The destruction of New York’s Pier 17 & our seafaring history
South Street Seaport’s Pier 17 as you see it has been torn down, one of the 100 year old German ships The Peking will be scapped – along with it…any atmosphere that bespeaks the sea. The old buildings are boarded up and ruined from hurricane Sandy and no one has the money to repair them. What will replace it? A shiney big glass box and super high rise. It is an utter destruction and wipe out of New York City’s grand seafaring history.
June 10, 2014 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: architecture, arts, destruction of New York history, destruction of South Street Seaport, German ship The Peking, Hans Von Rittern, Hurricane Sandy, Manhattan, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York City, New York photo, Photo of the day, photography, Pier 17, South Street Seaport, South Street Seaport's Pier 17 | Leave a comment
Photo of the day: MAY 14, 2014 THE WORLD TRADE CENTER MUSEUM FINALLY OPENS
Photo of the day: MAY 14, 2014 THE WORLD TRADE CENTER MUSEUM FINALLY OPENS
May 16, 2014 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: architecture, Hans Von Rittern, Hurricane Sandy, little girl gets her first look at World Trade memorial, Manhattan, May 14 2014 Trade Center museum opens, New York City, New York photo, Photo of the day, photography, World Trade Center | Leave a comment
Photo of the day: THE COLD IS SO HARD ON THE KNEES
Thanks to despicable billionaire mayor Bloomberg New York City’s record homeless shelter population continues to grow at an alarming rate – up 19% percent in the past year alone. And this does not even include the thousands of New Yorkers still displaced by Hurricane Sandy, many of whom comprise extremely low-income households.
In total the homeless shelter population under billionaire mayor Bloomberg rose by a staggering 61% percent and the number of homeless families has increased 73% percent. During Mayor Bloomberg’s tenure, New York City homelessness has increased both in absolute numbers and at a higher rate than under previous mayors Koch, Dinkins, or Giuliani. One can only hope our new Mayor DeBlassio and our new administration can rectify these horrific numbers.
February 28, 2014 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 2014 worst winter, Councilwoman Christine Quinn, cruel winter, despicable Bloomberg record, Dinkins, donate to your charity, Giuliani, Hans Von Rittern, highest record homelessness in modern day New York, homeless, homeless children, homeless shelter, Hurricane Sandy, Koch, Macy's, Macy's department store, Macy's flagship store Herald Square, Manhattan, Mayor Bill DeBlassio, Mayor Bloomberg, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York City, New York city homeless shelters, New York photo, old woman freezing in street, Photo of the day, photography, polar vortex, politics, rise in homeless population | Leave a comment
Photo of the day: 121212 CONCERT, WHERE IS THE HELP NOW?
December 12, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 121212 concert, Alicia Keys, arts, benefit concert, Billy Joel, Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, entertainment, Eric Clapton, Hans Von Rittern, Hurricane Sandy, Kanye West, New York City, New York photo, Paul McCartney, Philippine aid lacking, Philippines storm, Photo of the day, photography, Super Typhoon Haiyan, The Who | Leave a comment
Photo of the day: FROZEN FRIDAY 2012
We have such a dense canopy of trees in Sunnyside, the weight of the heavy wet snow made for an eerie yet beautifully dramatic walk that night as they bowed dangerously low. Silent night, snowy night. All wasn’t calm, but it was quite a sight. Today November 8, 2013 it will thankfully be 54°.
November 8, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: earliest heavy snowfall in New York, global warming, Hans Von Rittern, Hurricane Sandy, New York City, New York photo, night snowfall scene, November 8 2012 snowstorm, odd weather, Photo of the day, pine trees in snow, Queens, Sunnyside, Sunnyside Gardens, typhoon Philippines | Leave a comment
Photo of the future: HELP SAVE NEW YORK, VOTE BILL DeBLASIO !
