Yesterday we drove from Manhattan through the lower Hudson Valley to Highland Mills which is a short and beautiful one hour drive. This ride takes you over the George Washington Bridge, with it’s wonderful view of the city and of the Jersey shore, up the Palisades Parkway and through Harriman State Park.

As we drove north, there was snow on the ground and frozen waterfalls dripping from stone cliffs, Canada Geese in flight, Crows and a Red-Tail Hawk. 

There are many aspects of “nature” within the city but to suddenly be surrounded by nature just steps outside of the city is always wonderful.

If you drive up Perkins Memorial Drive, to the top of Bear Mountain, and look towards NYC, you can see across the rolling mountains of the park and the city appears like the city of Oz in the distance. It gives the crazy illusion that there is nothing between you and NYC when in reality a zillion and half people live in the areas in between.

Bear Mountain earned it’s name from the shape of the mountain not from bear residents. Across the Hudson River is a mountain called Anthony’s Nose.

At our destination, we saw three Wild Turkeys, high-stepping through the woods and over quiet lawns looking for food. There were White-Tail Deer running in fright at our presence. These deer run from humans perhaps because they are still wild animals and not tamed, and there are hunters in the area.

This is completely unlike the Deer on Fire Island who walk up to see who you are, ask who you are visiting , where you are staying and to discuss the Deer Tick situation, which they seem to consider a slur.

 Strangest of all, there were very large tracks in the snow behind the house which were enlarged by melted snow. They were a bit too far apart for even a tall human to have made. They trekked around the house, across the snowy lawn,  and went straight into the woods. A Black Bear was sighted at this exact location in October, but one would expect a bear to be hibernating at this time. Since it’s not a Yeti, not the Loch Ness Monster etc, I guess it might have been a Bear afterall.

A few miles away are huge shopping centers and highways, but here nature still rules.

Too often I feel that too much of the art has little actual content at the Whitney, and that it is possible to leave a show with an unsatisfied feeling, but this is not at all true about the Kara Walker show titled: Kara Walker: My Complement, My Enemy, My Oppressor, My Love that will be there until February 3.

Her work assaults you with it’s creativity and with the harshness of the content. The materials are  fragile and simple: Black paper cutouts, drawings, films of shadow puppets and the content is the pre-civil war south, slavery and plantation life: racism, sexism, cruelty, the relationship of the oppressed and the oppresser.

She is our “witness” and story-teller. It’s a terrible story which we would like not to have to confront in all of it’s details.

Walker ’s black paper sillouettes on white background are in essence fine drawings and the exhibit is a great reminder of how a poweful message can be made with such simple materials.

Try not to miss this show…if you can’t get to the Whitney, view her work on line.

Photo by Jeff French Segall

Considering going to the Big Apple Circus? Do it and take everyone along with you. This is a true gem of New York. Yesterday  we went with 6 children aged 4 to 11 years, one teen,  and  10 adults. There are no wild animal acts and  no elephants, and no “freak show”.  Some of you love “freak shows” but they are not here, you’ll have to get that eksewhere…

But there is Grandma the Clown, shown here with an actual Grandma, and since this is NY- a guy is Grandma the Clown, of course, a charming dog act, sets of breath-taking acrobats, living golden statues of incredible strength, an impossible to do slack tight rope act, more clowns, a live band, a terrific juggler, fun costumes, lights, junk food, circus toys, food sellers calling out in true NY accents, and general circus pizzaz.

Best of all,  these are real people, performing extraordinary acts live. A relief from TV or computor images and games. Real people sometimes miss or make a mistake, as happened,  and do a trick it all over again, until they succedd. Nice. Good example.

This is a not-for-profit circus with a very big heart. See their website for details of their community work in classrooms and hospitals.

They set up a large heated tent in Lincoln Center, and since this circus is not overwhelming in size, and you sit in the round,  you can see well from just about anywhere. Discounted seats are available through TDF and other outlets.

Did we like it? We love it and we go most years.

Last night’s appearance of Twisted Sister at the FillmoreNY was a fantastic party for their fans and for the band. Twisted heavy metal waves of love went from the band to the audience and the audience did the same back. The audience was a spectrum of ages and types. The moshers moshed to Twisted’s Christmas songs like their heavy metal Come All Ye Faithful. Really hilarious and wonderful!

