It's Beginning

The Farley Post Office at West 34th Street

In the sixteen years that I've been blogging I've had a semi-rule/tradition that I don't begin "Christmas in New York" photographs until after Thanksgiving. I also don't bring out my snowperson collection and don't start writing my holiday cards. I want to savor pumpkin time and then I want to savor Thanksgiving. There is time enough for Chanukah and Christmas in December.

But I happened to walk by the main post office yesterday and was delighted with the holiday decorations. I'm nearly positive that I've walked by/in this branch of the post office between Thanksgiving and Christmas many times and I don't remember the steps being decorated. Either I didn't notice this in the past -- unlikely -- or it's something new -- much more likely -- but I wanted to share this now. It looked so festive, I didn't want to wait.  I also organized my address list, which isn't a big project, but I need to put aside an undisturbed hour to get it done. I even wrote and addressed two cards, which I will wait to mail in December. I'm not rushing the season that much. 

When do you start your organizing, and when do you start decorating? I have friends who put their Christmas trees up right after Halloween and others who will wait until Christmas week. Which group are you part of?     

This was a long-planned weekend away, but a flood in my kitchen changed my plans. I may have been overly cautious staying home, but leaks in old buildings (or new buildings) can lead to disaster and I'd hate to come home to water and mess everywhere. I'm waiting for parts for my dishwasher and I hope, hope, hope, they're readily available.  

It's been a busy week. Medical appointment, haircut, Pilates class, time at the gym, Weight Watchers and a wonderful theater afternoon at Lincoln Center. I saw an extraordinary  production of Ragtime, based on the novel by E.L. Doctorow, and highly recommend it to anyone who may be in New York in the next six months. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and enjoy these sweet days of autumn. 

November 10, 1980

 

A much younger Buttercup and Sir Laurence Olivier

Exactly 45 years ago I began one of the great adventures of my life. It was my day one as the Deputy Scheduling Director for Mayor Ed Koch. I don't remember what I wore or how I felt -- though I'm sure I was scared to pieces -- but it was the first day of a twenty five year career in city and state government. When I look back at my forty years of full-time work, I couldn't have begun to imagine that this single day would lead on to the next thirty-three years of working. 

I'd never had the thought of a government career, but the job opened up, I had scheduling experience and things fell into place. And what a world I entered. The Mayor set the pace. His schedule started with meetings sometimes as early as 7:00 am and went well into the evening. There were a lot of meetings, events, photo opportunities and phone calls to schedule. Our office had six people working there and was also the waiting area for people who had meetings with the Mayor. Privacy was unknown, but mostly I loved the whirl of people and events.  

I stayed in City Hall for three and a half years, working through three campaigns, thousands of meetings and events. These included a welcome dinner and parade celebrating the return of the American hostages from Iran, receptions for President Reagan and Anwar Sadat, the Brooklyn Bridge Centennial, and visits from Mother Theresa, Jerry Lewis, Big Bird, and many others. I had the privilege of working with some of the most intelligent and hard working people I could imagine and learned so much about New York City and the complex coordination needed to keep it running.  

One of my great regrets is my lack of photographs. But in 1980 and the years that followed there were, as we know, no cellphones. Alas, I have no photos of me and Jerry Lewis or Big Bird, but I do have the memories. And I am so very grateful for all them.

As ever, thanks for visiting and thanks for being part of my Buttercup journey.  

Welcome to Saratoga Springs

 

Back from a cozy midweek get-together in Saratoga Springs

Loved spending time in front of the fireplace 

Apple crisp -- a perfect fall dessert

Time for some early holiday shopping

K and I had a fun visit in Saratoga Springs -- just north of Albany -- last week. We had lots of time for catching up, some holiday shopping, yummy food and a book store visit. No get-together would be complete without a book store visit. 

So many books, so little time

My view of the George Washington Bridge (on my way home via the train)

As much as I look forward to the holiday season ahead, and I do, this time of year also fills me with sadness. Not all the time, but at those moments when I realize it's dark outside and it's only five o'clock. It happened for the first time this afternoon. I was riding the bus and looked out at the darkness and then my watch. I felt the familiar flicker of November sadness. But for now I'm going to enjoy the decorations and lights to come that will soon be part of the city landscape. 

