Mondays on Memory Lane: Richard Skipper weaves a magical evening with Tommy Tune – On Thursday night, May 23rd, 2013, Richard Skipper hosted an extraordinary evening of intimate conversation with nine time Tony winner Tommy Tune at Queensborough Community College. The evening was a rare privilege for all. First and foremost for Richard, since it was Tommy himself who had requested him for the interview. Secondly for all of us lucky enough to be in the audience. To see this talented icon of Broadway theater open up to Richard’s questions and reminisce freely was an exciting treat. We’ve all seen Tommy Tune dance and perform, but a shared moment like this is irreplaceable. Richard knows his theater history, combined with both their friendships with legend Carol Channing – their bond made for an insightful conversation. Tommy shared lessons learned from luminaries such as Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Carol, Michael Bennett, Lucie Arnaz, Honey Coles and his perfect pairing with Twiggy in the film “The Boyfriend” and the hit Broadway show “My One and Only”.
Tommy Tune reflects
Tommy Tune doing the letter “H” from the song “You Gotta Have Heart”
At age 74, Tommy has a youthful energy that comes from the love of his craft. He simply radiates joy. The audience was riveted by the insight and advice Tommy gave, many times reinforcing that our own uniqueness should drive our determination to forge forward and take chances and leaps of faith. Richard steered the ‘conversation’ masterfully. In ending the evening Richard with his usual warm charm, asked the audience to participate in asking questions of Tommy which added to the bond that had been created with both Tommy’s and Richard’s fans. It was an evening not to be forgotten, thank you Richard!
“What Becomes A Legend Most?” 1994 ad
poster
Tommy Tune and Richard Skipper saying good night
May 27, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: Broadway history, Broadways musicals, Carol Channing, celebrities, entertainment, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Hans Von Rittern, Honey Coles, intimate interview with Broadway legend Tommy Tune, leaps of faith, Lucie Arnaz, Michael Bennett, New York City, New York photo, Queens, Queensborough Community College, Richard Skipper, Tommy Tune, Tony Award winner, Twiggy, What Becomes A Legend Most? | Leave a comment
Photo of the day: THE WHOLE BALL OF WAX – When you are a daily New York subway rider, you come to know ‘the regulars’ on your train. That man who always folds The New York Times so precisely when reading it’s almost an art, the Russian woman who loves wearing leopard patterns, the Indian man who listens to Bollywood soundtracks so loud on his iPhone ear bugs – you can hear it clearly three seats away, the girl who seems to think the subway is her bathroom and meticulously applies her makeup stroke by calculated stroke, the snoring businessman who prefers to wear gray suits. But then there are the other “irregulars”: ‘Lady Karisma’ a woman who wears emerald green sequins, plays a melodica and announces the history of Brazilian music before she sings Antonio Carlos Jobim’s ‘The Girl From Ipanema” off key, the kid selling candy “for my high school team”, the air head folk singer who singing on the minority laden 7 train is just so, so out of place, the crazy lady from 46th Street who wears totally mis-matched clothes with a preference for lace gloves and veils, eats bags of sunflower seeds and very busily talks to herself – but don’t touch her, she gets testy.
But this being New York…there is always something new to surprise me in this never ending stream of a free show. The other day I was crammed onto a #4 uptown train during rush hour and had barely any room to move my head to look around. As I glance to the left, the lady with the big oversized bee-keeper-like mauve hat did catch my attention. She was terribly engrossed in working on something with her hands. There was also a strange odor coming from her way. Not offensive – just not a recognizable smell. Ok, curiosity getting the better of me, I inched closer. The smell was of the wax she was kneading. There she was – making an old fashion shoe out of candle wax, yes you read that right. A shoe…out of wax. She had a cardboard box of dirty, presumably found candle stubs that she was breaking pieces off of in order to add and mold them very meticulously to her shoe. By the way, the matching shoe was in the box. I tried getting a look at her face but the mauve bee-keeper hat prevented that. She studied the shoe, turned it from all angles in order to apply the next piece of dirty wax just right. I watched her with fascination. As the train pulled into 42nd Street and I got off the train, I just wondered ‘what does one do with a pair of wax shoes?!’
May 17, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 7 train, Antonio Carlos Jobim, ball of wax, beekeeper hat, candle wax, crazy people of the subway train, Hans Von Rittern, homeless, Lady Karisma, Manhattan, New York City, New York photo, new york subway, old woman, Queens, subway, subway art, subway performers, subway rider, subway riders, The Girl From Ipanema, transportation, wax art, wax shoe | 2 Comments
Photo of the day: THREE FIERCELY INDEPENDENT WOMEN: My three ‘moms’. Each woman went against the society of her times and lived her life as she saw fit, not as society dictated. I am these three women. If you love me – you love them.