They were called back for more, of course and gave their fans several more songs, the most fun was My Heavy Metal Christmas to the melody of the Twelve days of Christmas. They held up hand-made signs with the new heavy metal lyrics and the fans sang along in complete enjoyment. It was really fun.

Dee said at the beginning of the set, that unlike certain bands that only complain about life they were into having a  a good time and enjoying life. They completely proved that. They played their Christmas  songs and also did many old favorites like, The Price , We’re Not Gonna Take It, and You can’t Stop Rock and Roll. They wished everyone Merry Christmas, Happy Hanuka and even a Happy Kwanza…and ended O Come Let Us with the line “Jesus was a Jew”. Outside of NYC that can be controvertial. It was a sick MF Christmas show.

Authentic New York City delis are now hard to find. Once there were so many of them that we could take them for granted. So here is a little list to help you know for sure when you are about to eat in a fake:

the menu lists a selection of “Reubens”

the menu lists a selection of cheese burgers

the daily specials are meat with melted cheese and fries. Clearly, you are in an American fast food restaurant, not a Jewish deli.

There are Borsht belt type jokes about Jews on the menu

We ate in such a place called Artie’s Delicatessen on Broadway and 83rd St, last night. Please try this kind of food somewhere else. The “Israeli Salad” was large chunks of tomato and cucumber  with dill and vinegar.  Edible, but not an Israeli Salad which is finely minced cucumber, tomato, onions or chives, herbs and lemon juice. The kasha was mostly giant farfalle with some kasha, missing  onions and mushrooms and it was a bit too greasy, the chicken was overdone and not tender, with no particular flavor. In the past we have been served  flavorless pastrami and bland corned beef,  so we skipped those this time.

The night we had bland meat, we saw a bus-load of German tourists drive up to Artie’s for dinner. I wonder what they thought about it.

Please go to the Second Avenue Deli instead, click and compare the menu. That’s a deli.  Glad they have re-opened and I wish them good luck in their new location.

We have decided to stay in town for the holiday week and go many places, I will write about each event afterwards. So to begin our week:

Tonight we will be at The Fillmore NY for Twisted Sister’s “holiday concert”.  I need to buy better ear plugs so that I can emerge without  my head banging on its own. I’ve done this before, I am a fan. You can still hear everything perfectly well with the plugs in, just no ringing ears for days afterwards.

And Saturday afternoon we will visit one of those precious  jewels of NYC, The Big Apple Circus which is located in a tent on a plaza in Lincoln Center. We will go in a large group of 18 family and friends including 6 children under 10 years old.

I have been tagged by Rebecca Wallace-Segall of WritopiaLab in a “meme” which is a game of Bloggers Tag. Additional details of this game and it’s tagging history can be found on Rebecca’s entry on the WritopiaLab’s blog. Rebecca, thank you for the tag.

The question posed in game is: Who are the teachers who have most personally influenced you and how?” 

1) My Aunt Sarah. My Dad had many sisters and Sarah was the one most like him. They were immigrants: toughened by harder lives, extremely capable of doing many extaordinary things, very funny since humor is the best defense, warm and best of all, good teachers and  very supportative. When I was only 5 years old, Aunt Sarah taught me how to crochet, knit, and cut fabric with a large sharp scissors. This is not so easy for a young child with small hands but today young children seem not to be allowed to even consider touching tools, much less sharp ones. She just said that I should “do it!” and I did.  Aunt Sarah told me that I have “golden hands” and could make anything I want to. This pronouncement was a  spectacular gift of encouragement which I have used for my lifetime.

When my Dad wanted to turn a porch in our summer home into a room, he called Aunt Sarah.In a weekend together they framed the porch in wood, added windows, laid a new tile floor, made seating benches and upholstered them. A case of four “golden hands”  working together. They joked and laughed as they worked. Clearly a woman could do anything she wanted to do, …another  great lesson and a gift.

2) My friend Rochelle Saidel. Rochelle uses all of her talents and education  in complete dedication to her work. She is an example of an ideal of focus and determination, which I would would like to emulate and attain.

