Roll Call/Role Call

Luis Rodriguez, our concierge, always with a smile and a witty comment.

Demba, the corner vendor who came from Somalia twenty years ago. He greeted me by name everyday.

We are down to the wire here in Manhattan with less than 24 hours left before we head to the airport. This seems like a good time to do a little call out to all of you who had a role in making this such a great year for us...in small and large ways and from here and from there.

Bob W., Jeff P., Norm D., Liz D., Mary Lee K., Eric A., Randy M., Jeff P., Frank G., Howard F., Luis R., Corky C., Don C., SS Johnny L. ,Isaac, Brent B., John P., Yelp, Buddy, Jonathan, Isaac, Dennis, Max, Ricardo, Champ, Julie D., CeCe, Susan S., Barb R., Gerry M., Kent R., Terry, Mike, Geeta, The Halal Guys, Demba, Brent S., Jennifer B., Jorma K., Mike W., Eva F., Lauren F., Rita R., Tim R., Kyra S., Bliss C., Susan C., Russ B., Raul M., Ray Wylie H., Judy H., Tim J., Janet J., Barack O., Cheryl B., Jamie G., Jurg B., Hanny B., Rod P., Amanda S., Betsy V., Roger V., Jeff M., Daniel L., Dave A., Kristi R., Fats K., Kathryn B., Mark P., Pat C., Jason B., Cynthia H., Cidney R., Kay B., Thom P., Fred P., Mahvash P., Elliott M., Brian L., Paul L., Matt L., Doug L., Deborah B., Meile R., Willie N., Elana J., Franco the Great, Jim L., Alan D., Connie D., Jerry S., Larry D., Woody A., Lucinda W., Kellie D., Sam D., Dawna W., Brent N., David G., Cheryl G., Richard T., Jimmy F., and Kathy B.

...and to all the blog readers around the world.

We want to tell all of you thanks for everything and we hope to continue crossing paths whether real or virtual.

Bill and Toni

Easter At Rockefeller Center

It was unusally warm Easter Sunday so we stopped by Rockefeller Plaza to check out the flower display. The Easter Parade on Fifth Avenue had just finished as we arrived and several of the decked out participants were not quite ready to call it a day. With the avenue opened for traffic they were finding other areas to strut. So here are some photos of plants and people showing off their best for Spring.

Twentieth Visitor

Who would have ever thought that we would get to spend so much quality time with so many friends in one year? Our last visitor to New York was Kathy Blackford. Some of you may know her as Kathy Redman. We go back to 1973 and our college days. Her visit couldn’t have worked out better. This was her first time to New York City and we were able to give her a capsulized version of our year in a bit less than a week. We were also able to incorporate many things from our ‘to do list’ that we wouldn’t have gotten to otherwise. Staten Island Ferry, Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, to name a few.

Day One:
After Kathy’s midday arrival we went straight to the Macy’s Annual Flower Show. On the way out of the apartment I asked the doorman about all the barriers I had noticed the night before. I learned that Obama was coming back to the Sheraton for a speech at Al Sharpton’s convention for his National Action Network. So after Macy’s we scrambled back so we get to our apartment before the lock down and watched as the sharpshooters set up again. We knew the drill from last summer. When that finally wound down we had a quiet Thai dinner in Hell’s Kitchen.

Day Two:
We took in three floors at the MoMA and a really nice late lunch at their café. From there we took in some of the sights around Rockefeller Plaza. We had managed to secure passes for the Jimmy Fallon taping that afternoon. You have no idea who the guests will be when you reserve these about six weeks ahead of time. We were excited to learn that the musical guest would be Paul Simon. Great luck. As if that was not enough excitement the three of us wound up being shown in the audience for a couple of minutes of one of their skits. Later that night we felt obliged to stay up and watch ourselves on the broadcast to make sure we weren’t cut or that we hadn’t imagined the whole thing. It was pretty exciting.

If you don't care to see the entire skit you can jump ahead to around the 3:30 mark for the first of our several appearances here. You will see left to right, me, Kathy, Toni, just to the right of the actor.

