TND West

There is no such thing as a small part, just small actors. Well, the small hotels New York may have there own version of this famous actors phrase, there are no small hotels in New York, just small hotel bills. While that may apply to a guest in one of New York’s finest, it certainly does not apply to the actors in one of Arthur Miller’s plays. Miller was one of The United State’s most prominent playwrights of the twentieth century. He was also a frequent figure in the public eye, which generally uncommon for playwrights.

Miller was born in New York City in October of 1915. His parents were Polish-Jewish immigrants who settled in Manhattan and owned and ran a local women’s clothing store. After graduating high school, Miller attended the University of Michigan, where he originally studied journalism. He also worked as a reported and night editor for the campus newspaper, the Michigan Daily. It was during this time that he wrote No Villain and decided to change his major to English. His first Broadway success occurred in 1948 with the production of All My Sons, this would win Miller his first Tony Award.

His next major success came with Death of a Salesman, which would win him a place in the permanent theatrical canon. This play premiered on Broadway at the Morosco Theatre in 1949. It was directed by Elia Kazan. It would win Miller another Tony Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize and Drama Circle Critics Award. His next major work was The Crucible, which was inspired by his interactions with the House Un-American Activities Committee. The plot of this play incorporates the circumstances of the 1692 witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts. There have been many theories that relate the witch trials in the late 17th century to the McCarthy Communism investigations in the 1950s. More on hotels

It’s April and the magnolias are in bloom in Brooklyn and I’m fortunate enough to be staying at a New York USA Hotel at the moment, so off I go to Brooklyn’s Botanical Garden. All I had to do is follow my nose once I arrived on street level from the subway. Magnolia’s are sweetly scented and the Garden boasts of a Magnolia Plaza with 17 different varieties.

I found Magnolia Plaza to be a very elegant and formal garden. There where magnificent trees spread in front of the beaux arts Administration Building. The flowery aroma and the beautifully display of blossoms is a good sign that’s it’s spring. March, the magnolia bloom and cover the trees in a lacy white flower, but in April the Magnolia Plaza is loaded with splashes of yellow, ivory, pink and purple. They had another collection called the sweet-bay magnolia which releases it’s fragrant and flowers in June.

I was really in heaven strolling along Magnolia Plaza and getting to see a new hybrid called the Elizabeth. It was developed to be a vigorous tree that produces a yellow flower and easy to grow and handle with home gardeners. I also got to go on a guided tour and learned the history of the Magnolia Plaza. It was first planted in 1932, which included 80 magnolias, and was designed by Harold Caparn, landscape architect from 1912 to 1945. In 1933, an armillary sphere and a compass were added to Magnolia Plaza. The sphere is made completely of bronze and represents the celestial circles and constellations. Then a bronze gnomon goes through the center of the sphere which points north and casts a shadow inside the sphere which is used to tell time. It was also decided during this time that only trees and shrubs from the Magnolia family will be planted at the plaza.

I wish I could build my home here and have the Magnolia Plaza as my emulate backyard, but, in reality I only get this one day to enjoy a true treasure for magnolia enthusiast such as me.

The city of New York, New York has many diverse elements that contribute to its name the city that never sleeps. It has one of the most recognized theatre and arts scenes in the world and it is also one of the financial capitals of the United States. It also has an incredible history, and many of the buildings and landmarks attest to this. One of the major landmarks of the city is not as relevant to the past as it will be as it goes down in history. This is Trump Tower, owned and developed by American business icon Donald Trump. Some of the boutique hotels New York are located in close proximity to this intimidating, though awe inspiring building.

Trump has been well known and respected for his business mind and prowess, though he rose to greater mainstream infamy due to his successful television series, The Apprentice. The series was first broadcast in 2004 and immediately became a popular hit. The original intention of the series was to bring together 16 competitors from across the country. They were to have diverse backgrounds and business related perspectives and come together to compete for the role of apprentice to Donald Trump. This was an incredible prize and would guarantee a year’s employment with a salary of $250,000. The series was developed by Mark Burnett who first gained success with the reality series Survivor.

Since its original season, there have been variations to the show’s themes and competition pool. One of the most popular versions is the Celebrity Apprentice in which Trump brings together various stars of different fields, including movie stars, comedians, sports stars, musicians and models among others. Some of the famous contestants have included Dennis Rodman, Joan Rivers, Nadia Comaneci and Jesse James, Annie Duke and Clint Black.

Many people travel to Sydney, Australia all year long.  Some to stay in the 5 star hotels Sydney has along the beaches for surfing and sun-bathing.  Some come for the tours through the Blue Mountains or the Hunter Valley wineries, both destinations just two hours from the city.  And some choose to travel to Sydney during the winter, for the incredible Winter Arts Festival wherein performers–musicians, dancers, and actors–as well as artists in the visual arts come from around the world and offer such an art scene all winter, that there is never a day without something incredible to experience.  At any time of the year, this is a vibrant and diverse city with various cultures and neighborhoods to sight-see, to shop, to party and to eat.

