Best of 2016

Sharon's Novels (she read all physical books this year from bookcases in our apartment)

(1) Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
(2) High Line: Inside Story of New York City Park in the Sky by Joshua David and Robert Hammond

(3) The Art of Happiness by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler

(4) History of Ireland by Malachy McCourt

(5) Hunger of Memory by Richard Rodriguez

David's Books

(1) Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews

(2) The Man in the High Castle by Phillip K. Dick

(3) The Night Watch by J. Eric Laing

Our Favorite Movie Rentals

(1) Just Eat It
(2) Chi-Raq
(3) Beat Street 
(4) Citizenfour
(5) Gasland
(6) Audition
(7) Summer in February
(8) The Big Short
(9) Cartel Land
(10) Spectre
(11) Spotlight
(12) Ex Machina
(13) Fail-Safe
(14) Brooklyn
(15) The Danish Girl
(16) My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2

Best NYC Film Festivals

(1) Tribeca Film Festival - Sharon and David saw The Man Who Knew Infinity and were thrilled to see a movie about the incredibly important though forgotten mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan 

(2) International Children's Film Festival - Alexi and Sharon saw the East Coast Premiere of The Little Prince

(3) Kid CinemaFest - David took Alexi to see Selkirk, the Real Robinson Crusoe at the 8th annual festival in our own neighborhood of Washington Heights

Best Movies in a Theater:

Frozen @ United Palace
     Mateo got to see his first ever movie in a theater with this Disney movie in our own neighborhood.  He enjoyed the Elsa Magic Show before the movie and also the movie itself.

Fantasia @ Lincoln Center
     Sharon and David got to see this movie while listening to the NY Philharmonic play the score live (an all time favorite David movie)

Best NYC Children's Museum: Children's Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) - We visited this fabulous museum every single month this year(!)

 Favorite People/Places/Publications to follow on Twitter

1. Untapped Cities - @untappedcities

2. Dirk Tillotson - @dirktillotson

3. Green Bronx Machine - @greenBXmachine

4. High Line - @highlinenyc

5. Brandon Stanton - @humansofny

Best Art Exhibits/Museums/Gallery Shows/Public Art 

(1) The Marionette Maker by Janet Cardiff and and George Bures Miller @ Luhring Augustine
(2) Fly By Night by Duke Riley in the Brooklyn Navy Yard
(3) I Want a President by Zoe Leonard on the High Line
(4) The Riverbed by Yoko Ono
(5) Pixel Forest by Pipilotti Rist @ New Museum
(6) On False Tears and Outsourcing by Cally Spooner @ New Museum
(7) Concave Room for Bees by Meg Webster in Socrates Sculpture Park
(8) Evolving Terrain by various artists in Fort Tryon Park
(9) There's a Mermaid in the Attic by Colette @ MOMA PS1
(10) How to Work Better by Peter Fischli and David Weiss @ Guggenheim
(11) outer space by Michael Najjar @ Benrubi Gallery
(12) Button Show @ Rush Gallery
(13) Canstruction @ Brookfield Place
(14) Women: New Portraits by Annie Leibovitz in the former Bayview Female Correctional Facility
(15) Mimicri by Garret Kane @ Cheryl McGinnis Gallery
(16) Highlight: Summer One featuring artwork by Elizabeth Cooper @ Hollis Taggart Gallery


Best Art Event for Kids - Musical Swings at Brookfield Place

Best Spoken Word Event - Above the Bridge Writer's Cafe

Coolest NYC Event - Interfaith Walk for Peace

     We started at Holy Name Church on the UWS and ended at Blessed Sacrament Church and stopped at 4 churches along the way, walking and chanting in the cold from 96th Street to 71st Street along Broadway and Amsterdam.  We repeated the chants about Peace-Justice-Preservation for Creation that Father Mike said through his megaphone, sang "We Shall Overcome" and walked behind Mark Mendick, the Angel on Stilts.  

