whyushould

... because you can go fishing

2008-12-18T23:43:44Z

Go Fish!We have a holiday tradition called the Four Fish Feast. Every family member is responsible for creating a fish dish and a few weeks before the Feast, we trek down to Chinatown to case out the freshest fish in the city. Although there are a ton of seafood sources in the city, we like Chinatown for cheap, fresh fish (and yes, often very much alive fish). This year sea bass, trout, scallops and calamari are on the menu. Other holiday traditions beyond the gluttony? A visit with ABC Home and Carpet's Santa (he's the real deal), Macy's at midnight, brunch at Norma's and of course red velvet cupcakes! For the young people, each receives one box of presents for ever year they've spent on this earth. Too bad the tradition doesn't extend to grown-ups or i'd be expecting a ton of boxes. Ah, old age.

... because Thanksgiving includes Tofurky

2008-11-09T20:16:10Z

Tofurky Disguise KitI once had a desk job. When I wasn't at the desk, I was at the movies because this particular job comped all the movies that I saw. Seriously, my expense report detailed all of the latest releases and obscure hits that I could fit into a day. (Yes yes, this was P.C. - pre-child) Once I got the hang of submitting movie ticket stubs to HR, you better believe that I took my role as Roger Ebert the second, extremely seriously. By the way, AMC's MovieWatcher loyalty program is rad. Once in awhile I miss those carefree moviegoing days, but then I remember the Holiday movie previews that inevitably started around this time. Those gag-inducing previews that detail all of the upcoming holiday-inspired cliched flicks to debut on Thanksgiving weekend. Which brings us to Tofurky. In NYC, not only do you not have to cook, but you can also find numerous tryptophan-free Thanksgiving meal options. So lazy vegetarians rejoice (present company included), this Thanksgiving holiday you are off the hook.

ps. Happy 1st Anniversary to whyushould.org! Which, to provide the backstory, all began last year when some people we knew insisted that we were out of our minds to raise our infant son in a studio apartment in this big, bad, germy city, lol.

... because you will be scared senseless

2008-10-22T19:46:56Z

Dress Up

The Halloween industry needs a makeover. Go to any Party City (actually don't ... I just waited in line for 30 minutes) or a pop-up Halloween store and the costumes for sale look dusty and dated. (Speaking of dating, someone actually compiled a list of the Top 10 Halloween costumes to wear on a date) If you're up for it, the city celebrates Halloween for two weeks straight and you can attend everything from lowbrow events to really clever gatherings (like the Starving Artists Halloween Ball) and of course everything in between. I am currently attempting to track down a costume that compliments Nash's hilarious silverback gorilla suit. A friend suggested the Empire State Building. Love it!

ps. if you're dying to get out of this ghost town, check out this great list of Haunted Hotels.

... because you can run your business out of a truck

2008-09-09T19:47:59Z

Go Truck YourselfWith all the available commercial real estate in Manhattan, one may wonder why so many shops are hitting the streets. But the novelty works and the store-in-a-truck model is hotter than ever. This afternoon I bought my falafel lunch out of a truck on 15th and 5th avenue and I regularly buy coffee from the Mud truck (the third best cup of coffee in Manhattan imho) ... there seems to be no shortage of food-related snacking trucks. There are also the unexpected, sometimes silly truck traders like the knife grinder truck, the bookstore in a truck and the clothing shop in a truck. Which actually stopped me cold the other day. Causing me to wonder out loud, would Tedde work as a store on wheels? Would that enhance the brand and shopping experience? We've been told many times that the products are so compelling in person and as we continue to explore retail venues and partnership opportunities, maybe the truck will rise to the top.

... because you can decide to be a tourist

2008-08-22T22:42:18Z

Just On VacationOne fine summer evening not too long ago, we decided at 11pm to go to the top of the Empire State Building*. We splurged on the express tickets (highly recommended because you will be treated like a VIP with these tickets) and we also brought our camera. On the way over, we couldn't resist a stop at the flourescent lit Mister Softee truck. Its legendary service intact (insert note of sarcasm), moments later we found ourselves facing an extroverted New Yorker ... taking the pair of us in with one stealth glance (over dressed - our first night out in months, with a camera, cherry dip cones in hand). He asked if we would like him to take our photo, to capture this special moment in time. It was a great offer because we somehow never manage to get a shot of us together. After he snapped what turned out to be a horrible photo, he cheerfully handed back our camera and shouted (yes shouted ... actually shouted with excitement and happiness) WELCOME TO NEW YORK!! I couldn't believe it. Just moments ago I had been fighting this inexplicable inner battle ... whether to hand this guy our camera or not, wondering if he was going to grab it and run. And it turned out to be this poignant moment, demonstrating true sincerity and the sometimes unexpected welcoming spirit of New Yorkers.