November 5, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 2013 mayoral election, 9/11, Bill DeBlasio, Bloomberg back room deals, Bloomberg corrupt, Bloomberg's tyrannical rule, Bloombergistan, Bronx, Brooklyn, chainstore invasion, Citi-bikes, Councilwoman Christine Quinn, CRUCIAL VOTE, GO OUT AND VOTE!, Greenwich Village, Hans Von Rittern, Harlem, homeless, Hurricane Sandy, Joe Lohta, loss of historical buildings, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, nanny Bloomberg, New York City, New York photo, Photo of the day, Queens, re-zonning laws, socioeconomic division of New York, Staten Island, Sunnyside, the destruction of New York | Leave a comment
Photo of the day: THE CALM AFTER THE STORM AT CONEY ISLAND
October 30, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 1 year later after Sandy, beach after the storm, beach erosion, Brooklyn, CALM AFTER THE STORM, Coney Island beach, Coney Island boardwalk, Hans Von Rittern, Hurricane Sandy, Manhattan, Nathan's hot dogs, New York City, New York photo, Palm tree fountain on beach, Photo of the day, photography, Queens | Leave a comment
Photo of the day: EXPERIENCING HURRICANE SANDY 10-29-13
Photo fo the day: EXPERIENCING THE ONSET OF THE HURRICANE IN NEW YORK CITY – 1 year ago today, I wanted to document the experience of a hurricane. I was blown down the street for two blocks several times, not having a thing to grab onto. But I made it to the water’s edge of the East River.
The statistics are: 820 mile wide storm, 13.88 feet high water, 44 deaths and then twice as many more afterwards, 2 million people without power, many neighborhoods today remain wiped off the map and over 500 people still don’t have any place to go. It has changed the city and people’s lives forever. Here is the storm in photos. (I don’t have the time or understanding how to post a whole albums of photos, so here is my link of the complete photo album on myFacebook page.) https://www.facebook.com/hans.vonrittern/media_set?set=a.437954789596068.95638.100001446524326&type=1
October 29, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 10-29-12, 5 Pointz Graffiti Museum, deserted city, deserted train stations, experiencing hurricane Sandy, Hans Von Rittern, Hurricane Sandy, Long Island City Queens, Manhattan, New York City, New York photo, Photo of the day, photographing hurricane Sandy, photography, Queens, raging waves on East River, Sandy devastation, streets of hurricane Sandy, Sunnyside | Leave a comment
Mondays on Memory Lane: HURRICANE SANDY HITS THE EAST RIVER
This photo was taken from Long Island City, Queens. I braced myself against a cement bench to prevent myself from blowing away. United Nations, Trump Tower, Empire & Chrysler building in skyline.
October 28, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: Chrysler building, East River, Empire State Building, Hans Von Rittern, Hurricane Sandy, Long Island City Queens, Manhattan, Manhattan skyline in hurricane, New York City, New York photo, Pepsi Cola sign, Photo of the day, photography, Queens, raging waves on East River, Sunnyside, United Nations | Leave a comment
Photo of the day: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN – – – GRACE JONES – 1 year ago today,
October 27, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 1978 Grace Jones concert, 2012, Broadway, celebrities, concert review Grace Jones, entertainment, fashion, Grace Jones, Grace Jones "Hurricane", Grace Jones audience, Hammerstein Ballroom, Hans Von Rittern, hurricane Grace, Hurricane Sandy, Manhattan, New York City, New York photo, October 27, Photo of the day, photography, Roseland, Roseland Ballroom, Roseland Ballroom closing, Studio 54 disco | Leave a comment
Photo of the day: REASSURING THE SHORE AT CONEY ISLAND
October 26, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: $7.2 million project to pump 600, 000 cubic yards of sand, Army Corps of Engineers, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn tours, Coney boardwalk, Coney Island, Fulton Ferry Landing, Hans tours, Hans Von Rittern, Harlem Spirituals, Hurricane Sandy, Nathan's original hot dog restaurant, New York, New York City, New York photo, Photo of the day, photography, pumping sand, Queens, replenishing beach sand | Leave a comment
Photo of the day: GIVE ME THE LIBERTY TO GIVE A TOUR !