Best Shakespeare Play - The Tempest

     Sharon and David went to Shakespeare in the Park to see "The Tempest".  Sharon waited on line in Central Park for six hours the day of the play, though it was totally worth it to see this modern retelling of this Shakespearean play.  It had an all female cast and phenomenal performances.

Best Play: Alice in Wonderland

    Alexi and Sharon attended this play together, which was performed outside the Morris-Jumel Mansion.  It reimagined the classic fairy tale with Alice with a modern day Dominicana student on a tour of the mansion with her brother who gets transported back to Revolutionary Times when she follows the white rabbit.  In this adapted version of the play George Washington is the Mad Hatter, Marquis de Lafayette is the Cheshire Cat and Benedict Arnold is the White Rabbit.  This play is one reason why their motto is: there's always something new at Manhattan's oldest house.

Best NYC Memberships

(1) New Museum - Sharon became a member this year and has enjoyed many shows here, including the mind blowing and record setting  Pipilotti Rist: Pixel Forest

(2) High Line NYC - Sharon renewed her membership this year and continues to love all the phenomenal art and cultural programs.  She had the chance to attend the "I Want a President" spoken word event there days before the Presidential Election.

(3) NYC ID - We have LOVED getting family memberships to so many museums in all five boroughs

Best Impromptu (Planned) Event - 15th annual No Pants Subway Ride

     Our entire family got to participate!  We volunteered to be in car #5 of the A train heading downtown (since this is the last digit in David's mobile number).  We took our pants off at 86th Street, got off at 81st Street, and got back on car #5 for next A train that pulled into station down to 14th Street.

Best Dance Events:

Danza Heights Festival
     This dance event took place inside the drained High Bride Pool in Washington Heights (we the audience were actually sitting in the pool!)  This event reprised the original festival which took place in the same location in 2003.  The groups who performed were: Panuelitos Blancos, Ashley Marinelli, HEARTrobbed, UnSYNCabLE, Alessandra + Robin, Samantha and Brian Lawton, [VESSELS] (PHENOMENAL Chinese dancers who blew away the field and were my favorites), East Harlem Dance Studio.  After the performance we were all invited on the "stage" for a group salsa lesson that was a blast!

Silent Disco

     This event took place at the Museum of the City of New York in celebration of the opening of its new exhibit "New York at its Core".  Sharon and David arrived after attending Math for America's Fall Function.  We wore illuminated wireless headsets and grooved to music from three different channels featuring songs from New York recording artists and songwriters.  The choices were swing; 70's, 80's and 90's; and contemporary rap and house.  We danced to all of them and had a blast!

Best Yoga Event  - Mind Over Madness Sunrise Yoga in Time Square (Sharon was part of the 5:30 am yoga class, and got to see the sunrise from a yoga mat in the middle of Times Square)

Best Meditation Event - The Big Quiet at United Palace of Cultural Arts

Best Cycling Events

(1) Summerstreets down car-free Park Avenue in August (Mateo rode in the bike seat on back of Sharon's bike and Alexi rode his own bike attached to David's bike via the FollowMe)

(2) NYC Century/Bike the Boros - David and Alexi biked the 65(!) mile route together and Sharon and Mateo volunteered at the Van Cortlandt Rest Stop, making tabouli sandwiches and slicing oranges for hungry cyclists

Best Concert/Live Musical Event

Marjorie Eliot's Parlor Jazz - This incredible jazz concert takes place every Sunday at 3:30 in the home of Marjorie Eliot, in honor of her deceased sons, and features her regular collaborators as well as improvised pieces

House of Time's Three Graces/Four Season Concert -Vivaldi's Four Seasons arranged for chamber/concerto group

Best Family Member in Concert

David playing oboe in "Bach in the Subway" with a small ensemble at 59th Street Subway Station

Best TV Series - Mad Men (finished watching series this year) and Mozart in the Jungle (Season 2)

Best Math Event - A Random Walk on Wall Street

Mateo rolled a die, and Sharon took that many steps forward or backward (while pushing Mateo's stroller), based on whether an even or odd number came up.  With our fellow New Yorkers we created the largest ever human bell curve courtesy of the Museum of Mathematics.