If the embed video doesn't appear here is the direct link. http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/video/how-you-like-me-now-4711/1318895/

The video is no longer available at the Fallon website.  This LINK will open it in your Windows Media Player though: 
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/5772675/Jimmy%20Fallon%20video/NYC%20TV%20with%20Kathy.mp4





Day Three:
A quick stroll, if you can call it that, through Time’s Square, then to Bryant Park, the New York Public Library, the lobby of the Chrysler Building. From there we back tracked to Grand Central Station for The Oyster Bar followed by cheesecake at Junior’s. Recharged we went to 34th Street to go to the observation deck of The Empire State Building. It was strictly unintentional but we had inadvertently put together an architectural tour for the day.

Day Four:
We took the long bus ride all the way to the bottom of the island to catch the Staten Island Ferry. This runs every ten or fifteen minutes and provides the only access to the Island from Manhattan. It also includes great views of the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline…each way. After completing the round trip we caught another bus to Greenwich Village and spent the late afternoon and evening touring many of our favorite haunts.

Day Five:
We spent virtually the whole day touring Central Park. This time we took a bus up to the Upper West Side and started working our way back from 96th Street south towards our place. This put us at the Reservoir. Just about any time you see people jogging Central Park in the movies this is the spot. We circled around the lake to the west side until we got to the lower 80s. We took a time out from the park to grab some lunch over on Amsterdam. Then back to the park and Belvedere Castle. This was especially nice since the trees were not yet blooming and the views were spectacular. From there we wound over to The Loeb Boat House and managed to get our hot drinks served five minutes before the café closed for the day. Then we got into more familiar territory at Bethesda Fountain and The Mall. Finally we went to Strawberry Fields and the Imagine Mosaic. It was getting cooler so we wound up the CP tour and caught the subway back to the apartment. Later I asked Kathy what she would go back and see a second time in a future visit and she said Central Park. So, I am glad we saved that for the last day.

Sadly the fun tour was over and the next morning we grudgingly said goodbye to Kathy. I know that it was a week that we will remember fondly forever. It was a wonderful mix of seeing icons, living as locals, and a couple of extraordinary surprises. Kathy clicked her ruby red sneakers and she was off to Kansas.

To see some photos from this visit HERE

Nineteenth Visitors

When we were in Toronto we spent an evening with one of my cousins on Mom’s side, Dawna Wightman. We had been in touch by email and phone for a few years but this was our first face to face meeting. She is an actor in the bustling film, TV, and commercial fields in Toronto. We found out that she had an audition scheduled in New York City the following week just blocks from our apartment so we offered up our couch for the night. We made plans for a dinner at our place. I also contacted Brent Nosworthy, another cousin who happens to live in Harlem. Brent and I have also been in contact for some time but had not met either. We had a wonderful miniature family reunion, sharing stories of our common heritage, our parents, grandparents, and other cousins. Oh, and of course, our upcoming move to Canada.

Brent’s father, Buddy, was not only Grandpa’s brother but his best friend as well. Dawna’s mother, Patsy, was Grandpa’s youngest sister and also had lived with my grandparents for a while when my mom and uncle were very young. So this particular combination of descendants seemed extra special.

Dawna also had a huge surprise for me. She handed me a small ring box and told me to open it. I did and saw a modest gold colored band. Its significance was lost on me at the moment. Dawna pointed out the inscription inside which showed my Grandfather’s name. It turned out that my Great Grandmother had the ring and gave it to Dawna decades ago without any explanation. Then a couple of months ago Dawna was moving some boxes when one fell to the floor and this ring box fell out.

We will never know the story behind this ring but I am certain that this is the first time it has been outside Canada. It will be returning there with me in just a few days. If I believed in magic I might think this will provide safe passage for me to Toronto.

Apartment Hunters...Again

We spent the last two weeks of March in Toronto preparing for our imminent move there. There were two major tasks at hand. First we needed to set up our banking there. Without that we could not proceed to the second task of finding an apartment. So our first full day there was dedicated almost completely to banking. It wasn’t terribly difficult as Toni was well prepared, but it was time consuming.