October 8, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 5 Pointz, Battery Park, government shut down, graffiti art, Hans Von Rittern, Hurricane Sandy, Jackson Avenue, Long Island City, Manhattan, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, national park shut downs, New York City, New York photo, Photo of the day, Queens, shutdown hurting New York tourism, Statue of Liberty, Statue of Liberty closed to tourists, Statue of Liberty mural, street art, tour guides hurt by shutdown, tourism, VERONIQUE BARRILLOT, Veronique Barrilot | Leave a comment
Photo of the day: CARRYING THE TORCH OF FREEDOM
July 5, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 1964, 3/32 of an inch (about 2.5mm) thick copper skin, 4th of July, Auguste Bartholdi, climbing inside Statue of Liberty, copper skin, Dagmar Kiefert Ryan, Ellis Island destruction, Hurricane Sandy, Independence Day, Inside crown of Satue of Liberty, Lady Liberty, Liberty Island, Liberty pedestal, Liberty statue, Liberty tourists, Manhattan, New York City, New York harbor, New York photo, Photo of the day, re-opening day July 4 2013, Statue of Liberty, Statue of Liberty arm, Statue of Liberty face, Statue of Liberty torch, view from Statue of Liberty crown, Woody Allen | Leave a comment
Photo of the day: WHY I MARCHED WITH PRIDE AGAINST NYC COUNCILWOMAN CHRISTINE QUINN
Photo of the day: WHY I MARCHED WITH PRIDE AGAINST NYC COUNCILWOMAN CHRISTINE QUINN
I lost my Gray Line tour guide job of seven years because of her bullying through a ‘headset bill‘ in New York City. It all started two years ago when two older residents on Greenwich Avenue complained about guides on open mic and insist we be rerouted. We tried all diff routes, but Greenwich is largest, best flow and connection to the rest of the routes and bus stops.
These complainers had the sirens of St. Vincent’s Hospital, a school yard with screaming grade school kids and the bars showing European soccer matches to boisterous patrons till 4am – if u do not like the noise – move to a better location, you knew what u where getting into when u moved in. So a headset law was suggested.
No one seemed to hear ’noise’ but them. Guards were placed at the corner to see if we were off mic. A noise “study” was supposed to have been done and magically was never needed.
NYC councilwoman Gail Brewer tried to help us and insisted a proviso be put in the bill the headsets be connected to a live guide. ALL tour guides rallied, spoke on TV and radio and press to “Keep New York Live”. Greg Mocker/WPIX11 befriended me and joined our cause. Rumor was that Twin America, the monopoly that owns blue City Sights and red Gray Line double decker buses was trying to get the ’live guide’ proviso thrown out. No tour guides = no high licensed salaries, no health insurance. BINGO! The proviso was erased in the middle of the night by Quinn, because Quinn is in the pocket of Twin America and they padded her coffers for her mayoral run. She simply claimed the proviso was ‘not needed’.
We held one big last ditch effort rally on the steps of city hall at noon time. 12:30….no press, no one. I called TV transit reporter Greg Mocker “Where are you?!!” ‘It’s canceled, isn’t it?’ Quinn had called the press and told them it was canceled. The bill passed with live tour guides eliminated. Councilwoman Brewer cowered under Quinn and was a bit of a wimp, she needed funding for her district. Next came the slaughter of the guides. We had a sign up book, you would sign the days you wanted to work for the next few weeks. Allllll of a sudden, any guide who was seen at NBC, ABC, WPIX11, CBS News, etc was not ‘allowed’ to sign up with no reason given. I was one of their top tour guides. I never had one complaint. I was requested world wide, did all their celebrity tours (Liza Minnelli, Heidi Klum, Cyndi Lauper, etc.) yet I was no longer allowed to sign the book. A fellow tour guide overheard my boss Eva Lee tell the dispatcher “these people are effectively no longer here.” With pressure mounting by the guides, Gray Line said we could re-apply for our jobs, but not at $17.75 an hour with insurance, but with $12.75 and hour, no insurance. We applied. “If a position arises we will contact you” we were told with the iciest of cold faces. Meanwhile through the tour guide grape vine we heard they were begging and pleading other less experienced guides to please come in.
