxers,
david barton gym,
Gym Bar,
sports bars,
The Paulinator
During the Golden Years of The Three Teams, there was also THE NEW YORK CUBANS!
From 1947 to 1957, a baseball team from New York City would win the World Series. The three teams present in New York City were the New York Yankees, New York Giants, and Brooklyn Dodgers. Some of the greatest players came out of this decade. The Yankees would win five World Series Titles from 1949 to 1953, and would again win World Series titles in 1956 and 1958. The Dodgers would win their only title in 1955, while the Giants would win two in 1954 and 1957 before both teams were to move to California. Yet there remains one question: “Does anybody remember the New York Cubans??”
Yes, the New York Cubans, won the Negro League Championship in 1947. That same year the Yankees won the first of five World Series in a row, yet no one talks about the NY Cubans. Why, because they were a Negro League team and had players who were just as good as the Major Leagues Players back then? Here are some of the players who played on this team; the average baseball fan today most likely has never heard of them, but in the hearts and minds of the Latin Community, they still exist.
Among them stands Martin Dihigo, considered by many to be the greatest ball player who ever played in the Negro Leagues. Dihigo is the only ballplayer elected to four baseball Hall of Fames; in the U.S.A, Mexico, Cuba and Venezuela. Long before Pete Rose became an All-Star in five different positions, Dihigo had done the same. He was called “El Maestro (The Teacher, or The Master). As a pitcher he won 256 games, with a winning percentage of 653. With a bat he had a life-time batting average .303. Satchel Paige, the greatest pitcher in the Negro Leagues said this when he was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971: “I’m not the best, Martin Dihigo is! Dihigo was elected to the fame in 1977.
Tetelo Vargas (Dominican Republic,) considered by many to be the “Father of Dominican Baseball.” Long before fellow countryman Juan Marichal (elected to Hall of Fame in 1987), Manny Ramirez or Vladimir Guerrero, there was Vargas. He was known as the “Dominican Deer”! He excelled in defense, was a consistent hitter, good speed, base stealer. When you see Ramirez’s power, Guerrero’s arm, you will see Vargas in sprit! Read more »
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1947,
Baseball New York City,
Brooklyn Dodgers,
Dominican Deer,
Luis Tiant,
Martin Dihigo,
Negro League Championship,
NY Giants,
NY Yankees,
Pedro Anibal “Perucho” Cepeda,
Tetelo Vargas,
The NY Cubans
This article is from David Tacheny, founder of Performance Athletics, which is located on the Upper West Side.
When you’re stressed beyond the limit and you’re so tense you feel like your head is being pulled down into your thorax by a 10 ton truck winch, what do you do? Me, I immediately call one of two friends who are Licensed Massage Therapists and beg them to trade me for a personal training session.
But when that stress hangs around and morphs into full-blown anxiety, massage may not be the most effective (or cost effective) solution, according to a study recently published in the journal of Depression and Anxiety. The study compared massage to thermotherapy (heat therapy) and use of deep breathing techniques, while laying still on one’s back. After undergoing a 10 week course of one of the three treatments, subjects reported almost identical results. This didn’t jive with researchers’ hypothesized results , that massage would score much higher on the anxiety-reduction scale.
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Fitness NYC,
Kim Cook,
Massage,
Paerformance Athletics,
Stress,
www.abmp.com,
www.massagetherapy.com
That classic chicken-egg conundrum never seems to work itself out, not even when it comes to the classics of self-help gems, like Eat Pray Love, He’s Just Not That Into You, or even Julie and Julia: Does love and happiness come from knowing yourself or if you know yourself, can you find love and happiness?
Gretchen Rubin takes a stab at this in The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun. Despite achieving her very nuclear-style family and a successful (meaning, published) writing career, Rubin just can’t be satisfied; nor should she. She goes deeper and examines her goals and accomplishments through the not-so-rosy lens of self-fulfillment and dares to achieve the simple but near impossible: Rubin tries to keep this thing called life fresh.
Her Happiness Project is a well-baked pie of New Year’s Resolutions injected with practical pills of serotonin, like exercise, playtime, and laughter. Rubin gave each aspect of her life a month of maintenance: She devoted January to her physical vitality, while February was all about strengthening her marriage. In March, she was all business when it came to her career, and April was for the kids and reminding herself of why she became a parent.