One of the areas of the city which houses many art galleries, antique and art dealers, pubs and cafes is Surry Hills.  This inner city neighborhood once was filled with slums, and known for the brothels and the gang activity, however it has transformed throughout the years into one of the most fashionable and funky destinations.  And for those looking for incredible discounts in the area of fashion, this is where one will find the garment district.  And once the shopping is finished, some of the finest and award winning restaurants are located in this neighborhood.  Paddington is another area of fashion, however the discounts will not be found in the shops.  This is one of the most wealthy of Sydney’s suburbs, and is filled with high-end boutiques and shops.  Many contain very artistic, hand-made, one of a kind items.  The area also has a wide range of diverse, and multicultural dining establishments.

Inner city west is where one will find the Little Italy district of Sydney.  There are many restaurants and eclectic bistros throughout the area.  For those seeking diversity in entertainment, the place to go is Kings Cross.  For a time, this area was much like the SoHo neighborhood in New York City, filled with writers, musicians, artists and bohemians, and much of the that feel remains through the neighborhood today.  In any of the neighborhoods throughout the city of Sydney, the diversity, the culture, is apparent and an incredible aspect of the city to experience.

I was reminded the other day about my trip to Carroll Gardens when I drove by a teenager standing on top of an empty sign pole. It was around 1970 or so, can’t remember exactly, I was attending a college not too far from Brooklyn. I was working part-time for a printing and boxing company in Queens, New York. My position there was a sample maker which in turn helped me make good friends with the printing foreman. Funny, I don’t remember his name now, but he was a nice tall dark Italian man. One day, while I was busy making samples for a bakery, he came up to me and invited me over to his home for dinner. Yes, he was married with 2 children, but he knew that I’ve never really had a good home cooked Italian meal, but he wanted something in return.

His house was really his mother’s and father’s house. His mom still lived on the first floor garden area. A beautiful garden with with several outdoor sinks, built-in BBQ and refrigerator. I’ve never seen the likes before, absolutely beautiful. My Italian friend lived on the 4th floor. Did I mention that his home was huge? Well, after I met the entire family, hugs, kisses and food stuffed down my mouth, my Italian friend revealed want he wanted me to do. I was to climb to the top of a clothesline pole and replace the pulley wheel with which the clothesline can travel. The original one broke. Now, I know I was young and agile, but climbing a pole? Did I mention that all my new Italian friends were overweight? And the children were too young. I actually didn’t have a choice, they all surrounded me, talking Italian and laughing while they put they pulley and the tools in my pockets, I’m glad I didn’t wear a dress, and they led, prodded and pulled me to the pole and lifted me up. So, before I even realized it, I was climbing a clothesline pole. It was a little scary being 4 stories up, but my Italian friends encouraged me from the open kitchen window giving me instructions from below. I replaced the pulley without any trouble at all and inched my way back down the pole with a nice hot Italian meal waiting for me.

I’m having trouble believing it’s been year’s since I’ve participated in Cookie Carnival . Things like free time really have gotten away from me. Ever since I visited a friend staying in one of the Hotels New York USA and then moving to New York and starting a job in a little but busy bakery in Brooklyn , I’ve realized that I haven’t looked up to take a breath.

I found work to be a bit more repetitive than what I’m used to when I was a chef in restaurants. But, despite the repetitiveness, so far, so good. Apartment hunting, which I’ve also been putting a lot of legwork into has prove futile. There’s not much out there right now, in or around the neighborhood I want to live in, so I’ve taken a short-term lease in the Financial District until after the holidays. After a full day of standing at work and then running around looking for an apartment, well, I just want to chillax with a fresh plate of chocolate chip cookies and watch reruns of Seinfeld . So, that’s where I remembered about this month’s Cookie Carnival.

Probably, just like you I’m sure, I’ve made tons and tons of chocolate chip cookies recipes, but this particular recipe is from one of my favorite baking books, Regan Daley’s ‘In the Sweet Kitchen’. A splendid cookbook. Daley calls the chocolate chip cookie ‘the ultimate’, but I truly can testify that I’m a bit finicky when it comes to chocolate chip cookies. Terrible finicky. I mean, I’ve read an article about how obsessive people can be over the cookie, but for me, as long as they’re freshly baked, have a good heap of chocolate chips and still have some warmth in them, I’ll eat them thin, crisp, fat or cakey. I’ll even eat the raw dough; my raw cookie dough I keep wrapped in plastic in the fridge. Just ready for me to scoop out and bake, when not eating raw, a few each and every night. Fifteen minutes to warm cookies and a total chillaxing munch.