July | 2014 | NEW YORK CITY - IN THE WIT OF AN EYE

Postcard story from New York – “A GRANDE DINNER FOR TWO in 1914- 100 YEARS AGO TODAY”

Postcard story from New York – “A GRANDE DINNER FOR TWO in 1914- 100 YEARS AGO TODAY”

New York, July 30, 1914

“Churchill‘s,” Broadway and Forty-ninth Street, New York.

To: Mrs. Wm. A. Johnson

250 N. Water

Franklin, Ind.

“Wed. evening,

Dearest Momma,

Have just gotten back from having dinner here. A Mr. Barkus from South Carolina to me and little Miss Blair to dinner. He sent us both roses – mine were two dozen cream tea roses. He left on the train for S.C. and sent us home in a taxi,

With lots of love,

Maude

A grande evening was had by all 100 years ago to the day. It seems Mr. Barkus from South Carolina was quite a gentlemen sending the two ladies home in taxis and roses the next day!

In Times Square things were still ’rosey’, but World War I had just been declared and two days later Germany had declared war on Russia.

Churchill’s was ’the’ place to be at the time. Lobsters! Champagne! Showgirls!

For the decade before Prohibition, Churchill’s Restaurant and Cabaret was one of the largest and swankiest of the “lobster palaces” along the Great White Way.

The eponymous establishment was the creation of ex-NYPD Captain Jim Churchill. Located on Broadway at 49th Street, the eatery could accommodate 1,200 patrons and employed a staff of 300. Guests could dine on the special for a mere buck-twenty five, listen to live music, dance and rub shoulders with denizens of the theater district like actress Anna Held and philanthropist and nightlife fixture Diamond Jim Brady.

Attempting to refute the notion of the scandalous, sinful “Broadway Life” popular in the fictions of the day, Churchill said “Broadway is simply the Coney Island of night-time New York, where some of the people play a bit, eat a bit, drink a bit, talk, sing and laugh a bit—and get a bit dizzy. But the dizziness imparted by Broadway is no more fatal than the dizziness that comes from riding on a gaudily-painted merry-go-round…”

Shortly after the passage of the Volstead Act in 1921, which established prohibition, Churchill shuttered his business, leasing the ground floor to the Toy Yoeng Syndicate of America, which converted it into a Chinese restaurant – today known as the popular Ruby Foos.

(Note the bandshell in the way back above the crowd, that’s Maurice Levi and his orchestra. Kinda like the Harmonia Gardens in Hello Dolly, 2 girls out for dinner on the town.)

July 29, 2014 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 1914 postcard, architecture, Churchill's restaurant New York, dinner for one $1.25 in 1914!, Franklin Indiana, Great White Way, Hans Von Rittern, ladies with big hats, lobster palace, Manhattan, Maude and William Johnson, Maurice Levi and his orchestra., Mr. Barkus, New York City, New York photo, NYPD Captain Jim Churchill, Photo of the day, Postcard Stories from New York, Ruby Foos restaurant, The Harmonia Gardens - Hello Dolly, Times Square, Toy Yoeng Syndicate of America, turn of the century dinning, vintage postcards, Volstead Act in 1921, World War I | Leave a comment

SOCIAL SECURITY STRIPS MY 88 YR OLD MOTHER OF HER 1958 USA CITIZENSHIP BECAUSE SHE “FAILED TO REPORT TO THE GOVERNMENT” WHEN SHE APPLIED FOR HER BENEFITS AFTER WORKING HARD IN THE USA FOR 33 YEARS!!

Social Security today made the most outrageous claim I have ever heard!!!

We went to the lower Manhattan Social Security office to seek a replacement card for mom. We had all the legal documents: USA passport, Social Security card and, government sealed naturalization papers. The barely literate woman told my mother that the Social Security office that makes her monthly benefit payments, (that mom worked hard for 33 years), has never recognized her as an American Citizen because (direct quote) “you failed to report to the government when you applied for your benefits.”

We were in shock and mom almost lost her balance with her cane as her blood pressure started to rise rapidly and she grew faint.

The SS worker claimed, that because her papers were so old, from 1958, the computer does not recognize her as a citizen. By her logic, any person who applied to become a naturalized citizen before the computer age, is NOT recognized as an American citizen.

We thought we were not hearing right. After repeatedly arguing with her, we were told to go to another office on another floor, but it was closed. We had taken a difficult arduous hot trip by bus and taxi ($25. each way) to apply for her replacement card. So we were handed a card with an 800 telephone number on it to further find out if mom is a citizen or not – after having voted in every damn election since 1958 and proudly voting her first time for President Kennedy in 1960!!!

The 800 left us on hold for over one hour, we never got through.

Mom is so distraught, she has become ill.

So America – this is this wonderful country we have. Unless you “report to the government” when you apply for your Social Security benefits and you were not born here, you are STRIPPED of your citizenship!!!