Anny Cornelius: My theatricality, musicality, passion, humor and style. Against all dictates of the day, she refused marriage offers from royalty and fine suitors and ‘married’ her opera career to wind up singing Carmen at The Berlin Opera.
Amahlie (Jaehne) Von Rittern: Divorced her husband to raise her child as she saw fit. Later gave up her concert pianist career and country to come to America (not knowing the language) to help raise me. My appreciation of music, love, compassion and sense of art and balance come from her.
Ursula Von Rittern: Divorced her husband to raise me on her own. Refused alimony in the 1950’s and did it all by herself. She went from selling vacuum cleaners to California residents in the early morning on the telephone to finally breaking through the sexist glass ceiling of the 1970’s and 80’s and wound up in a corner office, assistant to the CEO of Manufacturer’s Hanover Bank. My liberal views, determination and hard work ethic come from her.
I am these three women.
Passionate.
Compassionate.
Hard Working.
In the works is a family history of four generations of independent women who all raised their children on their own against all odds, through two World Wars, traveled around the globe, sacrificed, fought sexism and society’s morals. Mom is 87 and currently writing the book. Stay tuned . . .
May 12, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: Amahlie (Jaehne) Von Rittern, Anny Cornelius, Berlin Opera, concert pianist, Fiercely independent women, German ancestry, German Immigrant stories, Hans Von Rittern, Hans' mom, Manufacturer's Hanover Bank, mom's support, Mother's Day, New York City, opera career, Queens, Sunnyside, Sunnyside Gardens, Two generations of women, Ursula Von Rittern, women, work ethic | Leave a comment
Photo of the day: TOWERING TULIPS –
While strolling through Forest Hills Gardens one day,
In the merry, merry month of May,
I was taken by surprise
By a towering tulip high rise,
I wished I could stay underneath all day.
May 5, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 'Strolling Through The Park; lyrics, Forest Hills Gardens, Hans Von Rittern, large huge tulip tree, May Spring 2013, nature, New York City, Photo of the day, Queens, spring, tulip tree in bloom, tulips | 1 Comment
As seen in Forest Hills, Queens
Photo of the day: YES I CAN!
can – slang
noun: bathroom, breasts, buttocks, toilet.
verb – transitive: To dismiss (“fire”) from a job. To stop speech, visible emotion, etc.
can
1 /kæn; unstressed kən/ Show Spelled [kan; unstressed kuh
n] Show IPA auxiliary verb and verb, present singular 1st person can, 2nd can or ( Archaic ) canst, 3rd can, present plural can; past singular 1st person could, 2nd could or ( Archaic ) couldst, 3rd could, past plural could. For auxiliary verb: imperative, infinitive, and participles lacking. For verb (Obsolete): imperative can; infinitive can; past participle could; present participle cun·ning.
auxiliary
verb
1.
to be able to; have the ability, power, or skill to: She can solve the problem easily, I’m sure.
2.
to know how to: He can play chess, although he’s not particularly good at it.
3.
to have the power or means to: A dictator can impose his
will on the people.
4.
to have the right or qualifications to: He can change whatever he wishes in the script.
5.
may; have permission to: Can I speak to you for a moment?
April 27, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: auxiliary verb, bathroom, breasts, buttocks, dictionary definition, Forest Hills, graffiti, Green Tea, Hans Von Rittern, large cans, New York City, Queens, slang, slang definition, street art, to be fired, toilet | 2 Comments
THE HAPPY SPRING THAT ALMOST WAS: A popular question in New York and around the world is ‘why don’t you ever see baby pigeons?’. You do see them, but you don’t notice.
Their beaks are slightly flatter and wider than an adult’s and for the first week or two after leaving the nest, the feathers around the base of the beak are bristly and lay back along the face. You may occasionally see one begging a parent to feed it – it will normally run after the parent, quivering its wings and squeaking – hence the name for a very young pigeon, just feathered – a squeaker.
During their first week of life baby pigeons are fed a high-fat, high-protein diet of crop milk produced by both parents. The leading cause of death among baby pigeons is temperature related. Without warmth, the body loses too much energy and the little squab simply can’t recover from his fight to enter the world. They grow very fast. Pigeons don’t fledge (leave the nest) until they are almost adult-sized
In the case of domestic/feral pigeons, they walk well at about 18 days of age and start exercising their wings about a week later. But because they have been regularly fed by the adults and haven’t done much exercising, the babies are often bigger than their parents by the time they start to fly, which is on average of only 30 to 32 days after hatching. Many species of pigeons will rear their young to independence in under 3 weeks.