Senior guides were offered insulting low buyouts. Gray Line wanted no one left with a memory of what it used to be like. Guides who had worked there 18 years!!, spoke 5 languages!, were now gone. They wanted no one to question the ‘new authority.’ No rebels, just quiet frightened to death zombie guides. Then they realized no one was watching the tourists on top, so they hired illiterate ‘watchers’ to sit on top and make sure guests didn’t stand up. Pay was about $7-11 per hour. The recorded tour tapes didn’t and don’t work well (at first they didn’t at all!) so now they are hiring guides who are given the answers to the Tour Guides License test, so any idiot can pass the test. Watch them, the buses pass by and the guide is saying nothing, or babbling utter incoherent nonsense. And so here we are. New York tourists are greeted by these “ambassadors to the city” – it’s a joke. The headset law was bullied thru by Quinn, the required noise study was NEVER done and hundreds of guides my age (57 and older) don’t find it easy at all to find work in this city at our age or at other companies. It is almost impossible. You have to be minimally bilingual (I am/German) or be the darling of one of the smaller companies. Smaller companies don’t have the work, salaries and clients. So many guides went bankrupt, moved, sold their things, took several other low paying jobs = slaughtered by that greedy dictator!
There are many other reasons I will cut my hand off before I vote for Christine Quinn. Zoning variances have become the norm in New York and we are becoming a city of soul-less glass boxes since she is in the deep pockets of the real estate Rudin family. Councilmembers are afraid of her. Vote against her – your funding is cut. She over turned term limits in the middle of the night as well so that elitist mayor Bloomberg could buy a third term. NYC had voted TWICE for a two term limit. How is this a free country?
She is “gay for pay” – on gay pride day she runs to the front of the parade, but has not voted for one pro gay health, housing or community bill – NOT ONE. Her ultimate sinful act was to tear down St. Vincent’s Hospital in Greenwich Village as well as the ‘Tiles For America’ memorial across the street. Built in 1849, St. Vincent’s took in the only survivors of the Titanic, was at the epicenter the AIDS crisis, and 9/11. The Rudin real estate family wanted condos there. Quinn saw to it, and while at it, tore down the adjoining church as well. She is the most dangerous thing that has happened and could happened to New York City. We rebuilt after 9/11 and hurricane Sandy – we cannot tear down the glass boxes that are rising at an alarming rate where the mom and pops used to be. We have lost more long time establishments under the Bloomberg/Quinn administration than in the entire history of New York City. Affordable housing tenants are squeezed out, the middle class is ceasing to exist. VOTE this election,
VOTE FOR “ANYBODY BUT QUINN!”
WATCH THIS! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXoANkQh93I
July 2, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: ABQ, AIDS crisis, animal rights, anti gay, Christine Quinn, City Sights tours, destruction of middle class, destruction of New York City, Donny Moss, elitist government, Gail Brewer, gay bating, Gay Pride Day Parade New York 2013, Gray Line Tours, Greenwich Village, Greg Mocker, Hans Von Rittern, horse drawn carriages, Hurricane Sandy, mayoral 2013 campaign, Michael Blomberg, New York City, New York photo, overturn of term limits, Photo of the day, St. Vincent's Hospital, the Rudin Family real estate empire, The Truth Behind The Smile, Titanic, WPIX11 news | Leave a comment
Photo of the day: CONEY ISLAND GOLDEN GIRL WITH PARACHUTE
June 26, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 'The Parachute Jump', 1939, 1939 York World's New Fair, 1941 1964, basking in the sun, bathing beauty, Brooklyn, Brooklyn's Eiffel Tower, Carousell, Coney Island, Coppertone, Flushing Meadows Queens, girl in bikini, golden girl, Hans Von Rittern, Hurricane Sandy, Nathan's hot dog stand, New York City, New York photo, Parachute Jump, Photo of the day, pin up girl, pinnup, Steeplechase Pier, tattooed girl | Leave a comment
Photo of the day: A STREETCAR NAMED FRANCET
With café seating for 50 and a waterfront view, Fairway Red Hook is a joy for people to come to shop and for lunch! Customers can set their carts aside, order a scrumptious meal, and in no time be sitting facing the Statue of Liberty having a nice chat with a friend. Surrounded by up-and-coming housing developments and an artist community, the Red Hook store has a unique opportunity to be involved with the community. They donated $30,000 to help rebuild the hurricane Sandy ravaged community. The store itself was completely wiped out inside – a total loss. But they are back stronger than ever in such a short time. Grab your flip flops, sun tan oil and go – – – to the supermarket!
