This year, Bloomingdales teamed up with Burberry for their holiday windows. Even my husband could spot the store from a block away, with the big Burberry scarf (okay, it looked like a ribbon though there is a fringe at the end). Here are the Bloomingdales 2025 holiday windows.
Bergdorf Goodman has my favorite windows each year. This year did not disappoint. The theme? The Bergdorf Soirée. Each window featured a different kind of party. Here are the Bergdorf Goodman 2025 holiday windows.
I got tickets to Stranger Things: The First Shadow with the assumption that that the special effects would be great, but that the show itself would be meh. Boy, was I wrong! Not about the special effects – they were spectacular – all 60 of them (not that I counted). The rest of the show was engaging, in keeping with the nature of the Netflix show (horror yet somewhat dorky), and it drew you in. Is Stranger Things on Broadway appropriate for kids? That depends on your kids, and we’ll cover that later in the review.
The Edelman Fossil Museum & Park opened up March 29, in Mantua, NJ. Not just for kids, this museum will intrigue even adults (I know because I went alone to review it for Newsday – read my article here). That said, the museum did a great job making it accessible and interesting to all ages. The display information was aimed at earlier ages, but still had lots of intriguing education for those of us who aren’t in school anymore. I spent a long time reading all the placards.
We had a double in New York, seeing Operation Mincemeat one night, and Oh, Mary! the next, solely for the purpose of answering your questions: Is Operation Mincemeat appropriate for kids? Is Oh, Mary appropriate for kids? Read on.
Operation Mincemeat, a British show, is about a farfetched plot to divert Nazi troops from Sicily to Sardinia, so the Allies could invade and take it back. It’s a comedy and musical, and it’s shockingly a true story. I won’t get into many details, so as not to spoil it.
I can’t believe it took us this long to get to the Morgan Museum and Library. I can’t wait to go back. Have you gone to the Morgan Library with kids? The residence on the left is part of the complex, along with the Renzo Piano building in the middle and the annex on the right of it. The library is behind all this, in the far corner.
I highly recommend the Jewish Museum’s The Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt. It’s at the museum through August 10, 2025. I learned a lot. Turns out the book of Esther was popular during that era, in the 1600s. She is not only a heroine in the Jewish tradition, but also for Christians.
One of only 3 Rembrandt paintings of Esther – the other 2 are in Russia and were shockingly (not) not sent for the exhibit. Copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan
In the 1600s, immigrant Jews living in the Netherlands had religious freedom and could celebrate Purim more openly than they could in previous homelands (Portugal, Spain, Central/Eastern Europe). The exhibit explained that this holiday became symbolic of freedom and of the Jewish presence in Amsterdam.
Central Park by the Wollman Rink, now pickle ball courts. Copyright
Spring in Central Park! It’s that time of year and Central Park is in bloom. You haven’t missed it yet! These are pictures from 2 days ago. I walked from the bottom of Central Park up to 105th street and back down again (meandering) and captured these.
I can’t remember a time I felt so much audience energy. The Buena Vista Social Club has struck a chord. Why? People love the music and also there’s representation on that stage that’s not always there. Cubans and other Latinos are coming to hear their music and see their story up on stage. And they’re loving it. And should you take the kids to Buena Vista Social Club? Read on.