I have a property tax payment coming up on May 1st, and it always seems to trigger an escape mentality, as Essex County taxes are notoriously high – in fact, 2024 data shows that Essex County had the highest property tax rate in the state of New Jersey, higher than Bergen County, Morris County, and … Read more
I was walking up West Broadway the other day, when I spotted this figure on the exterior of 383 West Broadway, current home of “Free People,” a women’s clothing store. But this figure comes from the past, back a few decades, when SoHo was the center of the art world in New York City. This … Read more
I was at home this morning, when I noticed some loud noise which at first seemed like someone banging on the walls or the ceiling, and I immediately wondered “why is there suddenly a construction project on my condo roof? What the hell are they doing up there?” It was sudden and jarring, and as … Read more
There was a story in the NY Times recently about Millennials who are embracing Bicentennial style, which I found kind of funny considering that the general birth date range for Millenials is usually considered between 1981 and 1996, so they didn’t even experience the Bicentennial firsthand. Coming from my perspective as a Gen X’er, this … Read more
I have a funny story about mistaken identity and fan mail, back when I lived in New York City in the 1990s. I was working at Pace Gallery and lived downtown, near Wall Street. I was doing as much painting as I had time for after my “day job,” and it was the tail end … Read more
I was having dinner with my adult (20-something) kids last night, when my youngest surprised me with a question out of no where: would I rather grow up when I did, in the 1970s and 1980s, or now? My initial thought was that I only know what I experienced, but I then quickly followed up … Read more
I had the tv on while cleaning up after dinner tonight, and the show on was “My Lottery Dream Home” with David Bromstad. The couple being featured had won $15 million on a lottery ticket and decided to shop for their dream home with a budget of $700,000 … my first thought was, if you’ve … Read more