(I am going back tomorrow to the SS office the have it out with them.)

JULY 23rd UPDATE:

Dear all: Thank you all for your emotional and strong supportive comments. ! I went back to Social Security today and saw 2 more people who generally all had the audacity to say (with heavy broken Chinese/English) the same thing no matter what office or position they hold, it is like hitting your head against a brick wall or a bad nightmare you can’t wake up from. They all claim: Her 1958 docume…nt is too old and has to be sent to their offices (who knows where) to be verified. So they are taking a xerox copy and verifying THAT, while we have the original with a government seal in OUR hands! Furthermore, they say it is HER fault for not having known that when she became a citizen that she had to also notify Social Security that she had become an American vs. the other story that she should have “reported to the gov’t” when she retired – huh?!?!!! So – HOW did she get 4 USA passports in her lifetime? How did she get her SS card and benefits? My mother worked for the CEO of Manufacturer’s Hanover Bank, her security clearance was top level to work on the top executive floor-how did she get that?? And now, because of some idiots in the local office here, logic has flown out the window along with her citizenship?!?!?!! AND – they took her social security card away from her! We are left awaiting the pending “investigation”. You do not wish to hear mom’s foul opinion of this country right now, sorry guys…. I will next contact local politicians (NOT fake councilman Jimmy ‘camera ready’ van Bramer) and the news stations. We are emotionally and physically wiped out, mom is still too shakey to leave the house. Thank you ALL for your loving support.

JULY 24 UPDATE:

Social Security-gate UPDATE: They say “write your congressman” – I paid mine a visit! Congressman Joseph Crowley, 14th District, Queens and got results (we hope). I was met by his executive assistant Ms. Madrid whose first reaction was, “What more proof do you need?!”.
These are the facts: Immigration papers “pre computer age” have a different set of numbers and are truly not linked into today’s …Social Security computer system, an astonishing fact considering on the web site Ancestry.com you can look up birth/death/marriage/prison/burial records from the 1700’s! This is a HUGE failure on our government’s part.
Ms. Madrid had my mother sign a letter approving congressman Crowley investigating the matter, and immediately in front of me, called Social Security herself. You could hear the woman at the Social Security offices saying “Absolutely not! Absolutely not!”
MOM WAS AND STILL IS A NATURALIZED UNITED STATES CITIZEN ! !
The local office here, has to have someone physically look up the records (who knows where) and verify it’s her, despite the fact she is in their system and despite the fact we had alllllll the proof in the world. The entire situation comes down to (no racism intended) poor English and bad attitude. What should never, ever have been said to her, (twice!) is that she is not a citizen in the SS computer system – that is the result of poor translation on Chinese American women working at the office. Maybe it is their incorrect translation, maybe it was because we saw them at the end of the day and they were both in a foul mood, but either way we received (indirectly) an apology from the congressman, a confirmation of citizenship today, and told instead of the 4 week “research/waiting time”, it will just be the standard 2 week period for her.
In the meantime, our wonderful local WPIX11 TV news station, with the help of friend and their reporter Greg Mocker offered to help if, after 2 weeks there are no results.
Once again, mom and I thank you ALL for your quite passionate support !
God bless America . . .

News media and senators next . . .

July 23, 2014 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: American citizen, becoming a US citizen, bureaucratic Social Security blunder, government, Hans Von Rittern, lower Manhattan Social Security, Manhattan, Naturalization papers, New York City, Photo of the day, replacement card, Social Security, Social Security benefits, Social Security debacle, Social Security outdated computer system, Social Security strips 88 year old woman of citizenship, Social Security strips benefits, Social Security strips woman of US citizenship, United States government error with Social Security, Ursula Von Rittern | Leave a comment

PHOTO OF THE DAY: Writer’s Block

July 16, 2014 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: alphabet block on keypad, arts, building block on type keypad, Hans Von Rittern, letter "H" on keypad, Manhattan, New York City, New York photo, Photo of the day, photography, Queens, searching for the words when writing, writer's block, writing a book, writing a novel | Leave a comment

PHOTO OF THE DAY: GERMANY 2014 WORLD SOCCER CHAMPIONS

PHOTO OF THE DAY: GERMANY 2014 WORLD SOCCER CHAMPIONS – JAWOHL ! ! !

July 14, 2014 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: GERMAN FLAG soccer champions, Germans are the best!, GERMANY 2014 SOCCER CHAMPIONS!, GERMANY WORLD SOCCER CHAMPIONS!, Hans Von Rittern, New York City, New York photo, Photo of the day, photography, Queens, world soccer | Leave a comment

Photo of the day: This morning’s subway breakfast is now being served . . .

Photo of the day: This morning’s subway breakfast is now served . . . bagels, assorted fruits, coffee and fresh orange juice. You never know what to expect in a NYC subway 🙂