Sadly they are also not very adept nest builders nor are they too attentive to the egg. That is what happened to my pigeon couple “Fred and Ethel” living under and on top of my air conditioner. Joyously after days of endless coo-ing I noticed a nest being built on top of my air conditioner and soon an egg appeared. I dropped extra twigs down so they could have the best nest in town. I put out bread crumbs and my usual water for them. They both took turns sitting on the egg but would stay away for disturbingly long periods, up to 20 minutes, leaving the egg unattended. My concern was the dropping temperatures to the mid 40’sF. But last night I went to bed and saw mom/’Ethel’ pigeon contently sitting in her nest, cooing away.
This morning I awoke to see no one attending the nest. I rushed to the window – the egg was gone. Hopefully they will take PPC = P.igeon P.arenting C.lasses and the next time will be more successful. Here’s hoping!
April 21, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: airconditioner, baby pigeon, baby pigeons, flege, Hans Von Rittern, nest building, New York City, pigeon couple, pigeon egg, pigeon nest, pigeon parents, Queens, squeaker, Sunnyside, Sunnyside Gardens, why don't you see baby pigoens? | Leave a comment
MY DOG NOEL’S $178 HAIR CUT: The saga of my dog’s haircut. Living in New York with a large 60 lb. sheep dog/terrier mix dog isn’t easy…especially if you don’t own a car. So the saga begins. It’s time for a hair cut. Noel had become way too fuzzy and matted from a winter’s worth of rub-downs from playing in the snow.
First obstacle: Most of the groomers in this neighborhood, despite being a garden/large dog area, won’t groom large dogs. If they do, they do a lousy job or totally freak out or injure the dog.
Second obstacle: When you do find a groomer – how do you get there? Most new Yorkers don’t own cars, much less even know how to drive.
Third obstacle: The co$t.
Noel has become to be mom’s dog. They are perfect company for each other, two older ladies growing old together. Noel is 13, mom is 87. Mom finally found ‘Le Pitou II’, a groomer that didn’t scar Noel emotionally as well as physically in the neighborhood of Forest Hills, several miles up Queens Blvd.
Next step is to cajole the car service into letting me bring a large dog, by providing our own blanket to shield the car. Noel is a docile car rider so Noel is no problem.
The appointment was scheduled for 1pm in the afternoon. The car driver grumbled a bit when he saw Noel but we assured him it would be no problem, translation: “I want a good tip for this.”
As we arrive at Le Pitou groomers, the good sign is Noel was happy to be there. “It will take a while, four hours.” Ok, I thought, she’s practically a walking shag carpet, four hours sounds reasonable. Rather than taking the subway back home, I decided to photograph the mansions in nearby Forest Hills Gardens, a private gated community, one of America’s first planned communities. The day went from sunny and warm to cold, foggy and chilly and by 5pm I was more than ready to pick up Noel. “Two more hours,” I was told. Tired from being the wandering photographer I took the subway home. 7:15pm the phone rings, Noel is ready for pick up. Back on the subway I go for the quick ride back to Forest Hills. $93 later, Noel looked adorable and was happy as a clam. I tipped the groomer $20 cash, without really looking in my wallet. Next urgency on the agenda = walkies! After walkies it was time to go through the same song and dance with the car company: “Yes, she is 50+lbs, but she is very docile. No, she doesn’t bark. Yes, she is clean. I have my own blanket.” Instead of the $18 charged in the morning – now the cab ride was $25. Ok, fine. I said I would meet the car outside the groomer.
While waiting, I checked my wallet. I only had three $5 bills. I quickly looked for a nearby bank…none to be found in sight. (I will not go to a bodega’s ATM, many of them contain ‘card readers’ that steal all your info.) So, with 15 minutes to spare, I raced down the blvd. to find a bank. The nearest one was 10 blocks away and Noel was getting tired. After six blocks, the cell phone rings “Your car is in front of the groomers.” Now I had to race six blocks back to the car. While running, I called mom and asked her to meet me on our corner at home of 46th Street and Queens Blvd. (the Manhattan bound traffic side/coming from further in Queens) with a $20. bill. Fine all settled. I try explaining to my Russian driver whose English was limited and therefore a bit overwhelmed and perplexed at my hyper state explanation. Down the blvd. we go. All is fine.