I tag:

Rochelle G. Saidel  of  Remember the Women Institute

Late last week, a vibrant friend suddenly passed away due to  illness. Hundreds of people gathered at the funeral home the morning after her death and she was movingly eulogized by her daughters and friends. So very sad, and it was remarkably comforting to experience the respect and honor shown to her and to her family.

Monday morning, three days later, when I arrived at a doctor’s office for a scheduled appointment,  there on the list of patients to be seen just after my appointment was my friend’s name! I did not know that we both were both patients of this doctor and I was shocked to see her name on the list of people expected to show up, hopefully on time, to see the podiatrist.

That evening, we went to her home for a Shiva visit. Her lovely home was full of friends offering comfort to her family. A short evening service was held in her living room. Her daughters, supported by their husbands, said Kaddish. Her closest, long-term friend, told me that they had theatre tickets for the past weekend, and how she missed her company.

A life ended in mid-step or mid-sentence, with many missed appointments.

We sailed the upper harbor on the Spirit of New York on a very cold and clear windy night with a party of friends from work. The ship docks at Chelsea Piers…glinting black water, sparkling lights of the City, the necklaces of bridges, moving streams of the lights of cars on the FDR. It was so beautiful that even New Jersey was a pleasure to see. (Note to non-New Yorkers reading this: this is a shocking statement for a NYer to make. It means that it was a wildly beautiful night).

The ship lingered for about 10 minutes at the Statue of Liberty, and I walked out onto the outside deck, without wearing my coat, and admired her in the wind and  20 something degree weather and very happily shivering. We had dinner aboard, the entertainment was light and fun.

The lower deck had a DJ and  what looked like a herd of people of all ages, including children,  kind of sync/dancing to disco, actually having nice fun. The dinner service was very positive…not one surly wait person. Best of all, even I, poor Lily, who has felt motion sickness on a cross- town bus as it lurched through traffic, had no problem!

On Wednesday night at HUC on W 4th Street, Dr. Rochelle  Saidel of Remember The Women Institute, spoke about Gemma La Guardia Gluck and presented a slide show. This was an excellent presentation by a true scholar and a warm person. Rochelle spoke about Gemma’s moving and engrossing story in particular, and furthering the inclusion of women in history, and the question of including women’s personal stories. Gemma’s story begins in NYC, includes the “wild west”, Europe and America before WWII, internment by the Nazis as a hostage in a concentration camp, survival and Gemma’s return to NYC. Very moving.

The photo is Rochelle at the HUC exhibit with Gemma’s grandchildren.

Afterwards, we crossed the street and went to Dojo’s Restaurant, ringed in sparkly seasonal decorations, and it was filled wall-to-wall with very, very young NYU students, at least 85% of whom were women. The future history of tomorrow.

It brought to mind what my very beloved 14 year old niece said about the coming presidential election: I wish I could vote for Hillary. It would mean so much to have a woman elected President. It represents the limitless possibilty of the future to her.

It is important to be reminded of how important and influential role models are, and of how much these role models are needed.  We need the role models of the past and of the present.

This is not a “one-tree” town. The streets, atria, plazas and window displays are full of holiday decorations, and the Salvation Army is still ringing bells in the street even though they have received a huge bequest and wouldn’t seem to need to do this type of collecting any longer.

Some decorations are lovely, others like Bergdorf’s windows are so over-the-top that they are thrilling to look at and are hilarious! It looks as though a very creative crew raided a fabric trimmings shop and lost their minds building exotic animals out of upholstery findings. Really creatively funny. Must have been challenging and fun to build. Bloomies and Lord& Taylor have mechanized displays which are essentially made up of dolls and props.

There are large menorahs placed at several locations but I saw the best menorah of the season at a local hardware store on Columbus Avenue. A Hanukah menorah made of brass plumbing parts is squeezed into the dusty, crowded window along with the usual out-of-season Air Conditioners, appliances and paint supplies. The sign  underneath the menorah says “100% Brass menorah, one of a kind, $129. OK, don’t buy me, I’ll sit in the dark”.