The next day we hit our list of furnished apartments with a rental agent. Nothing really clicked with either of us as the furnishings were usually a mish-mash or simply not our taste. We took the next day off to regroup and line up viewings of non-furnished units. Toni and the agent took the following day to check this category while stayed behind to get caught up on work. She found some places with great views but didn’t get excited enough about anything for to take time to go for a second look.

We had been looking in an area around Bay and College which might roughly correspond to our area in Midtown Manhattan. Lots of high rises and plenty of services and public transportation in all directions. Toni’s sister suggested another part of town that we weren’t familiar with. It is known as the Saint Lawrence Market. This is closer to the Lake and a bit east of the downtown financial area. As we looked into it we quickly realized that this might suit us better. After all we did not want to simply replicate our New York experience. This also had good public transportation access but as a bonus a more eclectic mix of services and amenities. You might compare this to parts of Greenwich Village.

So this time I left the agent out of the mix and hit Craigslist hard and heavy. I came up with two places that looked very promising and both were fully furnished and “by owner”. I quickly set up back to back showings for the next day. Then the next morning I took another quick look on CL and found one more match. Toni quickly wrote the owner and he called back and set up a third appointment just before we headed out the door. I had good feelings about all three listings.

Here are listings:

2br - Large Downtown 2 bedroom Furnished Condo (Financial and St Lawrence District)

Rare large unit located on the border of the Financial District and walking distance from the St Lawrence Market and the trendy King Street entertainment core.

This two bedroom unit with two full baths is spacious with 9 ½ foot ceilings.

Stunning floor to ceiling custom built wall unit with built in fireplace provides ample storage while adding rich feel to the space.

Custom Murphy bed in the second bedroom allows the room to be used as a second bedroom and an office.

One parking and locker included in the price.

Owner plans to leave the unit furnished however there may be flexibility on the price if unfurnished is preferred.

Amenities include Rooftop, Indoor Pool, Fitness Cenre, Just move in and enjoy!!

7 King St East

2BR Fully Furnished All Included Parking Pro Renovated Downtown (King and Yonge)

This Condo was featured in Canadian Living Magazine and on HGTV's website. Professionally designed by Jeffrey and Deborah Fisher, all professionally installed.

2BR Solarium/Office 2 Full Bathrooms 6 month lease Rent includes the following:

1 Underground Parking spot Fully furnished including linens and kitchen supplies

Fast Highspeed Wireless internet Free Long-Distance anywhere in North America from home phone

Full cable and PVR for taping any shows you may miss

Washer and Dryer in the suite

Dishwasher

EcoSmart Fireplace

Quartz Countertop and Tiled Backsplash

American Walnut dark hardwood floors throughout

Crown Molding and high baseboards

Rooftop Terrace with BBQ's

24hr security

Located at the corner of King st E and Church steps to the St Lawrence Market, Eaton Centre, Amazing restaurants, St James Park, King Subway station, Theatre's, 24hr grocery store.

Photos below are taken from the Canadian Living Website

92 King St E Apt 1006

1br - Furnished 1050 sq. ft - 1 bdrm, 1.5 bath, den (St. Lawrence Market)

St. Lawrence Market Neighbourhood, Toronto, ON (Available: 04/01/11)

Suite Features:

• Boutique building

• 1 bedroom plus den, fully renovated

• 1.5 bath

• 1050 square feet

• Kitchen Aid appliances, high end fixtures and finishes

• South & North exposure

• View of St. James Park, Cathedral and Lake Ontario.

Walking distance to TT Available April 1st.

95 Lombard St.

So, did we choose the first one with the medium price, outstanding rooftop deck/killer views, older kitchen appliances, true second bedroom?

Or…the second one with the designer furnishings and renovation but not our taste, rent at the high end of our budget, cool fireplace, tiny second bedroom?

Or…the third one with great views in three directions, powder room instead of a second bath, lowest rent of the three, solarium instead of a true second bedroom, cable and internet included?

For the reveal you will need to go to our new blog. http://ouryearintoronto.blogspot.com/

We will show you all the answer and new photos there in a couple of weeks.