As I've planned for every November I can remember, I will make every effort to get ahead of things for the holidays and get as much done as I can before Thanksgiving. I thought about not sending cards this year to be thrifty, but it's something I enjoy and I'm once again doing cards. I've bought my stamps and am getting my cards organized, too. In the next day I'm going to make my list of things to get done and then -- I hope and plan -- will be checking things off. Do you have an organizing plan for this busy time of year?

As ever, thanks for visiting and keep cozy!  

Call Me (Less) Itchy

 

Yes, it's me and Dr. Pimple Popper

Living in New York City there are a lot of interesting events taking place. Some of them are geographically difficult, conflict with other plans or just don't catch my attention. It is, as the phrase goes, an embarrassment of riches, and I know I'm very fortunate. But every once in a while something pops into my inbox that calls my name. Last week's event was a program about Eczema, aka Atopic Dermatitis, and it featured Dr. Sandra Lee as one of the featured speakers. 

I'm both a fan of Dr. Lee a viewer of her television show, Dr. Pimple Popper, and someone who's had eczema since pre-school. I had no previous commitments and it was an relatively easy bus ride away. I eagerly said yes. It was a thoroughly interesting and worthwhile evening.    

I was a prime candidate for eczema. The cause is not known, but my genes -- my mother also had eczema -- my immune system, and what touched my skin played a role. I'm not alone in this, as it's estimated that twenty-five million people in this country have the condition. 

In addition to the event I found great information on the website for the American Academy of Dermatology. Even though I've had this condition for seventy plus years, there's so much I didn't know. My last '"flare, i.e., a very itchy rash, was in 2000. I still have (many) times when my skin is itchy and (so) dry, especially in the winter, but thankfully I haven't had the rash. There are a number of medications now that didn't exist when my condition was so much worse, but since I'm not a dermatologist, I won't give medical advice. But I do have three life style tips that have helped me tend to my own skin care. 

The first is moisturize, moisturize and then moisturize some more. The best time to moisturize is right after a shower when skin is still damp. It lets the cream/lotion/oil absorb better. The second tip has to do with showers/bathing, and it makes me sad. I love long hot showers, but too much hot water really dries out my skin. I've learned to take really quick showers. It's a small price to pay for no rashes, though I miss this luxury. The third tip is scent in my moisturizers. I go for unscented  products, because scent can trigger an allergic reaction and a flare. I've also switched to heavier products and once winter arrives I switch to those that are oil based. 

The first two tips are what's worked well for me and were also recommended at the program. The third tip wasn't recommended at the program, but it's part of my routine since my awful flare of 2000, which took months to clear up. 

I hope this is helpful to my friends in eczema, especially as we move into winter. I'm going north tomorrow, where it's already in the 40's in the morning. I'll be bringing a winter coat, gloves and heavier moisturizer. I've been debating boots, but since snow (!) isn't predicted, I'm going to leave them home. 

It was a beautiful autumn day today in New York City and perfect weather for the New York City Marathon. I was out and took photographs of Marathon participants, and will share one with you. It's always a fun day and great when the weather cooperates.  

As ever, thanks for visiting and happy November.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from Chelsea

As I wrote yesterday it's been a very rainy few days. Nonetheless I managed to get more than enough photographs to reflect (my) Halloween in Manhattan. After all, it's about the decorations, festive feel, and for the trick or treaters, the candy and costumes. I didn't make it to many of the neighborhood streets, but if the weather is good, I'll be out looking for decorations tomorrow and Sunday.  

The top photograph and these next two are from the Chelsea neighborhood, which is rich with historic buildings, including the brownstones in the pictures. The neighborhood was developed by Clement Clarke Moore, who may sound very familiar. The Rev. Moore was a professor of Oriental and Greek Literature at General Theological Seminary and the author of the beloved Christmas classic, A Visit from St, Nicholas.  The campus for the Seminary still exists and by a somewhat random chance I have a connection to it. I spent Wednesday afternoon there and will be doing a post in November. 

I love this raven themed decor. It's spooky and so creative.

I was back in my neighborhood this afternoon and found this fun spider. There were a number of inflatables going up in the courtyard, but I didn't have a chance to stay and watch. This is one of the spots I'm hoping to return to.  

Spiderman and I were both waiting for the subway this morning. I'm not sure why he was reading his phone in this position and didn't want to disturb him in case he was receiving a secret message.  

We'll end our New York Halloween fun with two photographs from my neighborhood, with two different decor styles for Halloween at night.   