One year later, Rubin has yet another achievement to add to the list, kind of. If you scroll through The Project’s accompanying blog, it’s clear that Rubin’s brand of “greater happiness” is not allusive but rather an ongoing project and eliminates the dreaded pressure of perfection — a strangely perfect ingredient in self-help.
Rubin shares all this, in person, on Wednesday as a featured author in the Bryant Park Word for Word reading series. Daryl Strawberry kicked off this weekly event with his memoir Straw: Finding My Way and it continues with the likes of fashionista Kelly Cutrone, funny lady Samantha Bee, and the eerily observant Colson Whitehead.
Gretchin Rubin reads The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun at the Bryant Park Reading Room on Wednesday, May 26th, at 12:30 p.m. This is a free event.
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Bryant Park,
Bryant Park Word for Word,
Clean My Closets,
Eat Pray Love,
Fight Right,
Generally Have More Fun,
Gretchen Rubin,
He’s Just Not That Into You,
Julie and Julia,
Read Aristotle,
Self-Help,
Straw: Finding My Way,
The Happiness Project: Or,
Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning
Lara also is founder and editor of Grits in the City
While I really enjoy sushi, I had yet to find my “go to” spots in the city for good fresh sushi. It seems to be something that most of my friends don’t suggest and I just hadn’t gotten around to trying. So, when a friend wanted to try a sushi restaurant on the Upper West Side, I was all for trying out his recommendation.
Amber is a nice sized restaurant, with a fair amount of seating at the bar, a main dining area, and also a dining area in a separate room closest to the windows facing out towards 70th Street. As has been my experience in most nice Japanese restaurants, the decor was simple, crisp, very organized and methodical.
We started off with their miso soup, which was very fresh and perfect for the cold day (my one complaint would be the lovely window-framed room is mighty cold in the winter). I also had the Japanese Seaweed Salad, which came with a miso dressing. The menu denoted this as spicy – don’t know that I would agree, but I will say the salad was amazing. The dressing totally made the dish. My friend had the Vietnamese Shrimp Summer Roll which was accompanied by a chilihoisin sauce. There were four decent sized pieces by summer roll standards. Amber offers a variety of appetizers, most in the $5-$10 range.
Ocean Roll & Sashimi – Amber
Sushi, including the “Ocean Roll” I’d never tried nigiri sushi, which was an interesting transition from the maki sushi rolls of which I have had many. They are definitely a more filling option, although I think I prefer the texture and overall lighter nature of maki. For nigiri, we had their sea scallops, yellowfin tuna, and shrimp. For maki rolls, we had one of their tuna rolls and also one of their specialty rolls, the Ocean Roll. It was rock shrimp and avocado topped with spicy snow crab and dry seaweed – definitely the best roll I’ve ever had, period. Unique mixture of tastes and textures. Just spot-on.
They, of course, have an excellent selection of sake. Note their size between a glass and a bottle? Best not attempted to be split amongst two… Overall, excellent service and food quality. I’ll be looking to try more sushi now within the city, but in the meantime, I’d say definitely an option worth checking out.
Amber – 221 Columbus Avenue (at West 70th Street) – 212.799.8100
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amber,
Dish Buzz,
Food,
Grits in the City,
Japanese,
neighborbee,
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Sashimi,
sushi,
upper west
This is a great article that was sent to us by www.changeofaddress.org, which is a unique organization that helps the American public with the challenges of changing an address. Click here to learn more about them.
Being the new family on the block can be hard, especially if you’re even remotely shy. It can be hard to make friends, made even harder by the fact that almost everyone in the community already has their own group of friends. Still, there are lots of ways you can connect with them and it’s worth the effort required as there are several advantages to getting to know your neighbors. Whether it’s having someone to watch your home while you are on vacation or a helping hand when you desperately need one. Here are some tips to help you break the ice with your new neighbors:
- Organize a party. You can start with a natural housewarming party. Generally you’ll invite existing friends and family but there’s no reason why you can’t invite your neighbors as well. This will give them a chance to get to know you as well and at least some of them will most likely be interested in knowing more about you.
- Invite them to grab a drink (perhaps this will become a regular event for you). You can start out by asking your neighbors where some good local hangouts are (sports bars, clubs, etc.). Many times just asking about that will wind up in an invite or an opportunity for you to invite them along to help show you the ropes, etc. Read more »
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moving,
neighbors,
www.changeofaddress.org
