TRADITION!

Or… Family and the beach for 50 years at the same place!

I’m back from this gorgeous beach and miss it already. Some may find what our family does is boring…on the other hand some may find it enviable. Don’t know, but it sure works for us.

This is how we spend our time each sun-filled or rain-filled day, with a few adjustments for showers: Breakfast, reading the papers, doing the crossword, walking on the beach, reading, family chefs cooking, golfing, happy hours drinking (notice the plural there) dinner, lively conversations with family musicians playing and singing. Plus always a unique jigsaw puzzle waiting on the table for someone to walk by and add a piece or two. Perhaps, once in a while if we are in the mood, a day trip somewhere. All in all…a perfectly wonderful time and has been all these years. Already reserved for the same weeks next year! 51 years ….wow!

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Caroles-bird-for-early-bird-special.jpg — This beautiful bird captured by our talented family photographer at Huntington Beach Park near where we stay.

BTW – kids, grand kids, usually not around as their lives are full with school, college, work, family, but we are able to harness them all when we have a reunion.

KAY’S NOTES:

This peninsula,off the coast of South Carolina is about 10 miles south of Myrtle Beach and 90 miles north of Charleston, has been our family’s go to place. It’s almost a second home and although we do not own the houses we stay in, the rentals are wonderful, on the ocean and not even close to the rates on the east end of Long Island! If you’ve been in the area you know exactly what I’m talking about. A lovely family beach!
For us? spectacular memories!

Now…what’s going on in my City? I’ll let you know.

Disclaimer: I try for correct info on my posts, but no guarantees people.

“I could never live there!”

Or..what I hear a lot when I’m out of town.

I had to take the LIRR at Penn Station a few weeks ago and forgot how crowded, noisy, messy with people, vendors, cars,taxis, buses all trying to get somewhere. If that was the first impression that I had as a tourist arriving in NYC and coming out of Penn Station, I too would question the sanity of anyone choosing to live here. Of course, once away from that chaos, the excitement of this City starts to hit and that first impression begins to dissipate at least for a while.

I think that all tourists should be required (rather strong word) or encouraged (better word) to visit a neighborhood where people actually live. You know, where they work, go to school, buy groceries, go to kids’ sports games like families do. Visitors might then have a better idea of why living in the City in a tiny expensive apartment might have some pluses. Now the really young – teenagers, kids with dreams-this is where they want to be. They get it.

I’ve written about our neighborhoods before, but I’m making this suggestion. If you are coming in to see the sights, a show, eat at a great restaurant, visit a museum how about making another plan to venture out of those popular and interesting places and find a neighborhood to walk around. A great one is a few blocks from the important and heavily tourist area of the World Trade Center. Cross over West Side Highway to Murray Street which is very easy to find. If it’s a weekend or in the evening watch the kids play soccer or baseball on the large sports field. The neighborhood has a library up the street – a school nearby –grocery stores and restaurants. Walk to the river – and then walk along the river – see families having picnics on the grass – napping and reading, playing ball, climbing and swinging in the playgrounds.

Near Murray Street and Battery Park Neighborhood

These neighborhoods are all over the City. Granted some more dense than others, but it gives a glimpse into the lives of New Yorkers who live, retire and work here and enjoy most everything that visitors do with a great perk…home is just around the corner. Maybe you still won’t want that small apartment without a yard, but maybe you’ll understand why some of us do.

Happy Labor Day! Love this City!

KAY’S NOTES:

IMPORTANT TO KNOW: Just have fun here – and maybe I’ll see you in my ‘hood!

Photos by me!

:Disclaimer: I try for correct info on my posts, but no guarantees people.

BUT WAIT…THERE’S MORE!

Or…Want a free pass to a NYC museum? Pull out that library card!

You’ve seen those infomercials that tell you to order some wonderful miracle product that you can’t live without and once they’ve almost got you hooked…they throw in…”But wait…there’s more!” And then they tell you about some great thingamajig that goes along with the other thingamajig and there you are…ordering. Well friends, that’s what’s going on with a New York , Queens or Brooklyn Library card!!!!

Culture Pass

Here’s how it works

Use that library card to borrow those books, do that research, watch that movie, attend that lecture, use their restrooms and then..to reserve a free museum pass . All you have to do is go to the
Culture Pass website enter your library card number and password and select the venue of your choice. If you don’t have a library card now’s the time to get one. Anyone who lives, works or studies in New York State can get a NYPL library card and even if you’re just visiting there’s a short term visitor card available (didn’t know that).