June 5, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 1980's, A Street car Named Desire, artist community, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn waterfront, cheese counter, Columbia Street and Furman Street, Fairway Supermarket chain, ferry, food, Hans Von Rittern, Hurricane Sandy, kosher selections, made-from-scratch bakery, Marlon Brando, New York City, New York photo, old trolley cars, on premises-roasted coffee beans freshly ground, Red Hook Brooklyn, restaurants, seafood, Statue of Liberty, streamlined, traditional groceries, transportation, trolley buff Bob Diamond, waterfront dining and views | Leave a comment
THE DAY THE PUZZLE FELL APART
I‘M HERE, I‘M OK ! THANK YOU to all those concerned posts that I didn’t ignore but simply couldn’t answer. After Xmas there was frightening health news for my mom and lots and lots of additional disappointments and bad news all at once and I just emotionally shut off. I had absolutely no desire to photograph or to speak to anyone. I couldn’t feel. I actually also couldn’t find the words, me speechless = rare. I am now slowly grappling how to put it all into words and come back to Facebook and blogging.
Some said “just start posting/blogging again with no explanation,” but I felt after so many of us have shared our lives for so long I should explain…
So here goes: 2012 was one of the most unpleasant years of my life. Two horrible (Gray Line & On Board Tours) jobs and financial disappointments, a struggle with my photography/book and then a culmination of awakenings from watching the news just brought me to an emotional shut-down.
I did launch my blog, that was absolutely wonderful! My photography web site by now has had over 6,700 hits, but no photographs sold. I have been told over and over by good friends of mine like Paul Ker, “No one buys photos anymore.” A very depressing reality, but that a book is the way to go. The answer was to create a book with the photos and the stories behind them but the people who offered to help were phonies and the computer program needed to self publish and print the book in (sadly) China or India is so confusing, I couldn’t learn it since my brain was already on overload. So I tried to concentrate on the book by years end, but then my printer isn’t good enough and to top it off, both my camera and lens fell, broke and cost me an expensive repair I wasn’t counting on.
I had wanted to do a 2012 year’s end blog and researching for it led me to be more and more distressed of what is happening to my beloved New York City. 2012 was a record year of losses of iconic stores, lounges, restaurants, mom and pop places, Tiles for America, hotels, buildings, etc., that were wiped out due to the greedy under-the-table real estate dealings of mayor Mike Bloomberg and evil councilwoman Christine Quinn. Zoning variances have become the norm. Quaint neighborhoods are now collections of glass boxes and look and feel like strip malls. Harlem is 60% white, Greenwich Village is now nothing but yuppies, European hipster-wannabees and chain stores. It depresses me to visit many of my once beloved neighborhoods, to give tours in them is a farce. Hospitals and schools are being torn down to make room for luxury condos. (The hospital I was born in is now closed and boarded up.) If councilwoman Christine Quinn were to become mayor it will be the end of New York City permanently as we know it. A depressing way to enter 2013.
It seemed every day I wanted to write the blog or post a photo – another news story hit of yet another demolition or closing, they were coming almost daily. I just couldn’t take it anymore. Political news added to my depressed feelings – I simply cannot take this damned bickering in Washington DC anymore. I am a staunch Democrat, but I am open enough to say – when we have a Republican president the country should be run by republicans and when we have a Democrat, things should go their way = an ultimate test to see who can fuck it up better or make the country better – ultimate proof. But this daily bickering, stalling and impasses has had me say ENOUGH! I used to be a MSNBC Rachel Maddow addict, I cannot take her anymore, she is brilliant, her research team is one of the best, but if the daily results are the same thing over and over “stalled, denied, fighting, bickering, more mass shootings” why bother to watch the news?? It is the exact same thing every day. So…I shut down news and Facebook wise. I discovered two great cable TV stations called METV and AntennaTV which show all the old shows, so I escape to see Mary Richards and Rhoda, Oscar and Felix (just to hear that theme song cheers me up!), Leave It To Beaver=my favorite, Dick Van Dyke, Jeannie and of course the divine Aunt Clara and wonderfully wicked Endora on Bewitched. If god forbid something happens to the president, or another hurricane is headed this way – I’ll know about it, otherwise, leave me alone and stress free.