We arrive at 46th/Queens Blvd. – no mom. I look up and down the street – no mom. Akward! I plead with the driver to cross the blvd to a nearby Chase bank. (I can hear on the car radio his dispatcher wondering where he was.) I offered to leave my expensive camera in the car, while running into Chase’s ATM to withdraw $40.
I came out a gratefully handed him the whole $40 and apologized and thanked him profusely.
Where is mom?! (No she doesn’t have a cell phone). I dragged poor tired Noel up and down the blvd = no mom. Her phone at home doesn’t answer. I try going to my house – no mom. I go to mom’s house – not there either, I take Noel back to my place so she can rest and drink some water and have some cookies. Back out to hit the streets to search for mom. With no other logical places to look for her I start to get panicked thoughts of dread, she got hit by a car, mugged, etc. I decided to cross to the Queens bound side of the huge blvd and search there. As I arrive on the other side, there comes mom, slowly making her way with her cane, looking worried and perplexed. “Where were you?!” we both asked.
“But this is where we always arrive when we come home,” mom replied. Yes mom from Manhattan, not from Queens, I was coming from Forest Hills Queens. “Our side means the side we live on, the other side.” Befuddled and tired we headed to my apartment to walk Noel home to mom’s apartment around the corner. Once home, mom and Noel settled into their respective favorite spots and rested. Noel looked at us as if to say ‘what’s all the fuss, I look wonderful?!’
$25. cab fare to groomer
$93. grooming
$20. groomer’s tip
$40. cab ride home_____
$178. New York hair cut!
April 20, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 46th Street, car service, dog grooming, dog grooming nightmare, Forest Hills Gardens, funny dog grooming story, Hans Von Rittern, high cost of grooming, Le Pitou Groomers, New York City, only in New York, Queens, queens blvd, saga of dog grooming, Sunnyside, taxi cabs | 6 Comments
SNOW GLOW: During my hiatus from blogging and Facebook, the blizzard of February 10, 2013 hit Sunnyside Queens, New York and I got the photograph I had been wanting to get for a long time. The street my mother lives on, 45th Street, near Queens Blvd. has a great view of the passing #7 train. When it rains or snows it always has an atmosphere of eerie yet romantic, old world yet in today’s times and a great misty light play. I grabbed my camera and stood in the snow for two hours till midnight photographing the storm and the light plays. This is one of my favorites moments.
April 19, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 45th Street Queens Blvd., 7 train, 7 train subway, BLIZZARD 2013, february 10 2013, glow of lights, Hans Von Rittern, New York City, night time snow, Queens, queens blvd, reflective lights, snow storm, subway, Sunnyside, Sunnyside Gardens, transportation, Ursula Von Rittern, winter | 3 Comments
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3DBys2TPzk&feature=youtu.be
PhotoS of the day: I AM FEATURED IN THE NEW ‘SocialEyesNYC.com’ VIDEO! – My friend Randi Horwitz has a web site and Facebook page called SocialEyesNYC.com. Her current video release advertising her new site features some of my photos! The site features some of my photos and we will work together to feature more of my photos in the future.
Randi’s steadfast work is incredibly all encompassing. She gathers all possible upcoming interests in one site with just a click of your mouse. Ideal for my fellow tour guides! From Ballet to Boxing, Parades to Photo galleries, Cooking clubs to comedy shows = her research done for you is amazing – CHECK SocialEyesNYC.com OUT for all of your NYC activity plans including street fairs, concert presale codes, Broadway discounts, activities for kids, music around town, lectures/classes, weekend itineraries and so much more! SocialEyesNYC is the premier New York City lifestyle/social activity guide focusing on diverse and sometimes not so obvious, activities ranging from art to wine tasting and everything in between. SocialEyesNYC ™ ~ See The City Like a Native “New Yawkah”
April 16, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 9/11 memorial, Broadway, Broadway discounts, Bryant Park, celebrities, Central Park, city lifestyle, cooking clubs, Empire State Building, entertainment, Greenwich Village, Hans Von Rittern, lectures/classes, Manhattan, New York City, New York social activity guide, parades, presale codes, Queens, SocialEyesNYC.com, street fairs, Times Square, wine tasting | Leave a comment
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
Interview of the day: THE FRIENDLIEST MOTORMAN ON THE #7 LINE ~ One of the friendliest motormen on the 7 line! A long time veteran of the rails, married with 2 children. He asked to remain unnamed and just be recognized for his bright smiling …face, so let’s just call him ‘Smith’. To familiarize you with the MTA lingo, the person in the front is the ‘motorman’, the person in the center of the train operating the doors is your conductor. There isn’t actually very much communication between the two. Most of the communication is between the motorman and headquarters.
