Food report from my bonus 18-day life in Manhattan: above you’ll see a lamb kofta burger from a fine establishment called 5 Napkin Burger. It was impressively good. And as juicy as advertised. In fact, 5 napkins were not enough; I needed a bib, really wrecked my shirt. Speaking of wreckage, here’s the update on […] Read More

Well, I screwed up. I’m here in New York apartment-sitting, with the simple duties of watering the plants and bringing in the mail. You’d think I could handle that. But I let one of the plants on the terrace go too long without water. Its prognosis is now iffy. I’ve sent my confession and apology […] Read More

The first day of the second half of my bonus life in New York felt like four different days crammed together. Yesterday was: Gallery-hopping. Doll clothes. Meeting with book editor. Evening haircut that felt like a Japanese tea ceremony. And then today turned out to be a half-day. Time has been funny that way in […] Read More

Number 9? This means that I’m at the halfway point in my 18-day extra-life-within-a-life. As a New Yorker, I’m middle-aged. But I’m not taking this as a sign that I should re-assess, have a crisis, or do anything differently in my New York adventure. I’m going to keep on poking into things on whim. I […] Read More

[youtube c7_NPSeAb8Y nolink] Sunday was Rap Day for me. First, brunch at The Grey Dog in the West Village. Highly recommended spot, but I was there to say hi to the daughter of a friend back home who waits tables at the cafe when she's not going to auditions. She just got a one-month role […] Read More

A few highly personal images from my Bonus Life in New York:From the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden in the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. At home, I live beside a little pond with a Japanese zigzag bridge. Husband Bob has very Eastern tastes and philosophy. A piece of the Tudor City neighborhood, on the east side of mid-town, […] Read More

5:40 a.m. I was up getting ready to go get my ticket to see live Saturday Night Live. I arrived under the famous NBC marquee at Rockefeller Plaza by 6:30, only to learn that the making of the shows is “in hiatus.” But that’s not what the website had told me. Furthermore, the security guard […] Read More

Posting in the morning today, for a change, while I'm feeling fresh and clear-minded. Never mind that it's 12:13 pm. That's mid-morning for me in this New York 18-Day Bonus Life. I've settled into a schedule of going to bed about 1:30 or so and getting up about 9. Not really much different from my […] Read More

Lotta lotta walking — twice across the island of Manhattan, and from 87th down to 42nd and halfway back. And almost every instant of it interesting. And a little shopping: got a couple of light cotton tops at Forever 21 for dealing with the heat. (I know I’m actually 28 on this trip, but I’m […] Read More

[youtube v=rk3vk_ltP2Y nolink] Anyway, I had a pleasant and long walk on the beach, which wasn't as crowded as pictures of NY beaches always seem to be. Admired the prodigious size of the Ferris wheel and the roller coaster. Bought and consumed exotic jellied candies, presumably Russian. Heard a lot of Russian spoken, came to […] Read More