Hurricane Sandy added to my already dreaded feeling of loss of NYC. To this day Battery Park is wiped out, The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island won’t open till July 4th, some Wall Street buildings are still on generators, South Street Seaport is ruined and now they are going to tear much of it down in favor of…….glass boxes. Lest we not forget the thousands and thousands in Queens, Staten Island and Brooklyn that FEMA has not helped, that are without daily necessities like hot water, toilets and grocery stores. It is disgraceful. Childhood shore communities are gone – but the mayor and councilwoman Christine Quinn want to build…MORE glass boxes in midtown Manhattan, it is their ultimate mantra “let them eat cake.” It is like living in Alice In Wonder/Greed-land and the emperor and empress are wearing no clothes.
Then shortly after Christmas I thought I was going to loose my mom. She has injured her hip by pulling a heavy box across the floor and that action, somehow caused the cartilage to slip out of place between the two main hip bones and she now has the bones grinding bone on bone which I am told is quite painful. We were told there are two answers: hip replacement surgery or really strong painkillers. Mom can’t even make it up one step much less bend, turn or kneel. So all of a sudden I had to be there all the time. The Von Ritterns live to be in their high 90’s. Mom being 87 wasn’t at all any concern, she is otherwise healthy as a horse except for slight high blood pressure. One day we were at her dinner table and she couldn’t get up and for the first time I saw this old feeble woman and that was what sent me into shock. This isn’t my mom! Could this be the end? This vibrant woman who stood hours on line to vote for Obama can’t even get out of her chair?
We visited endless doctors offering all sorts of surgeries and pills. Mom refused all. You see, we lost my grandmother/her mother due to hip surgery – she was under anesthesia so long, that the oxygen didn’t properly flow to the brain and she came out of it with instant senility. My grandmother’s sister, had a botched spinal surgery and was given mega doses of pain killers which caused her to loose her mind to the point of being senile as well. Both extremely vibrant women, gone due to back/spine surgeries and all those pills. Mom was instantly haunted and frightened by that and said “God dammit, I am going to be here a long time, I am not making a doctor richer with hip surgery and I am not poisoning my brain. I’ll just take Tylenol!” (Well…sooner or later we will need more than just Tylenol…)
I couldn’t talk to anyone about it because when I did, as a few of you know, I lost it and broke down. I might be loosing my only living relative, my only living connection to my childhood, my history and my past. So I just shut down/disconnected. To top it all off, I threw out my back helping her and I also got blurred vision, explained to me due to stress. But – you have to learn how to make the lemonade out of the lemons or think sharply and say ‘what message are we getting here?’. The answer was finally a book, for both of us!
Our family history is astounding. Fiercely independent women who traveled the seven seas on their own, great-great grand parents who owned a coffee plantation in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, grandmother/‘Oma’ and her sisters were opera singers for the Berlin Opera, surviving Germany in World War II, mom coming to America and starting a new life. It’s the German “Gone With The Wind”!
We realized we need to record this legacy. Mom being viewed as forever young would come to haunt us if she were suddenly ill one day and not capable to record our history. NOW is the time for us as I research the Von Ritterns. Since she can mainly just “sit” – I have set her up in a comfortable office space in her kitchen and soon the great autobiography will begin. As for me, a book is the way to go. A $9.99 paperback in perfect carriable size &/or E-book, that anyone visiting New York would say “this is truly the real New York“.