He clocks 5 trips a day (the maximum allowed by the MTA.) I asked him what was the most memorable trip, Smith replied: “Yikes! They had me ride right into a tornado in April of 2010. My reaction was like that you see in a cartoon, your eyes pop out of your head, you can’t believe what you are seeing and you react just like a Warner Brothers cartoon…and then you pull yourself together and say to yourself ‘Keep the train steady and moving, you can do this’.”…and he did! His annoyances: “The people at headquarters giving us instructions aren’t here, they don’t know what we are facing or many times are up to.” Also the signals, he pointed out if any one of them is out or wrong it can cause the train to come to a halt and even cause damage, we stopped for a moment and he pointed one of them out and said: “Do you realize how old they are?” So what are his joys? His daily joy is approaching the 103rd Street/Corona Plaza stop. Smith said: “There’s a little bodega down there I can see from my booth and there are moms out front with their little kids. The kids see the train come to a halt and see me looking down at them, so I give ’em a big smile and toot the horn to see their eyes light up, it never gets old.”
His best story: Smith a long time ago met a young man along the line. Not very well dressed, struggling with school and finances. Smith gave him a pep talk and encouraged to keep in school and hang in there. He saw him routinely on his way to school, always in shabby clothes. A few years passed and he saw him dress a little better and ride at different times of the day. It turns out he was job hunting. A few more years passed and Smith pulls into a station one early morning and there at the very front of the platform was someone he thought he recognized. But this man was so well dressed. It was the same young man! He had gotten a decent job and was finally making a bit of money. Smith had watched this young man go through his and our daily struggle and watched him become a success. That makes Smith feel good to this day. As for me, I had a big smile, Smith had put a face and a warm smile behind the person we all take for granted daily. If you see him – give Smith a big smile – you’ll get one right back!
January 15, 2013 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 7 train, Hans Von Rittern, Manhattan, mass transit, MOTORMAN, MTA, New York City, Queens, subway, Sunnyside, Sunnyside Gardens, train conductor, transportation | Leave a comment
FLASH MOB – 12TH ANNUAL NO PANTS SUBWAY RIDE!: The No Pants Subway Ride is an annual event staged by Improv Everywhere each January in New York City. It gives the true meaning to ‘flash mob’ 🙂 . The mission started as a small prank with seven guys and has grown into an international celebration of silliness, with dozens of cities around the world participating each year. The idea behind No Pants is simple: Random passengers board a subway car at separate stops in the middle of winter without pants. The participants do not behave as if they know each other, and they all wear winter coats, hats, scarves, and gloves. The only unusual thing is their lack of pants.
The event drew over 5,000 partici(no)PANTS in New York City alone, secretly meeting at 6 different meeting point throughout the city. The event has grown to international status and takes place in 28 countries around the world and 60 cities! All aboard!!
“I see London, I see France, I see you in your underpants!”
January 14, 2013 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: bottomless riders, flash mob, Hans Von Rittern, Improv Everywhere, international celebration, Manhattan, New York City, New Yorkers in their underwear, No Pants Subway Ride, Queens | 5 Comments
TRASH TREASURE, PROPELLER PLEASURE: I found this fantastic vintage mint 1950’s propeller blade fan in the trash! Complete with a thick coating of dust and dust balls! Friday is trash day here, the best day to walk your dog. I have found some of the best things on the street that are now my treasures. As they say: “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”
I love the combination of the 1950’s mint green color, the commercial grade design, the heavy cast iron textured base, the old fashioned cord and the sleek art deco design. I can’t wait to polish it up! This early 1950’s Eskimo brand fan was designed before safety was a consideration. The very powerful motor spins the commercial outboard metal blades fast enough to cut your fingers off. The cage has no design thought to prevent fingers from going inside – ahhh the 50’s! It’ll blow anything out of it’s way! Gotta love the retro 50’s, gotta love trash day!
What are some of your trash treasure finds?
