Blair Hall at dusk
Poor planning combined with ungodly Friday evening traffic, that’s what it was. After a light supper-type meal at a diner to the north, the lovely Ms. Trask and I headed back south. We blasted past the homestead, cruising straight into Princeton which is as fine a place as any to wander in these parts. Especially on a temperate May evening. Especially in search of Read the rest of this entry »
Everything new gets old fast. Is this a product of age or the age we live in? Perhaps the constant influx of new and amazing things has dulled our appreciation for their inherent awesomeness. Or maybe our attention spans are just stunted by the slow deterioration of brain cells. Whatever the reason the incessant phenomenon which starts with a bang and quickly ends with a shrug is Read the rest of this entry »
My folks, though far from wealthy, believed in family vacations. They tried to take my sister and me on some sort of trip every year, a week away from the mean streets of northern New Jersey. Usually it was a jaunt to the shore or a few hours by car to the wilds of Pennsylvania or New York. But occasionally they would pop a real surprise on us and scrape together enough scratch to go exotic. 1973 was one Read the rest of this entry »
Months have passed since that sadly familiar day when the news was final and the gates locked. Months of heartbreak, tears and bitter reality. Months filled with emotional torture and despair. These were hard months. They were, to tinker with Paine, times that tried men’s souls. Times that tried your soul. Just because a storm is expected does not lessen its fury. And this storm swamped Read the rest of this entry »
The revival of the national gun debate has re-energized failed graphic designers throughout cyberspace. Just when you thought the Presidential election had sapped all their energy these folks have rebounded from November’s muck to grace our monitors and tablets with their amazing PowerPointy/Photoshoppy dexterity! Being nimble of finger and savvy of Google these modern day Rembrandts-cum-Jeffersons have Read the rest of this entry »
Take a moment and reach back to your childhood. Remember waiting for that special thing to happen, that special thing which you knew was going to happen. Remember how time seemed to crawl like a slug through thick, unforgiving mud. Remember the feeling of waiting waiting waiting for it to arrive, then the unmistakable sensation somersaulting in your tummy like the Flying Wallendas which accompanied the wait. Maybe it was Read the rest of this entry »
Ed. Note: In a small, intricately handcrafted wooden box our Trask Avenue archival staff discovered the following letter. Its wax seal was already compromised allowing convenient access to the contents. The letter was written to French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte by one of his most trusted military advisors, Jean Lannes. Among other achievements Lannes was part of the initial group of 18 officers anointed “Marshal of the Empire” by Napoleon in 1804. He commanded French troops with distinction during the early years of the Napoleonic Wars and Read the rest of this entry »
Dorothy Parker drank here.
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Posted: January 7, 2013 in Life in the Big City, Photography
Tags: Algonquin, Dorothy Parker drank here, hotel, landmark, Life in the Big City, New York, photo, Photography, The Round Table
The smart money says the British have moved on since losing the war for the American colonies. Holding a grudge is one thing, but holding one for 230 years is quite another and the Brits have better things to do. Sure the war was humiliating, usurped by a ragtag group of rebels using unconventional (some may even say dirty) tactics while engaging in the honor bound pastime of systematically Read the rest of this entry »
Personal resolutions are fine and all, but let us make this year’s resolution making season different. Forget the individual promises. Instead let us make giant group resolutions, ones which we are pre-disposed to achieve, ones which once achieved will allow us to puff out our communal chest with pride and loudly proclaim, “Yes, all of us did all of that!” Who doesn’t want to feel that sense of Read the rest of this entry »
Trask Avenue 