‘Tis the “best of” season Snow last Saturday in Manhattan turned the tree lined streets, and Central Park, into a wonderland, with the wet snow clinging to the tree branches. A winter afternoon designed for curling up with a book. As this is the season when many newspapers and journals include a list of “the … Continue reading "’tis the best of the season"

Changing course Often when I walk, wherever I am, I deliberately choose a route that isn’t familiar, as this provides an opportunity for discovery. One afternoon I came upon a bookstore just a few blocks from the Museum of the City of New York located in the ground floor of a charming brownstone. The books … Continue reading "Changing Course"

Have you noticed how things have changed? Perhaps transformed is a better word. We all realized that technology would affect our lives in ways we couldn’t imagine or understand and now many of the radical departures from the past are here. The tall apartment complexes being constructed in Manhattan, those that reach up into the … Continue reading "The landscape transformed"

Snow last Saturday in Manhattan turned the tree lined streets, and Central Park, into a wonderland, with the wet snow clinging to the tree branches. A winter afternoon designed for curling up with a book. As this is the season when many newspapers and journals include a list of “the best books of the year,” … Continue reading "‘Tis the “best of” season"

Have you noticed how things have changed? Perhaps transformed is a better word. We all realized that technology would affect our lives in ways we couldn’t imagine or understand and now many of the radical departures from the past are here. The tall apartment complexes being constructed in Manhattan, those that reach up into the … Continue reading "Nostalgia for the past"

“Items: Is Fashion Modern?”  is the title of an exhibition currently on view at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). The exhibit, which covers the sixth floor of the museum, is described as “explore(ing) the present, past—and sometimes the future—of 111 items of clothing and accessories that have had a strong impact on the world … Continue reading "Comfort Clothing"

Ghosts and goblins have been reigning in my neighborhood for the last two weeks. Witches perched on the edge of window sills, spider webs stretched across the gates in front of brownstones and pumpkins galore. A few were carved into Jack-O-Lanterns before Halloween and many more just appeared last evening. One did have a sense … Continue reading "Turing the page to November"

New Hampshire has its seasons of natural beauty. Autumn’s glorious reds and golds. Winter’s white landscape. The various shades of green in the spring and summer. New York can’t compare with this natural beauty. Yet, there is the magical fall cultural season. In September, the City comes alive. One evening it was the Carle Honors … Continue reading "Hungry caterpillars, pigeons and pumpkin pie"

Fog blanketed the landscape as I walked across the lawn and down to the narrow dock. There is nothing as calming as watching the mist rise from a lake in the early morning. Sitting on the edge of the dock I dangled my feet in the water and listened to the quiet. There were no … Continue reading "Peace and quiet"

Labor Day is a marker of sorts, although not necessarily linked with the change in seasons. September can be unseasonably warm and August can be cool. Saturday was a glorious day, perfect for those end of summer gatherings, the last swim or a hike in the mountains. Then we suffered through a cold rainy day … Continue reading "A house is not a home"

The torrential bursts of rain last Friday created a symphony: the rap-tap-tap of the rain drops on the roof, the swoosh of the water pouring down through the drain pipe along the edge of the windows, the stream rushing along the gutters in the street. With a sigh, and the shake of a wet umbrella, … Continue reading "A summer day at the lake"

Have you noticed how many of us live with a mobile device nestled into the palm of our hand. Eyes glued to the cathode screen anticipating a text, ears tuned into a video or fingers scrolling down through social media posts, as we become curious voyeurs. While science and technology have led to discoveries in … Continue reading "Reflecting on Thoreau"

Stitching together memories This week I’m working in Washington, staying in a hotel in Foggy Bottom, just at the edge of the George Washington University campus, and a short walk from Georgetown University. Once upon a time this neighborhood was home and from my window I can look across into the building where we lived. … Continue reading "Stitching together memories"

As the Fourth of July was celebrated on a Tuesday I was in New York and made plans to spend the day at the New York Botanical Garden. The NYBG was founded in 1891 and is considered one of the finest botanical gardens in the world, with over 250 acres of gardens and a herbarium, conservatory, … Continue reading "The white scarf"

