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.