 It's been a fun Halloween and I hope you've enjoyed seeing Halloween in Manhattan. October has flown by and I'm shaking my head at how quickly it's raced by. November seems like a sneaky month. It starts off and I think there's months to the end of the year, but those two months go by in a blink. There are three out of town trips before the end of the year, medical appointments, visitors from out of town and of course, the usual grocery shopping, laundry. the gym and walking. I'm 140 miles from my 1000 mile goal and I expect I will walk a lot of those miles seeing holiday sights all over New York.  

As ever, thanks for visiting and happy Halloween wishes. 

Iconic New York: The Bronx Zoo

 

Welcome to the Bronx Zoo

As rainy as today was -- and it poured -- Sunday was a beautiful autumn day and the perfect day for a visit to the Bronx Zoo. The Bronx Zoo, aka Wildlife Conservation Society, is definitely iconic New York. The 265 acres of the Zoo are magnificent. If anyone is thinking of the old model of a zoo, with animals in cages, think again. It's a beautiful park setting, with the Bronx River running through it. 

Finally got my views of autumn leaves

More autumn leaves and this extraordinary vintage gate caught my attention

Visiting the zoo -- only a half hour away from where I live -- has been on my to-visit list for ages, but it just never got to the top of my list. I've been there years before, including when I was growing up. It took a desire to go to the Dinosaur Safari and when a friend expressed interest, I took the zoo to the top of my list. The Dinosaur Safari consisted of at least twenty dinosaur models, most of which moved and roared. It wasn't a theme park -- there was a lot of educational material -- but it was a very fun experience. 

This looks like a forest out in the wild, but if you look at the background carefully,

 you can see apartment buildings.  

I didn't get the name of this dinosaur, but it was a new one to me. There were the familiar species, T.Rex and the Triceratops, but also the Troodon and the Kosmoceratops. I learned it's never too late to meet new dinosaurs. 

This was a first visit to the zoo in a long time, but it won't be the last. I have a ticket for the Holiday Lights program, which features literally millions of lights. It's also something I've wanted to do, but just didn't. Next month I'm going to be there and you know there will be pictures to share. 

Do you have things you've wanted to do for a long time, but just haven't done? I'm not so much thinking of things that are much too expensive or exceed your physical ability, but rather the things we just keep putting off because it takes just a little more planning or energy than the usual activities.

I've been taking photographs of Halloween decorations around town and will be back tomorrow to share them. I'd hoped to capture some of the nearby streets today, but the rain put me off. Fortunately, I snapped a few yesterday and they're fun. 

As ever, thanks for visiting. Wishing you lots of treats and no tricks!

   

Autumn in New York (in the Neighborhood)

A moment in early autumn in Central Park

When I hear the words autumn in New York my mind goes to beautiful autumn views of Central Park. We get those views -- for about a week or two -- but mostly the signs of autumn aren't much different than autumn anywhere else. One day this week I was walking in my neighborhood, the Upper West Side, and started taking pictures of things that caught my eye. At first it was just a few random pictures, but I realized that in the five blocks I walked between the post office and my Pilates class I'd captured an autumn afternoon in the neighborhood.   

My favorite local pizza place was decorated for Halloween

 

This looks so yummy

After passing the pizza store I came to Magnolia Bakery, which you may remember, was featured in Sex and the City. Their specialty is banana pudding, but this autumn variation looks as just as good. I managed to walk past the store, but it was a temptation. There are two/three/four food stores on many blocks. There are new bakeries, ice cream stores and restaurants in just about every direction. There is literally temptation at every turn, but usually I can resist. At some time, though, I just  may succumb to this apple treat.   

 

The mums brightened up the landscape and definitely were worth a picture

One of my favorite stores, a local stationery store

I made sure to walk by the local stationery store on West 72nd Street. I love stationery stores -- fun pens, stickers and all kinds of treats -- and fortunately there are still two independent stores in the neighborhood. When I need a stationery item I (almost) always stop by one of them. The local stores are what make the neighborhood interesting and I try to patronize them when I can. I knew this store would be decorated for the fall/Halloween and I wasn't disappointed.  

What are your favorite parts of autumn where you live?

I've got an adventure tomorrow that I've been thinking about for a few months. It's an outdoor adventure and happily, the weather looks good. I'll leave the destination as surprise, but as a hint, it's not in Manhattan and it's one of the most iconic places in New York City. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and have a great Sunday.