The Great Snowflake , sponsored by UNICEF, hanging over 57th Street and 5th is gorgeous and soon will have real snow for company. I wonder if all of the snow that falls on the street this week would add up to the weight of  that Great Snowflake.

The doll-lover/collagist in me really enjoys all of this pizzaz. Only the decorated trees in windows, lobbies and shops are often disappointing, often overly decorated with no “treeness” left to be seen.

Judging by the way the tourists walk around the city streets like deer in the headlights, it must be very a stunnning experience to visit New York from Anywhere Else. This holiday season, the streets are overflowing with visitors, their children and their maps spread out as they try to find their way around the simple grid of streets in midtown Manhattan.

Each year 45.5 million people visit New York City, an astounding number. This season we seem to have triple the usual number (at least) and they are Everywhere, including in many neighborhoods where one does not usually see tourists. Brave, smart tourists learn to use our buses and subway.

Hint for tourists when asking directions: Start by telling the NYer exactly where you are going since there are many ways to get to the same place, and judging by many factors (where you are, how many of you there are, if you are with kids, how old you are etc, etc) the NYer will give you the best way. Avoid asking “does this go to the West Side”-you will get a one word reply “yes” or “no”, say “how can I best get to ……”

One morning, we saw so many families with children, standing on a line which stretched around the block of the Museum of Natural History waiting to enter, in a light rain. Never saw a line that long before! Oh yes, and in NYC one stands “on line” while the rest of the English speaking world stands “in line’.

Anything with Trump’s name seems worthy of a photo, what do they  have when they get home? A collection of photos of Trump’s logo? A mystery. Must be the exitement of being in NYC which overtakes all reason.

The magazine Time Out NY had a reporter almost dressed as a cop,  give tourists tickets for “bad”behavior, such as wearing fanny packs and blocking the sidewalks while NYers are trying to get to work, it was a cute article, not mean.

Even though their habits of walking five people accross on the sidewalk thereby blocking everyone else from getting around town is truly rude and annoying, it is very good that they are here.

Six years ago, in December 2001, we were stunned to see our city without visitors as people kept away out of fear of terrorism. The current crop of visitors have the benefit of our trashed dollar and people all over seem to have adjusted to a world of random violence, and thankfully, New York is not even remotely high on that list of cities with violent crime.

So the tourists look stunned, amazed, lost, tired and anxious not to miss anything…having a good time….and they walk much too slowly…often in small circles…

The  very compelling memoir of Gemma La Guardia Gluck, the sister of the truly beloved mayor of New York City, Fiorello La Guardia, is a stunning story which starts in New york City’s Greenwich Village,  moves to the “wild west” of the Dakotas, includes the American midwest, Italy, Hungary, and Gemma’s internment in Ravensbruck concentration camp as a political hostage by the Nazis while Fiorello was mayor, and Gemma’s survival and return to  New York City.

Gemma’s story is the focus of an exhibit at Hebrew Union College on West 4th Street, a fitting location since it is close by to where Gemma’s story begins.  On Decemeber 12, there will be a program and reception.

The program features “a conversation and book signing with Dr. Rochelle G. Saidel, editor of Gemma La Guardia Gluck’s memoir. She will discuss La Guardia family history and Jewish roots, as well as Gemma’s experiences during the Holocaust in Hungary and Ravensbrück women’s concentration camp, and as a displaced person in war-torn Berlin.”

Gemma’s memoir opens a window of insight about how we can be lulled by our routine of daily life and the hope that unpleasant times could just pass us by, that we might not recognize danger at our doorstep. It is clear example of a woman in history whose story could  be overlooked and buried, which would be a sad loss.

Many thanks to Rochelle for not letting this happen to Gemma’s story. See you on December 12 at HUC.

To true NYers, only the city seems like real life…other places may be stunningly beautiful, or cultered, or exotic or wonderful small towns in seductive surroundings but after just a few weeks, this lifelong NYer can not wait to get back to “real” life.  I will share my experiences of living a “real” life in the only place that always seems real to me, the place I feel most free to be my complete, most personal self…NYC.

Soon on GothamGirl: guest authors, an “advice” column about NYC, Arts and events reviews, and Courtesy Tips for Tourists to New York City…by the way, I could really use a few extra of those from you.