The day the program was announced, July 15th, the NY City Library received over 5000 on-line applications for library cards usually it’s about 290! But wait there’s more…over 9,500 free passes to the Met Museum, Whitney and MoMa are now reserved-sold out (well not sold ’cause it’s free). There are 33 institutions in Culture Pass and more coming. One caveat – you can only go once a year to each venue. Good news is that a pass can be for 2 to 4 people depending on the institution. This City and Library initiative is focused on allowing more access to the culture this City has to offer that may not otherwise be affordable to many. The Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum is on the list and its ticket alone can be $33 for one person.

Culture Pass is THE hot ticket

Right now(July 23) all passes are gone, but as of August 1 and the first of every month thereafter reservations are open again.

My friends from across the country talk to me about the cost of living in NYC and discuss how their rotisserie chickens are only $4.99 and gasp at my $8.99. Of course, they’re right, but you can’t beat the quality and quantity of free-bees this City offers. (Let’s not talk about apt costs and parking-that’s a whole different story) BTW the Met Opera’s free summer HD outdoor series starts on August 24th – more info in my next post.

AS ALWAYS, LOVE THIS CITY!

KAY’S NOTES: (Now that news of Culture Pass has hit all the papers and social media many of you are probably well aware of this program; however, I thought I would be remiss if I didn’t write this post just in case.)

IMPORTANT TO KNOW: From Culture Pass website: Dozens of organizations participate in Culture Pass, from children’s museums and public gardens to historical societies and heritage centers. View the full list of participating organizations to see what interests you — whether it’s fine art or history, nature or photography. https://www.culturepass.nyc/

GOOD TO KNOW: (FROM NYPL website) There are 92 locations to get a library card or you can apply for a library card online.

Disclaimer: I try for correct info on my posts, but no guarantees people.

Kids hoping for a snow day?

Or…my ten year old granddaughter knows how to make it happen.

“When you go to bed and the schools haven’t been closed yet, follow these three steps.”

Step 1. Put your pajamas on inside out
Step 2. Put two ice cubes in the toilet and flush
Step 3. Put a spoon under your pillow.

It worked!! She’s home!!
You just never know!

Love this City…gorgeous when it’s snowing and it is snowing. Stay safe!

Disclaimer: I try for correct info on my posts, but no guarantees people.

REMEMBER…. KANOPY?

Or…As the NY Times article says..”.A night at the theater from your couch!”

Remember my post on kanopy a few weeks ago… Alright, Mr. DeMille, ? Well there was an Interesting article in the Arts section of the Times recently not only about kanopy, but also other streaming services including Broadway HD and PBS. Some free, like kanopy, some not.

From the Times Arts section (Nov 21,2017) by Elizabeth Vincentelli

“Another fairly recent arrival on the streaming scene is kanopy, which is free with a public-library card in 200 systems nationwide. A big chunk of bandwidth is occupied by Shakespeare telecasts the BBC produced in the 1970s and ’80s with a dizzying array of star (or not-yet-star) actors. We’re talking Helen Mirren in “As You Like It” and a 1981 “Othello” with Anthony Hopkins as the title character (this wouldn’t fly anymore) facing Bob Hoskins’s Iago. I was happy to rewatch my favorite Lady Macbeth, Jane Lapotaire, whom I had discovered when that BBC production was shown in France way back when. Offerings of more recent vintage include a “Julius Caesar” transposed by the director Gregory Doran to the Arab Spring.

Just as good are the documentaries, especially a 1990 interview with the performance artist Karen Finley; a chat with Martha Wilson, founder of the experimental performance space Franklin Furnace; and an illuminating exploration of “Hamlet” with David Tennant, Simon Russell Beale and Ben

Whishaw. For me, though, the biggest find was “Theater of War,” about the 2006 production of “Mother Courage and Her Children,” starring Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline, at the Delacorte Theater, with rehearsal footage and a step-by-step breakdown of the production’s evolution.”

The Delacorte Theater in Central Park… Love this City!

KAY’S NOTES:

Important to know: For the full article on streaming services go to the link below… I highly recommend the read. Elizabeth(author) says you can crinkle candy wrappers whenever you want; I say, no one will care if :you dig into that popcorn and pop a bottle of bubbly!