* who knew, the Empire State Building is actually open till 2am (every day) which possibly would have been a more exciting time to recount these adventures

... because you'll run into people

2008-07-31T23:37:01Z

Who's that Girl?It all started many years ago when I ran (literally ran) into Hilary Swank and Chad Lowe at the Pier Antiques Show. Her body guard expertly elbowed me out of the way while the actress barreled through the crowd insisting on carrying a coffee table that she had just purchased all by herself. (It was not a small table and the group of six or seven people with her were clearly agitated by the situation. Chad looked up at me sadly. He was very short). Next was Tim Robbins while Christmas shopping at Utowa (now closed). I was buying one gift and he had no less than thirty of the same thing in his arms (he was not short and must have a lot of friends). If you walk around the city at odd hours (like when you should be in your office, at your desk, working) you might find that run-ins are nearly an everyday occurrence. I shared a chuckle with a salesperson at Barneys when we both spotted Terri Hatcher (super small) in Mrs. John L Strong. He dished about the last time she was there and all that transpired. Meadow and I stood in the same checkout line at Buy Buy Baby and I could swear Julianne Moore (tiny and short) is following us ... first at Tompkins Square Park, then in the Village, and a week later in a driveby in her black Ford SUV. The coup however may be the miniature Madonna and her Guy heading into an UWS restaurant (possibly at the dinner where they civily discussed their separation). I have to say, its too much fun to keep track of where celebrities are around town and how tall they really are.

... because you don't have to lift a finger

2008-07-10T11:05:52Z

Moving on UpWe're moving again. That's ten homes in ten years. I'm not sure we even completely unpacked from the last move. At least that makes things efficient. In NYC you don't have to lift a finger during a move. There are companies dedicated to moving your piano, moving your artwork ... there is even someone called the couch doctor who specializes in making things fit in small spaces. Once you're in, there is the classic man with a van option on craigslist to help you get over to the Brooklyn IKEA and bring back all of your new furniture. There's no doubt about it, moving is stressful ... but the excitement of finding that special new place and making it a home can become an obsession. After all these years, it looks like we are finally honing in on a permanent location on the East Coast. But the ideal situation is still to live in three or four places throughout the year.

... because the trees grow tall

2008-05-23T12:01:04Z

One Generation Plants Trees, the Other Gets ShadeI have a thing for cherry blossom trees. I manage to forget this until April of every year, when entire city blocks are transformed by the blooming masterpieces. This year I did some research ... it turns out the first sakura were sent as a gift of friendship (around 1912) to the United States from Japan. Since then, the trees have migrated up to NYC and I've noticed many New Yorkers stopping to take in the sights (and pluck a blossom or two). It's actually big business for florists during this time of year to sell entire flowering branches for $10+ a branch. Very recently, we went tree shopping to choose the tree that was planted for Nash's birth at his grandparent's lakeside cottage. We settled on a Persian Walnut and look forward to watching it grow alongside him. In ancient Persia, only royalty could eat the fruit known as the Royal Walnut from this type of tree. On his first birthday, we plan to give Nash a nutcracker.

... because doors will open

2008-04-30T16:53:48Z

What's Behind Door #1?During the renovation of our storefront in the East Village, we managed to back into a vulnerable situation that required us to have a custom door created for our bathroom. After two months without any privacy (literally no bathroom door), I finally made it a priority to track down a doormaker. Mr. Doormaker's assistant was friendly enough in email exchanges ... then we arrived at his loft office near Macy's on 34th and shared our budget. Wait, let's back up. When we walked into the loft, Mr. Doormaker mistook my companion for my bodyguard. That's right, Mr. Doormaker lived and worked in such a privileged world that his clients had bodyguards. Anyway, the numbers were so far off (his forged iron doors started at $10K and we needed one zero knocked off that number) that the meeting lasted all of ten minutes. What did I learn from this? It proved (once again) that someone can make a (really good) living in this city in endless ways. Trust yourself, make a name for yourself and doors will open up to all kinds of possibility.

ps. I bounced back from the meeting and ended up tracking down an antiqued door that looked something like this. Much, much cooler than iron.

... because you can be a swinger

2008-03-20T16:00:12Z

Me, Tarzan. You, JaneI start to think about swinging when warm weather hits. And with more than 1,700 (!) parks and playgrounds in NYC, you have a choice when it comes to finding a place to swing. My son recently celebrated a couple of firsts: first tooth, first half birthday, first ride outdoors on a swing. That's the thing with October babies, you kind of hibernate after they're born. When spring rolls around, you all come bursting out of the cave swinging. Rather than sign up for any and every experience we found in the parenting magazines (and trust me, the selection of available mommy + me classes is overwhelming), I decided to hone in on two categories: water activities and spiritual pursuits. Yes, for a six month old!