By Billa We (my husband Martin and I ) recently came back from a five-day trip to Miami Beach. The weather was close to perfect - 5 days of sunshine with a high of 77 degrees. So we did a lot of walking and everywhere we went we came upon outdoor sculptures. And all that walking made us hungry, so we ate at some pretty good restaurants. Here are the highlights: Day 1 The sculpture: Miami Mountain - by Ugo Rondinone - This sculpture sits in front of the Bass Museum. 
It is a 4

By Billa Both my husband Martin’s and my birthdays happen a few days apart in December. We usually celebrate by inviting each other out for dinner. Here’s where we went this year: I thought Martin would enjoy seeing a Broadway play for his birthday. So, I bought tickets for The Book of Mormon and made early dinner reservations at Oceana, a restaurant in the theater district. The place was cavernous and mostly empty as it was only 5:00 PM and they had just opened for dinner. A

By Michele, Luci, and Billa On a delightful summer night, we  T hree  F are  L adies went off to dinner along with Martin and David. Michele selected Cole’s Dockside Restaurant based on a search of seafood restaurants on Staten Island with good reviews. We had hoped for a pleasant water view but ,  there was no water view ,  just beached and docked boats obscuring what could have been a nice water view from the indoor porch where we dined. The service was very good. Unfortuna

By Billa On Reddit (a forum-based social media platform), someone asked, “What is the food of New Hampshire?” Here are some of the answers from the site: Gas station fried chicken Terrible local chains that locals insist are great Boiled dinner - Yum! The worst Chinese food possible Apple cider donuts If you own a restaurant in New Hampshire, you’d better have baked haddock on the menu or old people will riot Accordingly, my food expectations were not too high when we embarke

By Billa There are about a zillion Italian restaurants on Staten Island. What makes Pastavino stand out? Its location. The restaurant is part of Urby, a charming complex of restaurants on the Navy Pier in Staten Island, right on the waterfront. As the name implies, Pastavino has an extensive wine collection. Here their wine bottles form a dramatic back wall in the restaurant Not wanting to consume alcohol, I was glad to see that the wine menu offered non-alcoholic alternative

By Billa How would you like to eat lunch in a billionaire’s mansion after admiring his extensive art collection? The Frick Museum, on...

By Billa The month of June is a great time to visit a garden. It is the beginning of the peak bloom season offering a vibrant display of...

By Luci Special birthday dinners, for many of us, are the best part of a birthday. This year, I celebrated at The River Café, a charming...

By Billa Staten Island has many fine restaurants, and most of them are Italian. But every once in a while we get a hankering for other...

By Michele Last winter while staying in Vero Beach, Florida, our dear friend, Sharon, treated us to dinner, along with our mutual friend,...

By Billa Knowing we (me and my husband Martin) were going to be staying in Miami Beach for six days in the beginning of January, I made...

By Billa Cape May, New Jersey is a charming small town located 140 miles south of Staten Island. It is known as America’s original...

By Billa When you Google “What foods is the State of Maine known for?” The first answer is “lobsters” (see my blog from 9/1/24 - (...

By Billa If you google “What foods is Maine known for?” The top answer is invariably “lobsters.” So, on a recent trip to Maine, I looked...

By Billa Being a sabra (a native-born Israeli), I naturally have an affinity for Israeli food. So, when a cousin invited us (me and...

By Billa Last week, my husband, Martin, and I went to see the Whitney Museum’s Biennial exhibition; the biennial being a survey of...

By Luci At age 17 I became an opera lover. Why? I was a fan of Ella Fitzgerald. She had a marvelous song, “Beat Out That Rhythm on a...

By Billa Day 1: Dinner at Joliet This is a Cajun-inspired seafood bistro. We’ve been here before, a few years ago for lunch. It is where...

By Billa Buttermilk Channel is a restaurant located at 524 Court Street in Brooklyn. On a recent (third) visit, my husband, Martin, and I...

By Michele On a lovely sunny Sunday afternoon, my husband and I, along with our friends, Billa and Martin, visited Mello Bistro on Staten...