January 13, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 1950's design, antiques, art deco design, Eskimo fan, Hans Von Rittern, Manhattan, New York City, propeller blade, propeller fan, Queens, retro fans, street finds, Sunnyside, Sunnyside Gardens, trash treasure, vintage electric fan | 2 Comments
A GARBAGE MAN WHO HAS (CREATIVE) BALLS: As I walked my dog last night I saw a local resident here in Sunnyside, Queens had thrown out their Christmas tree replete with all the plastic ornaments. As I walked by this morning . . . I noticed the garbage and the tree had been picked up, but not quite all the ornaments. Our garbage man got a little creative and decorated our tree on the street! Merry Januarymas!
January 12, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: Christmas, Christmas ornaments, Christmas tree, creative, Garbage man, Hans Von Rittern, New York City, ornaments, Queens, Sanitation Department, Sunnyside, Sunnyside Gardens | 1 Comment
ART WITH ABANDON: Actually…art with an abandoned building; as seen in one of the side streets along the commercial piers waterfront in Brooklyn. It is a wonderful surprise as you walk through this dingy area. Note the brilliant artist’s Damon Ginandes’ clever use of color. The yellows match the yellow door of the building on the right and the blues match the color of the abandoned building.
January 10, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: abandoned building, architecture, arts, Brooklyn piers, Brooklyn waterfront, Damon Ginandes, graffiti, graffiti artist, Hans Von Rittern, illustration, New York City, Picasso like drawing, Queens | Leave a comment
MAKE EVERYDAY BE LIKE CHRISTMAS:
Spread joy, spread cheer,
be kind to others, volunteer.
Enjoy the sparkle of each season,
decorate no matter the reason.
Play and make music that is joyful,
let the sounds make their hearts full.
Why be a good little elf just one week a year,
Spread joy, spread cheer,
you’ll live longer year to year 🙂
December 30, 2012 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: be kind, Christmas, Christmas balls, Christmas joy, Christmas poem, Hans Von Rittern, Manhattan, New York City, Queens, spread cheer, spread joy, Sunnyside, volunteer | Leave a comment
CHESTNUTS ROASTING ON AN OPEN FIRE: Tis the season for chestnuts roasting on an open fire – but good luck finding them on a street corner in New York City. The toasty treat that Nat King Cole immortalized in “The Christmas Song” was once a year-round staple of street vendors citywide. Now the chewy nuts are relegated to the tourist-heavy corners of Manhattan, a victim of changing tastes, vendors sadly say.
Chestnuts are mainly sought out by tourists and nostalgic native New Yawkers. Less and less sell every year as prices also rise. I remember I used to collect them with my grandmother in the fall in Woodhaven Blvd’s St. John’s Cemetery where there are chestnut trees in abundance. She had taught me the old German art of chestnut carving! We would spend many fall afternoons carving the beautiful brown nuts into people, baskets and animals aided with tooth picks for limbs, tiny buttons or pins for eyes etc. Now the chestnuts you see on the streets are imported from Italy and are expensive. Sugary coated peanuts are now in vogue and to be had everywhere instead. Roasted chestnuts have become an acquired taste, romanticized by the Nat King Cole song, seems we’re buying them now only to savor our past – not the taste . . .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w04NBhVkmS0
December 28, 2012 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Christmas, Christmas song, food, food vendors, Hans Von Rittern, Manhattan, Nat King Cole, New York City, Queens, roasted chestnuts, St. John's Cemetery Queens, tradition, tradtional | 1 Comment
HANS VON RITTERN – Born December 21, 1955.
This is my first day of third grade school at PS 139 on 63rd Drive in Rego Park Queens. Mom got me a new briefcase and a new umbrella! I am nine years old here, I remember I couldn’t keep those shoes tied 🙂
(Oh, and the tie is a clip on, lol).
December 21, 2012 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: birthday, Born, December 21 - 1955, Hans Von Rittern, Hans' birthday, New York City, Public School 139, Queens, Rego Park, Third grade | 4 Comments
OSCAR THE SQUIRREL MEETS SANTA CLAUS: The conversation went something like this – – – Hi Santa! What are you doing in Hans’ living room? Well, never mind, here is my list, now pay attention, I want:
~ The super powered ultimate mega N9000 nutcracker, with batteries.
~ A giant bag of mixed nuts, no pistachios please.
~ The newest Scrat squirrel plush toy from “Ice Age”.
~ The acme SSTF – Splendiferous Squirrel Tail Fluffer.
~ A giant jar of peanut butter, the crunchy kind.
~ A limited edition Steinbach Elvis Presley nutcracker.
~ The ND2013, patented Nut Detector 2013.
~ A Sciuridae nest warmer.
~ A fancy bottle of Eau de Planteurs.
~ And . . . a new flat screen TV with DVR for my benefactor and friend Hans.