So mom and I are settling into a new pattern of me helping her daily as well as trying to run my household (such as it is), photographing, walking Noel her dog and of course feeding Oscar my pet squirrel on time. With spring having arrived and many of my touring regulars visiting, I am slowly ‘making a mental comeback‘. Two people responsible are two very dear friends Lynn Benton Black and Pamela Martin Hughes who gave me wonderful loving insight and support on our recent tour.
Most importantly I want you all to know, I wasn’t trying to be mysterious or rude or diss-ing anyone. I just needed to be thoroughly alone to think and reassess. I couldn’t even think about “photos/blog of the day” (it seemed so trivial) when I thought I would loose mom suddenly – my brain just did an instant disconnect from all else. Please know I am very heartened by all the kind posts of concern here. I read all your posts and treasure you all.
So – I’m going to try to juggle it all: Touring, mom, me, Facebook, socializing, photographing, our books, blogging (it‘s a lot). On Facebook I’m going to start a new feature called ‘Mondays on Memory Lane’. I may not have a P.O.T.D. (Photo of the Day) every single day yet, and some photos may be a few months old, but – – – hey, I’m making a comeback ♥ !
March 28, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: AntennaTV, Berlin Opera, Bewitched, Brooklyn, Christmas, Councilwoman Christine Quinn, democrat, elderly parents, Ellis Island, Emotional shut down, family history, family relatives, FEMA, Gray Line Tours, Greenwich Village, Hans Von Rittern, hip surgery, Hurricane Sandy, Jeannie, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, Leave It To Beaver, loosing a loved one, loosing New york, Manhattan, METV, Mike Bloomberg, nervous breakdown, New York City, Obama, old age, pain killers, Photo of the day, photography, pills, political bickering, Queens, Rachel Maddow, recording family history, republican, saving New York, self publishing, Staten Island, Statue of Liberty, the Von Ritterns, touring, Ursula Von Rittern, World War II, zoning variances | 7 Comments
Photo of the day: STATUE OF LIBERTY CLOSED TILL FURTHER NOTICE
November 9, 2012 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: Hans Von Rittern, Hurricane Sandy, immigrants, Manhattan, New York City, Statue of Liberty, Times Square | Leave a comment
Photo of the day: A ‘SPECIAL DAY’ IN NEW YORK
November 2, 2012 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: empty streets, food cart, Hans Von Rittern, Hurricane Sandy, Manhattan, New York City, Street vendor | Leave a comment
Photo & motto of the day: BUT THE WORLD CONTINUES TO GO ‘ROUND
Sometimes your dreams get broken in pieces
And sometimes a friend starts treating you bad
Somebody loses and somebody wins
Sometimes your dreams get broken in pieces
And sometimes a friend starts treating you bad
Somebody loses and somebody wins
November 1, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: "New York New York", 1977, 42nd Street, Fred Ebb, Hans Von Rittern, Hurricane Sandy, John Kander, Kander & Ebb, Liza Minnelli, lyrics, Manhattan, New York City, Superman, survive, The Daily News Building, The Daily Planet | Leave a comment
Photo of the day: NEW YORK HALLOWEEN 2012
October 31, 2012 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: Halloween, halloween canceled, halloween parade in manhattan, Hans Von Rittern, happy halloween, Hurricane Sandy, Manhattan, New York City, Queens, Sunnyside, Sunnyside Gardens | 3 Comments
Devastation in my New York neighborhood of Sunnyside, Queens
October 30, 2012 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: cars, destroyed cars, Hans Von Rittern, Hurricane Sandy, New York City, old trees, Sunnyside, Sunnyside Gardens, uprooted trees | 2 Comments
Storm photo: THE RAGING MANHATTAN EAST RIVER AT HEIGHT OF HURRICANE SANDY
October 30, 2012 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: Chrysler building, Empire State Building, Hans Von Rittern, Hurricane Sandy, Long Island City Queens, Manhattan, Manhattan skyline, New York City, Trump Tower, United Nations | 1 Comment
Photo of the day: A NARROW BRUSH WITH DEADLY HURRICANE SANDY
October 30, 2012 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 47th Street, Hans Von Rittern, Hurricane Sandy, New York City, Sunnyside, Sunnyside Gardens, tree uprooted | Leave a comment