For a few months last year everyone seemed to be reading The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate—Discoveries from a Secret World written by Peter Wohleben. I gave the book as gifts as I have always felt an affinity with trees.  We grew up with an oak tree on the lawn that … Continue reading "The Tree House"

“The barn was very large.  It was very old.  It smelled of hay and it smelled of manure. It smelled of the perspiration of tired horses and the wonderful sweet breath of patient cows.  It often had a peaceful smell – as though nothing bad could happen ever again in the world. …” Charlotte’s Web … Continue reading "Charlotte’s Web: Imagining Peace"

Traditionally I spend Memorial Day in New Hampshire.  The first grilled hamburger and walk on the beach, and at least a day of cleaning patio furniture. This year, with a busy travel schedule, I decided to stay in New York. Summer weekends in the City are glorious as many people leave, particularly when one can … Continue reading "Lazy Days for Reading"

It snowed in April when I was in New Hampshire and I made a snowman.   Last weekend, driving back to New York on Mother’s Day, the rain and cold gray mist followed me most of the way. I understand it snowed a few inches just north of Laconia early on Sunday morning. I am longing … Continue reading "Summer Time…"

Throughout my career, I have worked with designers and architects; individuals who have changed the way we live (shop and play) through their work.  My interest in architecture has taken me to Bilbao, Spain when Frank Gehry’s stunning Guggenheim Museum opened in 1997. Moshe Safdie’s Habitat 67 at the Montreal World’s Fair was designed with … Continue reading "A Place Called Home"

The seasons are defined. The vernal or spring equinox occurred on March 20-21, the summer solstice occurs on June 20 -21, the autumn equinox three months later September 22 – 23 and the winter solstice is celebrated on December 21-22. There are boundaries that define the seasons, according to the calendar. Then we have the fauna and … Continue reading "Earth Day: The Beauty and Language of Spring"

    Last week I wandered through the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) shop after spending a few hours in the galleries.  Many of the items, created for the home, have been designed by designers and artists.  There are coasters that resemble a piece of toast, lamps with spaces to grow plants and bags created … Continue reading "Fooling Around"

Last week I wandered through the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) shop after spending a few hours in the galleries. Many of the items, created for the home, have been designed by designers and artists. There are coasters that resemble a piece of toast, lamps with spaces to grow plants and bags created from the pull tabs … Continue reading "Fooling Around"

Beyond the mounds of snow, and the possibility of another storm, there is the knowledge that a shift in the weather is just afew weeks away.  Many of us are already imagining a warm day at the lake, listening to the waves lapping up onto the shore and feeling the warm sand under our feet. … Continue reading "The Hermit Thrush"

Last weekend the weather dipped into the teens in Manhattan. The wind howled and blew through the concrete canyons causing the cold to penetrate through layers of clothing, wool scarves pulled across the face, knitted caps (many with a fur ball bouncing up and down on the top) and puffy quilted coats. The week before … Continue reading "The Geranium"

Most New Yorkers leave the City on President’s weekend.   Schools are on winter break and it’s an opportunity to escape the cacophony that surrounds us and head to Florida, the Caribbean, or, perhaps east or west for a skiing vacation. With a direct Jet Blue flight to Havana from JFK airport, anyone who hasn’t been … Continue reading "Made in America"

The Museum of the City of New York recently opened an exhibition entitled: “New York at its Core,” 400 Years of History. While there are the traditional vitrines with ephemera and various archives, much of the exhibition is displayed using interactive digital technology. Children can design a park or figure out how to stop flooding … Continue reading "Putting the City (Lanconia) in Nature"

The weather has been so capricious over the last few weeks it’s difficult to think about how to dress.  One morning it’s a pair of thermal leggings, a wool turtleneck and a double cashmere sweater buttoned up to the chin and the next a light coat and a cotton jersey. On one of the mild … Continue reading "Walking: Awareness and a Sense of Place"

It started snowing last Saturday in the early morning hours and continued throughout the day and into the late evening.  I love watching the snow from my apartment window as it falls onto the street below.  For a few hours the City is quiet and is transformed into a wonderland. Of course New Yorkers are … Continue reading "Food Glorious Food: Make Mine Local"

Archive