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Greetings from a house on East 72nd Street Dear Readers, how I wish you could be in Manhattan on Halloween. There are enough homes and businesses with fiendish displays to make roving the neighborhood a thriller! And, I'd like to share just a few more of the spooky sights with you. 🎃 A demon child; spider with 8 legs, 2 beady eyes and an attitude; plus fire-breathing dragon. Here are 3 videos from a brownstone located at 41 East 72nd Street ... with 5 stories of fright! On Halloween night the homeowners (a former hedge fund founder and his wife), dress up in eerie costumes to invite the public in for a walkthrough to see their diabolical decorations up-close. 👀  They do so every year, and their festive spirit, generosity and efforts represent the best of New York City. If the family stumbles upon this blog ... a huge thanks from all your spine-chilled, delighted neighbors! 👻   A closer look at the fire-breathing dragon. An evil green goblin with his br...

So I took a stroll in my neighborhood today. All Hallows' Eve is a mere 5 days away, and Gotham is almost ready! The Village has its annual parade, but as you can see, the Upper East Side is no slouch in the haunting, shrieking, undead department either.   Rats, bats, ghouls, and skulls. What a scream! Will you wear a costume to keep the demons away? A gargoyle dangles from its post while skeletons and severed heads wait to rise on Fright Night. Spiders, lacerated faces, and mummies take their positions. Don't blink ... danger!! New York Natives who have seen better days, take in the fresh air above a familiar row of tombstones. An Old Enchantress, dressed in black, enjoys some leisure by sitting on the porch ahead of the big night. Spirits hang around killing, um  time before the howling begins. Live-ins envisioning the knock of visitors at the front door. Putting one's best face, hand, claw, eyeball, and fangs forward to greet all passersby. H a p p y  H a ll o w e...

Photo: Brilliant Earth. Won't you jump off the page onto my arm?  In my 20s I thought I'd buy myself a sheared mink coat sometime in the future to celebrate a pivotal birthday: turning 40, turning 50. I wasn't sure when exactly, yet that was the plan. But after I bought a goose down coat and discovered how warm it was, I no longer wanted to spend such a sum on a mink coat. My wish evaporated.  In a way, it is the value of allowing ourselves to want things, instead of falling prey to instant gratification. We make fewer purchasing mistakes if we take our time before pulling the trigger. By nature, I am an under buyer. It has served me well. Photo: Blue Nile.  I'm waiting ... Here are some pretties I'm eying with the vague notion of treating myself on my next biggg birthday. I have long desired a tennis bracelet. Diamonds or sapphires? Depends on how much I can spend and the deal available at the time.  Both stones are lovely! As long as jewelry is r...

Chef Jamie Oliver changed the way I think about food, teaching me that preparing meals with real, unprocessed food need not take lots of time. As a result, I cook dinner nearly every night of the week. And Jamie is right: With planning, a main course with some sides only takes about 30 minutes to make ready to eat. On the other hand, breakfast and lunch are often eaten on the run, but here Jamie Oliver has influenced me also to select better snacks and quick meals. Snacks that are low in sugar and empty calories, yet high in protein and a few nutrients.  A high protein snack stops that galling hunger and sustains you until your next meal.  Here are high protein/low sugar meal replacement snacks I grab: 1) Premier Protein Shakes (see above) -  Contain 30 grams of protein (about what you should get in a meal). Unlike many protein drinks, they don't taste chalky or artificial, likely due to milk as one of their ingredients. One shake fills me up and stabilizes my bloo...

All bag photos: Bloomingdales Since I must schlep on foot and subways everywhere around New York City, I buy nothing by crossbody bags. Moreover, I don't want to hurt my neck carrying them. So I'm very selective. I want my purse to look stylish, have enough inside pockets to organize things; be big enough to hold all my essentials, but at the end of the day, look slim and sleek. So we're back to being chic and stylish, aren't we? Recently, I found the perfect bag! It's the signature City Tote from   Foley+Corinna , which was designed with a smart "mix of sophistication, fun and function." For a tote, it is compact; roomy, yet looks and wears more like a purse. The bag has strong, smooth double handles (to fit your shoulder); a detachable adjustable crossbody strap (which I like to use). The interior has a durable polyester lining; 2 smartphone pockets and a zip pocket. The outside of the bag is a foldover design with a 3rd wide zip pocket. The Foley+Corin...

Let's say a fashion-forward blogger (um, no one in particular) who imagined owning a Hermes scarf is smitten with them, but can't bring herself to spend $440-$800 for such a scarf. It's not like this lifestyle blogger is the Queen of England (who has Hermes' scarves in every color!), nor rubs elbows with the Queen of England's set. One of the reasons a Hermes' scarf costs so much is because it is a status symbol much like a Rolex watch, or a Birkin bag. It suggests a customer is rich enough to afford the big ticket item. I mean, you could buy 15 Louis Vitton bags for the price of one Birkin; and a Louis Vitton bag isn't cheap either. The resale value of the status symbol items remain high since tons of people covet them. Previously owned Hermes' scarves run $250-$400 dollars. Let's say, you don't care about the status symbol part of owning a Hermes' scarf, but love the 36'' by 36'' size, the thickness of the silk which is han...

Photo:  Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort For years I've loved Aveda's line of wellness skin and hair care, as well as, its cosmetics. The natural hues flatter a broad range of  complexions. The company was founded in 1978 by Horst Rechelbacher on the principles of Ayurveda, the Hindu holistic system of medicine and surgery in India. Now owned by Estee Lauder, it is still in partnership with a Brazilian community collective of organic babassu for use in its soaps. Pure flower and plant essences go into all of Aveda's skin and hair elixirs and makeup. The company is super eco-friendly and cruelty free. Moreover, Aveda employees are trained in science, botany, skin and hair care, along with innovative techniques to help customers select products suited for their individual needs. They attend the Avenda Institute (their school) before working in the shops. In stores they take the time to teach you about holistic skin and hair care and show you how to use their products. It...

Photo: Council member Ben Kallos's office Last week I attended a  Ready New York meeting in my neighborhood and received a NYC Emergency Management backpack with supplies  as a gift for my attendance.  Similar kits are sold on Amazon here .  Although I'm far from an alarmist, as I've gotten older and experienced power outages, as well as, 9-11-01 and the threat of Hurricane Sandy, I see the value of owning an emergency kit . It should be light enough to carry on foot. Having a few basics until help arrives is worth the money. For this I wouldn't make my own kit. It needs to weigh as close to nothing as possible, plus contain the right  emergency supplies . You can't buy the stuff separately for less. Any go bag will do, but I prefer a  backpack because you have all your supplies ready that you can grab, throw on your back and leave at a moment's notice. Without an emergency, you can just forget about it. However, don't borrow your go bag for other purpo...