Just a neighborhood coffee shop, but several things going for it:1. It's not Starbuck$2. It's not a chain of any kind3. They didn't say a word, letting us stay undisturbed even after they closed &…

Read full post »

Make sure to get seats in the main dining room, unless you want to eat or drink in a hallway. Dining room well-designed & lit for the space. Menu imaginative - we had brunch - I had duck-duck…

Read full post »

I don't give 5 stars easily or often - to me, a 5 star place is a destination, worth a long trip and God knows getting to the north shore of Maui can be a long trip. But this place definitely…

Read full post »

We had quite possibly the single worst meal I have ever paid for in my life here. I should say "tried to have" because nothing on the plate was edible - not the old bad lamb, not the soggy…

Read full post »

Hana is one of those special places that attract characters from all over the world and many of them break their fasts at Uncle Bill's. Born & raised Hawaiians mix & share easily with turistas &…

Read full post »

Riverbank is the best athletic deal in the city. 50 meter swim pool indoors, 25 meter outdoors, skating rink, weights, basketball & tennis courts, track, football/soccer field, classes for all ages…

Read full post »

Riverbank is the best athletic deal in the city. 50 meter swim pool indoors, 25 meter outdoors, skating rink, weights, basketball & tennis courts, track, football/soccer field, classes for all ages…

Read full post »

Terrific value, great location, good vibe, lots of amenities. If you're looking for a sweet getaway in a beautiful corner of the world, this is it: stars the natural year-round beauty of the…

Read full post »

I eat a lot of sushi, mostly in the NJ and NYC area, where I live. I'm used to extremely fresh sushi, as in made when ordered, or at most within the past hour. There's a difference between fresh and…

Read full post »

Ok, have had the summary below & linked here forwarded to me 4 times by 4 different people over the past 5 days.  Have you gotten it, too?  Do you know who actually wrote it and what that person's background is?

In any case, I figure why take someone else's word for… Read full post »

 

 

Richmond in April should not feel like Richmond in July, but that's the weather that rolled in along with the 1,200 competitors for this year's National Duathlon Championships.  By mid-race on Saturday, the mercury was well into the 90's, with not much breeze.  If yo… Read full post »

So the last time I was on this particular Rockie mountaintop I was trying to get out alive.  Blizzard. 0 degree chill factor, 40 mph winds.  Car plugged in snow bank; unmoveable.  Walked out.  Took eight hours, but hey, the backcountry skiers lost in this same storm didn’t g… Read full post »

Leonard Lopate hosted an interesting segment on his talk show here in NYC today: what's your six-word memoir?  How would you sum up your life in six words?  Listeners challenged to capture their existence in this very short form came up with some vivid examples: 

• Hippie Van, Governme
… Read full post »

Have you ever come across an obviously well-considered and constructed post here on OS, such as, say, this from Mick Arran, a thoughtful analysis of President Obama's possible policy shifts on Social Security, or this one on the DNC last summer from JTDtheGarlic.  These two examples, like many p… Read full post »

Let me not to the marriage of true minds 
Admit impediments; love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds, 
Or bends with the remover to remove: 
O, no,&nb… Read full post »

Walking the three tiers in first light, out
here so my two-year-old son won’t wake the house,
I watch him pull and strip ragweed, chicory, yarrow,
so many other weeds&n… Read full post »

1. Very poor sitting and waiting skills.
2. Not gonna eat broccoli, no matter what you do to it.
3. Can't get it together to floss more than once a day.
4. I have one of those signs on my wall that lists a bunch of things you… Read full post »

Hamburger or hot dog?
Mustard or ketchup?
Mountains or ocean?
Ride or drive?
Drive or navigate?
Fast lane or slow?
Music or talk?
Rap or not?
Beach or park?
Sun or shade?
Half full or empty?
Your fault or his?
Stay or go?
Duty or dreams?

Orange or tomato?
Services: go? or not.
Smooth or crunchy?
Pickles or ol… Read full post »

Bob Herbert writes in today's NY Times: Stop Being Stupid.

Mr.  Herbert:  "Look around you. We have behaved in ways that were incredibly, astonishingly and embarrassingly stupid for much too long. We’ve wrecked the economy and mortgaged the future of generations yet unborn. We don&rsq… Read full post »

Totally strapped in your quest to find a cell phone with ball bearings? 

Can't stand trying to make out what's on your phone's fuzzy screen?  Which bold manufacturer will come to your rescue with a 62 carat crystal display?

And not just that boring rectangular screen ... your sensibilitie… Read full post »

Reasons to Go

New faces --- each time you go, all the new ones, to see, meet, get to know a bit
New places --- a world full, just waiting to be explored
Break old habits --- drop the old stimuli, then lose the old… Read full post »

Anyone thinking New Yorkers will trade down when Hilary's Senate seat gets back-filled just doesn't understand the Empire State's affinity for high profilers in high positions.

According to the NY Times this afternoon, Caroline Kennedy is seriously interested in replacing Hilary Clinton as… Read full post »

If it's possible to put aside OJ for a moment, there was another verdict this week, one with more direct implications for this audience.

Megan Meier

Lori Drew, the 49 yr old mother who created a fake 16 yr old boy on MySpace to lure… Read full post »

Okay, here's your chance to see the last will and testament of one of the great Americans of the past 100 years:

Butch Cassidy

"If he'd just pay me what he's spending to make me stop robbing him, I'd stop robbing him."

 

aka Cool Hand Luke… Read full post »