Best Sporting Event - COPA America

     Sharon and David together attended the COPA Quarter-final of Peru vs. Colombia, with Colombia winning in overtime.  David and Alexi attended the COPA Final of Chile vs. Argentina, with Chile winning in overtime.

Best Family Event - Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

     We received free tickets to the Macy's 90th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade, so we got to sit in the grandstands and watch this wonderful NYC tradition.  Our favorite balloons were Thomas the Train, Charlie Brown, Hello Kitty in an Airplane and the Elf on the Shelf.  Alexi and Mateo were very happy to get balloons (their favorite colors blue and yellow), and also to see Santa, Mrs. Claus and the reindeer at the end of the parade.

Best Travel Destinations

(1) Prague

(2) Catskill Animal Sanctuary
(3) San Felui de Guixols, Spain
(4) Jersey Shore
(5) Windflower Farm in Valley Falls, New York
(6) Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

(7) Harper's Ferry in West Virginia
(8) Antietam in Maryland
(9) Ithaca, New York
(10) Cooperstown for Fall Foliage Camping

Best Parade - Three Kings Parade in Spanish Harlem

Best Feast - Dance of the Giglio as part of Feast of St. Anthony in Little Italy in the Bronx

Best Summer Event - Coney Island Sand Sculpting Contest

Best Halloween Events - Gracie Mansion Tour Party and playing keys in Cryptkicker Five Band at Haunted Heights

Best Vegetarian Restaurant - Moosewood Cafe in Ithaca/Cinnamon Snail in NYC

Best Vegetarian Take-Out - Vegetable Dinner for Two from Kismat

Best Ice Cream Dessert - Pop Up Ice Cream Museum

Best Chocolate Chip Cookie: Petrossian Cafe

Best Tea Party - Hudson View Gardens (including make your own tea!!!)

Best Pick-Your-Own Fruit: White and yellow peaches from Alstede Farms

Best Neighborhood Festivals: Spring Egg Hunt and Harvest Festival

     Sharon and Alexi together ran the bake sale table at the Spring Egg Hunt, raising a record $1000 to fund next year's Egg Hunt.  Sharon took on being Chair of Food at the Harvest Festival, which included running the Pie Contest Table.  We had a record 14 pies entered in the contest this year, with the winners as follows:

1st Place - Organic Southern Toesack Pie
2nd Place - Coconut Cream Pie
3rd Place - Nuts for Squirrels Chocolate Pecan Pie

Best Tour: City Hall Station, sponsored by The Transit Museum

Best Holiday Event in NYC: Meeting Santa in Santa Land at Macy's Herald Square

Best View of NYC: Top of the Freedom Tower
     Incredible view of the Hudson River, Central Park, Uptown Manhattan and NYC bridges (George Washington, Williamsburg, Brooklyn and Manhattan)

Top 5 Reasons to Love New York City

(1) New Yorkers - We spent more than six months without a working stove or oven because Con Ed shut off gas to our building.  Our family loves to bake, so our generous family, friends, neighbors and church allowed us the use of their ovens to make our cookies of the month, birthday cakes and Christmas cookies for our annual Cookie and Cookies Party.  Muchas gracias!

(2) Music - All of us take piano/keyboard lessons.  Mateo takes lessons with Miss Tina at school on Monday mornings, where he is learning about the bear low notes and mice high notes.  Alexi and Sharon are studying piano and David taking harpsichord lessons with Dr. Alexandra Synder Dunbar.  David performed oboe at 59th Street Subway Station as part of a classical trio he organized for the "Bach in the Subway" concert in honor of Bach's 331st birthday.

