I meant to share this photo on the blog in July, when it was taken. I was invited to attend the ribbon-cutting of The Hills, on Governors Island, on July 19. It was a fantastic event. Incredible turnout. It was also hot as blazes, in the mid-90s. I wore a t-shirt and was under-dressed. As the event was ending, folks were posing with Mayor Mike Bloomberg for selfies. It was my chance. I thrust my Continue Reading →
I am going to be offering my Upper West Side walking tour weekly in July and August. If you love the Jazz Age celebrities, this is the walk for you. I am having it on Wednesdays at 12:00 Noon: July 6, July 13, July 20, July 20, August 3, August 10, August 17, August 24, and August 31. Come along on a walking tour of the Upper West Side and Morningside Heights with a focus Continue Reading →
I am signing copies of my new book The Governors Island Explorer’s Guide (Globe Pequot Press) on Saturday and Sunday, May 28 and 29, from 11 AM to Noon both days. The location is a national historic landmark, a city landmark: Castle Williams on Governors Island. The fort is part of the Governors Island National Monument and is run by the National Park Service. The rangers have free tours of Castle Williams. I’ll be in Continue Reading →
All of my book research is starting to cross over, and I am reminded of this today because it is the ninty-eighth anniversary of the death of Goldwin Starrett, the young architect of the Algonquin Hotel, in 1918. It was only this month that I started really reading a lot more about the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919, a global disaster that killed 21.5 million worldwide, with 675,000 deaths in the United States. I’m currently writing Continue Reading →
Last night I was proud to have an intimate launch party for my new book The Governors Island Explorer’s Guide. It was held in Red Hook, Brooklyn, within sight of the Island itself. The venue was Kevin’s Red Hook, 277 Van Brunt Street. I picked the restaurant because this is who runs Little Eva’s on Governors Island Liggett Terrace, my favorite restaurant on the Island. All of my walking tours end here with cold ones Continue Reading →
On Tuesday I attended the announcement for the World War One Centennial Committee For New York City, on the eve of the 99th anniversary of America’s entry into the Great War. The event was held on the steps of the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue, the same spot where so many Veterans Day Parades have marched past. New York is not going to let the centennial of the war pass without notice. An Continue Reading →
My first public walking tour of 2016 will be on April 30 at Noon at the Algonquin Hotel. The Algonquin Round Table comes alive in the only New York walking tour devoted to the famed literary group. The 2-hour walk celebrates Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, George S. Kaufman, Harpo Marx, Edna Ferber, Franklin P. Adams, Heywood Broun, Harold Ross, Robert Sherwood, Marc Connelly and the rest of the Vicious Circle. Advance tickets on sale now. Continue Reading →
I’m happy to say that today my sixth book comes out, The Governors Island Explorer’s Guide. I started writing it in 2010, but put it aside because there were so many changes taking place on the Island. If it had come out a few years ago, it would already have been out of date. But thanks to my editor at Globe Pequot, Amy Lyons, we got the book completed in near-record time. I’m glad the Continue Reading →
The Ziegfeld name is back in the news in New York. It is for a small item—that is only important to a few people—the few souls who like going to a movie theater in a cavernous space of more than 1,000 seats. Newspapers and bloggers in New York are probably writing about the Ziegfeld name for one of the last times, and that is sad. It is because the movie theater that was built in Continue Reading →
The wait is nearly over! The publication date for my new book, Governors Island Explorer’s Guide: Adventure & History in New York Harbor, is just one month away: Eight easy-to-follow maps cover all 172 acres of Governors Island. Also included is information about planning a trip, ferry service, where to eat, and bicycle paths. Learn the history of Castle Williams and Fort Jay—protecting New York since the 18th Century. Read a guide to the island’s Continue Reading →