Go to my December 3rd, 2013 Facebook post and blog post to read the story of my ‘pet’ squirrel Oscar!
December 19, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: apartment, Christmas list, Elvis, Hans Von Rittern, New York City, pet squirrel, Planters peanuts, Queens, Santa Claus, Scrat, squirrel, squirrel tail, Steinbach, Sunnyside, Sunnyside Gardens | Leave a comment
THE LURE OF CYBER MONDAY: I fell asleep watching TV Sunday night and as awoke in the middle of the night, I found an eerie glow coming from my computer in my office as if it was luring me with all the tempting cyber discounts being offered today. “They’re here . . . !”
November 26, 2012 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: "Poltergeist", computer, Cyber Monday, eerie, Hans Von Rittern, Hans' office, internet, media, New York City, Queens, Sunnyside, Sunnyside Gardens | Leave a comment
SILENT NIGHT, HOLY CR_P WHAT A NIGHT!: As if hurricane Sandy wasn’t enough, New York received 4 inches of snow, it’s the heaviest early snowfall in November ever last night. I walked just four blocks in my neighborhood of Sunnyside, Queens and witnessed four trees come crashing down. The trees still have their leaves and the very wet snowfall created too much of a weight burden that they can bear. We have such a dense canopy, I decided it was safer to head home than to continue taking pictures. It was a silent night, but a bit of an un-holy night.
(The white ‘dots’ in the photo, is the reflection of my camera’s flash on the snowflakes.)
November 8, 2012 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 46TH STREET. record snowfall, fallen trees, Hans Von Rittern, New York City, Queens, snow storm, Sunnyside, Sunnyside Gardens, trees with snow | 2 Comments
TWO GENERATIONS CHANGE THE COURSE OF AMERICA: My mom Ursula Von Rittern 86, and Hans Von Rittern (me, almost) 57 stood in line for two hours in the cold to exercise our right to have our voices heard. We voted! This morning we can breathe a sigh of relief. Because of all your kind words of support yesterday, I thought I would post a (self taken) close-up of the two of us on line. Ursula was overwhelmed at yesterday’s response and was gleeful and humbled that she got so many ‘likes’. “You made me famous” she giggled. We thank you all! XOXO
November 7, 2012 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 2012 election, excercise the right to vote, Hans Von Rittern, long lines, mother, New York City, Obama, Queens, Sunnyside, Ursula Von Rittern | Leave a comment
This is 86 year old Ursula Von Rittern, my mother. She immigrated to this country from war torn Germany after WWII and settled in NYC. She has voted with an absentee ballot for the past ten years so she doesn’t have to stand in the long lines. “This year I am voting in person dammit, no matter how long I have to stand in the cold, this is too critically important!” So – we did! GO MOM!
Note the black folding chair in one hand and her cane in the other, she came prepared!
November 6, 2012 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 2012 election, Hans Von Rittern, Hans' mom, immigrant, New York City, Obama, Queens, senior vote, Sunnyside, Ursula Von Rittern | Leave a comment
ROCKAWAY BEACH MEMORIES:
I grew up on Rockaway Beach. My first time seeing the ocean was from this stretch of sand. My first sense memories of sand between your toes and then in your shoes comes from Rockaway. The smells were wonderful: the salt air, the wooden boardwalk had a certain indefinable smell, the sun tan lotion (usually Coppertone) wafting through the air and the hot dogs grilling at the beach stand.
For the first ten years of my life, 1955 to 1965, we were too poor to vacation ‘out of town’. Rockaway was the working man’s Riviera. The longest stretch of urban beach in the United States on a peninsula stretching out into the Atlantic. You took the bus or the subway to get to the beach. We lived in Rego Park, Queens. We boarded the Q11 bus on Woodhaven Blvd. and then transferred to the ‘beach bus’ further down the blvd. It was a long arduous trek that took patience and stamina, but the rewards were well worth the two hour ride. If the buses were too crowded with teeny boppers and their transistor radios, you transferred to the scenic ’A’ train which took you over the bay with it’s little inlets and fisherman’s houses on stilts. It was a scenic journey in those old rattling subway cars with rattan seats, that now seems so much more romantic than it did at that time. I would give anything to relive that journey in one of those old subway cars again, they were different times. People had patience then, it wasn’t the era of hurry and rush, you accepted the fact that you would travel two hours by public transportation to get there.