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/20/theater/theater-streaming-services-cennarium-broadwayhd.html

Disclaimer: I try for correct info on my posts, but no guarantees people

“Alright, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my closeup!”*

Or…where to find those movies you always wanted to see or have seen but wanted to see again without leaving the comforts of your cozy home?

It’s kanopy baby, a new free service offered by many public libraries.

“kanopy offers a broad selection of more than 30,000 feature films, documentaries, foreign language and more. “ from the NYPL website.

I was reading my favorite newspaper and saw that not only is the New York Public Library offering free streaming from kanopy but so are many libraries across the country. Then the email hit my inbox from the NYPL officially announcing this new free service available to its members. Really true, libraries are definitely not just about books any more. Check out your library to see if they have it…if not, see if they’ll get it. (BTW did you ever return that overdue book?)

Have your popcorn ready and something good to drink, and find a movie you wanted to see that’s not in the theaters, not on Netflix or any other streaming thingy, but maybe, just maybe, there it will be FREE from your local library. And really good news, you don’t have to leave your domicile- just sign up – and let it stream right to your living room, den, bedroom or whatever!

KAY’S NOTES:

Important to know: If you’re not already a member of your library (tsk tsk) do it and then subscribe to kanopy. Check out their website or the NYPL website for more info: https://www.kanopystreaming.com/ https://www.nypl.org/

Good to know: NYPL members – get ten selections a month. Your library system may vary. Now depending on your city/town – library funding is usually thru our taxes. So OK – maybe not totally free – but close enough. Right? No direct cost to join or use.
FYI – some universities and colleges also offer this service to students and alumni.

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Fun to know: * For those who have not seen the movie or the Broadway show…or just too young (probably no one that reads my blog) to know… it’s that famous line from SUNSET BOULEVARD that Norma Desmond (aka Gloria Swanson, 1950 movie and Glenn Close, musical, first run 1994) says so dramatically. “Alright, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my closeup!”

Photo of Sunset Boulevard poster courtesy of Posterazzi.

Disclaimer: I try for correct info on my posts, but no guarantees people

Cost of Senior Pass for US National Parks is going up On August 27, 2017

Act Now for a National Parks Senior Pass

08/24/2017

One of the perks of turning 62 has long been the privilege of buying a Senior Lifetime Pass that covers you and your traveling companions at all 417 National Park Sites only $10—but don’t wait till you’re planning a trip to get yours. The price for a senior pass price is about to go up dramatically, and the rush is on.

The National Parks Department will raise the price of the Senior Lifetime Pass to $80 on August 28; a new $20 annual Senior Pass will become available at the same time.

On its website, the Parks Department promises that all eligible senior pass orders placed online before 11:59pm EDT on August 27, or mail orders postmarked on or before the 27th, will be processed at the $10 price. (There’s also an additional $10 processing charge.)

Why the steep increase? Blame Congress. It’s an indirect result of the America the Beautiful parks pass going up as legislated by Congress in 2016.

How to Get Your Senior Lifetime Pass

Unless you plan to visit a National Parks site before August 27, fire up your computer now.

Click here to access the store’s Senior Pass Page, where you’ll find all the info about the pass.
On the Senior Pass Page, you’ll see a link to “Purchase your pass via Your Pass Now.” This is a digital validation service that’s helping the department handle the rush of applications by automatically verifying your age against public documents. That’s good news for you, because it saves you having to upload an image of your driver’s license or other state issued ID. You will have to enter your personal details, including Social Security number, but Your Pass Now says it deletes all information once your application has been processed.
If you can’t bring yourself to enter your Social Security Number (or the site doesn’t work for you), you can use the standard application here and upload a photo or scan of your ID.
Print or save your confirmation page—due to the last minute crush, it can take up to 12 weeks to receive your pass; meanwhile you can use your confirmation for entry to the National Parks.
You can also apply by mail by printing and completing this application along with a photocopy of your ID.

Once you get your pass, hold on to it; the passes are non-refundable and can’t be replaced if lost or stolen.

Questions? Contact the National Parks Department at 888-ASK-USGS and press 3, or email fedrecpass@usgs.gov. You can also check the Senior Pass FAQ here.

Happy camping!

KAY’S NOTES:

IMPORTANT TO KNOW: Senior Planet is a website for seniors offering all kinds of good info on events in NYC. Check them out to see if they are in your area seniorplanet.org

Disclaimer: I try for correct info on my posts, but no guarantees people.