(3) Schools - Sharon is in her third year teaching at New Heights Academy Charter School, serving the students of Washington Heights and the Bronx.  Alexi attends one of the only inclusive, progressive, dual language public schools in New York City, where David is the PTA Treasurer.  Mateo started school this year at the Medical Center Nursery School at Columbia University.  Our family is passionate about education and work daily to fulfill the TFA mission that one day all children in this nation will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education.

(4) Volunteer Opportunities - We love volunteering in our community of Washington Heights and in NYC in general.  At the Spring Egg Hunt Sharon and Alexi ran the bake sale table, and raised over $1000 (a record!) to fund next year's egg hunt for neighborhood children.  For the NYC Century/Bike the Boros Ride, Sharon and Mateo volunteered at the Van Cortlandt Rest Stop, slicing oranges and making 100 tabouli sandwiches for hungry cyclists.  In the autumn David ran the Movie Night at Alexi's school as a fundraiser for the PTA.  As a family we volunteered at the Harvest Festival-David painted the CB Giving Tree and Sharon ran the Pie Contest and food tables.

(5) Children's Museum of Manhattan - We visited this family favorite museum every month this year, usually during their popular First Fridays.  Alexi loves the Dora and Diego exhibit on the 2nd floor and Mateo loves the PlayWorks exhibit on the lower level.  Their absolute favorite special exhibit was "NYC + Me: A Little Bite of the Big Apple", where they got to drive taxis and cars, direct traffic and go ice skating in their socks.  They also enjoyed the "I Approve This Message" exhibit that coincided with the election, where they got to vote for their favorite ice cream (vanilla or chocolate) and season (autumn or summer) and also sit in the Oval Office and pretend to be President.  