The goal was 116th street. A wonderful honky tonk of old 2-story shops from the 1930’s hawking beach wear, surf boards, Italian ices, pizza and straw hats. Depending on how long it took to get there you quickly decided how much further up the beach you would walk to find a quieter spot away from the teenagers. (That meant of course, a longer walk back too). Right at the corner of 116th was an old wooden hotel that looked exactly like the Del Coronado hotel in the Marilyn Monroe film “Some Like It Hot”. The main floor was open with a huge open air old fashioned bar where you ordered your hot dogs and beer. Right across on the beach was the main life guard station which usually had the bikini girls right nearby. Planted strategically was the umbrella rental man. I remember the umbrellas distinctly, they were yellow and green horizontal striped. It was all on the honor system, you paid him, hauled the heavy wooden umbrella to your spot and were expected to return the umbrella yourself.
As it got hotter and your supplies ran low you would walk back to the old wooden hotel for more refreshments. It was sort of a badge of honor to have splinters in your feet to show you were tough enough to walk the splintery boardwalk back and forth without your flip-flops. Old biplanes would fly over head heralding the latest soft drink, radio station or local stores. Then there was the ice cream man. No – not in a truck, but a boy who carried a metal box with dry ice laden with Good Humor bars and orange drinks. “Ice cream and orange drinks heah!” We were in heaven. Portions of the beach to the left had stone jetties which created tidal pools, a place of fascination for a little boy. To the right were old wooden jetties with fisherman trying for their days catch. If you walked far enough to the right you would wind up at Riis Park. By 1965 it was the era of ‘Beach Blanket Bingo’, the Beach Boys, and surfer girls – tanning was a must. A good way to get an even tan was to take long walks. Those walks were wonderful, hunting for seashells, sea glass, and other little treasures of the sea. If you wanted to take a walk, you would ask your beach towel neighbor, “mind watching my stuff?” and off you went, sometimes for hours and your things would still be there upon your return. Incomprehensible in today’s times!
You timed your return home by whether or not you were going to stop at Playland, an old wooden amusement park that you would see in the old time black and white movies today. A rickety wooden rollercoaster called ‘The Atom Smasher‘, tunnel of love, games of chance, the smell of cotton candy was heady and the Nathan’s hot dogs were the best! It was a tough choice – sunset on the beach and a not so crowded long ride home, or, screaming thrills and a more crowded bus stop near Playland. Either way, you were lulled by the rocking of the old bus on your way home. Shoes filled with sand, sea shells clinking in your tin pail, sunburned arms and your beach towel smelling of sea air. Treasured memories.
My great-grandfather and grandfather were sea captains from Hamburg, Germany, they traveled the seven seas, the ocean is in our blood. So in the fall and in the winter, when the buses were empty and the beaches were quiet and desolate, we went to the beach for winter picnics and long introspective walks on the beach as the wind whirled the sea air through you hair. Searching for seashells was the best – no competition, that is when this picture was taken. The sound of the wind was like music, the ocean waves and the cries of the seagulls were so soothing. The old wooden boardwalk seemed ghostly without the sunbathers but it was as if it was our own private beach, just us and a few locals. The silhouettes of the old wooden cottages looked like and Edward Hopper painting. Their colors blue, white and green with a little yellow here and there. The beach and boardwalk without the throngs seemed to go on forever and ever. Around 3pm we would head back to 116th street where we would sip some hot cocoa and wait for the few buses to take us back.
In my teen years 116th street and the beach was the cool place to hang out with your friends and bring the latest 45’s to dance to on the beach as they played on your portable record player. We would have tanning contests to see who would come back the darkest from summer vacation, I won 3 out of 4 years in high school. In my junior year Susan Kopp won – she had used iodine and lemon juice mixed with her Coppertone (considered a death sentence today).
In my college years we traveled to the Caribbean for our vacations and the Rockaways became a thing of the past. Now sadly it truly is with the destruction of hurricane Sandy. You never realize how much you miss something until it is gone. What I wouldn’t give to have that one last hot dog or orangeade on the boardwalk “hot dogs and orange drinks, heah!”
Rockaway Beach is a part of me, it always will be.
November 3, 2012 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 'A' train, 116th street, 1955 - 1965, beach umbrellas, biplanes, boardwalk, bungalows, Del Coronado, Good Humor man, Hans Von Rittern, jetties, Marilyn Monroe, memoroies, New York City, orangeade, Playland amusement park, Q11 bus, Queens, Rego Park, Rockaway Beach, subway, The Atom Smasher rollercoaster, transportation, Woodhaven Blvd. | 4 Comments
NEW YORK CITY - IN THE WIT OF AN EYE 