Richard Thompson at Carnegie Hall

There is a really old joke about Carnegie Hall. The story goes that a pedestrian on Fifty-seventh Street, Manhattan, stopped Jascha Heifetz and inquired, "Could you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?" "Yes," said Heifetz. "Practice!” In our case we have had loads of practice getting to Carnegie Hall as we went right by it every time we went to Central Park. Our practice paid off a few weeks ago when we finally were able to go to a show there. We enjoyed a solo concert given by Richard Thompson. He is hardly a household name but he is one of the most respected musicians and songwriters among his peers. He actually appeared in the smaller 600 seat Zankel Hall. It is a beautiful state of the art facility that was renovated a few years ago.

Thompson did not disappoint…playing songs spanning his long career. He took a few requests and even got into some joking sparring with some of the audience and mocking his tendency to write dark and sometimes even gruesome lyrics.

1) I Misunderstood

2) Withered & Died

3) The Turning Of The Tide

4) The Money Shuffle

5) The Woods Of Darney

6) She Twists The Knife Again

7) Sunset Song

8) 1952 Vincent Black Lightning

9) Stumble On

10) Hamlet Song

11) Persuasion

12) Crawl Back Under My Stone

13) Bee’s Wing (request #1)

14) Cold Kisses

15) I Feel So Good

encore:

16) Matty Groves (request #2)

My only favorite that was missed was his often covered, “Wall of Death”. You may be familiar with Nanci Griffith's or R.E.M’s versions. This was easily one of the best shows we have seen in NYC. Since it will probably be our last one here it was a great way to finish.

Eighteenth Visitors

Toni writes today: On St. Patrick’s Day, Sam and Kellie Dworkin arrived in NYC for five days. They stayed in the East Village with Sam’s cousin, Liz Dworkin, the real estate agent who was nice enough to give us our apartment hunting 101 crash course when we arrived here last April. We have known Sam since our school days in Overland Park, Kansas, and then we met Kellie when Sam started dating her back in 1980 when we used to frequent the Downliner and Parody Hall. Through the years our careers and families have not let us spend as much time as we have wanted to spend with them, so their New York vacation was the perfect time to catch up and recapture some of our fun glory days with them.

On St. Patty’s Sam and Kellie arrived at our apartment where we all enjoyed a take out lunch of corned beef sandwiches and matzo ball soup from Carnegie Deli. Then we walked down to the parade on 5th Avenue and viewed it for a few minutes. Next we walked down 5th Avenue into Central Park stopping at the Mall, Bethesda Fountain, the Boathouse, Strawberry Fields, and the Dakota. We took a snack break at a deli/diner as we walked south from 72nd Street down Columbus Avenue. Fortified once more we walked down to Times Square, Rockefeller Center, and back to our corner at 53rd and 7th Avenue. We met up with cousin Lizzy and her son (also named Sam) at our favorite neighborhood restaurant Maison for a wonderful 3 course dinner. It was a great day filled with food, drink, and many of the icons of the city.

The next day we met them at Washington Square Park for the requisite “Village Crawl”. First stop was Fat Cat for a game of Scrabble, then cheap drinks at the Cubby Hole, and round the corner to the back room lounge at Art Bar. Then a southern style BBQ dinner at Bone Lick. After our late dining I became the lightweight (so much for glory days), got in a cab, stumbled up to my bed, and slept for the next nine hours. The rest of the gang soldiered on to Marie’s Crisis Café to enjoy the piano bar. Unfortunately, we were only able to spend these two days of their vacation with them, as we had to finish our preparations for our two week stay in Toronto starting on Monday.

On Saturday the Dworkins went to the Tenement Museum and the Folk Art Museum, and then afterwards they stopped by our place for a view from our rooftop and good-byes. That night they were able to attend a Peter Case concert in the Lower East Side close to Liz’s apartment and we attended the Richard Thompson show at Carnegie Hall in our neighborhood.

We miss these great friends and hope they decide to be our house guests in Toronto in the next year or two. As evidenced by this writing, you can see they really know how to pack a lot of fun into life! For more photos go HERE.