Ithaca & Cooperstown Fall Foliage Camping in 2016

Our fall foliage trip this year took us to Upstate New York.  We spent one day in Ithaca, one day in Cooperstown and one day in Hyde Park.	Our huge Yankee fans were VERY excited to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
First stop on the itinerary was the Ithaca Farmers' Market (Mateo's first time!).	So many different vendors are present at the Ithaca Farmers' Market, including these farmers who grow flowers.
David discovered the Ithaca's Farmers Market while he was an undergraduate student at Cornell.  He is so happy to share one of his favorite places with his kids.	This was Mateo's first time at the Ithaca Farmers Market.  Sharon has been several times and it is one of her favorite places in New York State.
We had lunch at the Ithaca Farmers Market...and Alexi got to have his favorite food...PIZZA!	Mateo also had his favorite food at the Ithaca Farmers Market...PIZZA!
While in Ithaca we visited the gorgeous Taughannock Falls and hiked the South Rim Trail.	David loves hiking with his hijos in his former stomping grounds.
Sharon's t-shirt says it all(!)	Dinner in Ithaca that night was of course at one of the most famous vegetarian restaurants...Moosewood.
This was Mateo's first time at Moosewood...and our little foodie LOVED the vegetarian food here.	David and Alexi are twins in their matching grey waffle shirts at Moosewood.
David drove through the pouring rain to Cooperstown KOA.  Our first cabin had a leak in the roof, and raindrops were dripping on Alexi in his bunk.	KOA switched us into a neighboring bunk, from K1 to K2, which was leak-free.
Mateo slept in the lower bunk with his favorite stuffies.	Alexi slept in the upper bunk...and was happy to be warm and dry and out of the rain.
The following day the rain stopped, so we were able to venture outdoors and take a cruise of Otsego Lake on The Glimmerglass Queen.	Our family loves being close to the water...and we are always up for a new adventure(!)
Now you see where Glimmerglass got its name from...the surface of the water looks just like a reflecting mirror.	We spotted this mini-castle on Otsego Lake...it is called the Kingfisher Tower, built by Edward S. Clarke of the Singer Sewing Machine Company.
On our drive to our next destination, we saw this pumpkin stand by the side of the road.  Sharon loves seeing these vegetable stands sans people in upstate New York, and makes sure we *always* stop by.	David holds the giant pumpkin chosen by Alexi and Mateo to be our jack-o-lantern for Halloween this year.
The highlight of the afternoon was visiting Howe Caverns.  We found out about Howe Caverns from our friends Ellie and Kepfram.	As a family when we were in Mexico we visited Aktun Chen, rated one of the top ten underground walks in the world by National Geographic.  Howe Caverns are a smaller American version of Aktun Chen.
Howe Caverns was discovered by and named for the farmer Lester Howe, who noticed his cows gathered near bushes at the bottom of the hill on hot summer days due to a cool breeze emanating from a hole in the Earth.	The neon lighting in Howe Caverns dramatizes the beautiful stalagmites and stalactites.  Howe Caverns is the second most visited tourist site in New York State, after Niagara Falls.
Our family poses for a photo in Howe Caverns.	Our tour ended with a boat ride through the Lake Venus - totally fun and super cool.
We *always* play mini-golf on our fall foliage camping trip.	This "Mr. Shake's Mini-Golf Course" was truly beautiful, with many waterfalls and geysers, and Mateo was able to score a hole-in-one!
The following day our family headed to the gemstone of Cooperstown - the Baseball Hall of Fame.  We are all Yankee fans in this family, sporting our Yankees shirts and jerseys at the Baseball Hall of Fame.	Mateo and Alexi's favorite part of the Baseball Hall of Fame was the Kid's Clubhouse...a place filled with hands-on kids activities.
Mateo is SAFE at home plate because of the slide(!)  With his great arm and mad baseball skills he is a future Hall of Famer.	Alexi is a HUGE Yankees fan.  On another camping trip we visited the home of Babe Ruth, and at the Baseball Hall of Fame Alexi posed next to Babe Ruth's plaque.
Next stop of the day was to the Farmers' Museum.  This gem allows you to experience life in 19th century America.	We really were swept back in time at the Farmers' Museum.
We really enjoyed popping in the different houses and learning different crafts from early America.	One of the best parts of the Farmers' Museum were all the animals wandering around...including COWS, which are Mateo and Sharon's FAVORITE animals.
Sharon's favorite building at the Farmers' Museum was the one room schoolhouse.	Check out this blackboard with the daily lesson for students on September 29, 1845.
The Farmers' Museum has the Empire State Carousel.  Sharon got to ride a rooster(!)	Mateo and Alexi both got to ride carousel horses.
On our last day of camping we had our breakfast at the very scenic Three Mile Point, a beautiful cape formerly owned by James Fenimore Cooper before becoming a public park in Cooperstown.	Hot camping breakfasts prepared by David with our jetboil are the BEST!
We spent the last day of our fall foliage camping trip in Hyde Park.  A special lunch awaited us at the Culinary Institute of America.	Food as art at the Culinary Institute.
At the Culinary Institute we had dessert FIRST before lunch...Alexi is in heaven.	Mateo enjoys a delectable pastry sans hands at the Culinary Institute.
Our final stop on this action-packed fall foliage trip was to the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site.	Pictured here is the desk and study of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the 32nd President of the United States.  He created the New Deal Program to alleviate poverty and was Commander in Chief during most of WWII.  He is Sharon's favorite President.	President Roosevelt is buried with his wife Eleanor Roosevelt at the site of his home in Hyde Park, New York.
In his first inaugural address as President in 1933, President Roosevelt articulated the Four Freedoms.  Freedom of Speech is one of the most important rights we have as Americans.	Freedom of Religion is one of the main reasons early settlers came to America, and many people today come to the United States to flee religious persecution.
Freedom from Want was so important during the Great Depression.	Freedom from Fear should be a guaranteed human right all over the world and beyond.
Mateo and Alexi hanging out with Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt.	History truly comes alive when you can touch it and experience it with all of your senses.
Our Yankee fans really enjoyed this fall foliage trip to upstate New York.	Sharon loves her little Mateo just as much as she loves fall foliage camping!