Living Around Town

Insightful, inspiring, and often surprising, our Living section explores the rhythms of modern life. Dive into stories about wellness, careers, relationships, home life, travel, and personal growth—because living well is an art in itself.

Street Seens: WHAT – A Test To Welcome

In the interest of full disclosure, let me note that: The “test” of the title is a standardized test. I’m no fan of standardized testing. You who have shared our walks in this urban village know how passionately I believe that there are no coincidences. With those points in mind,

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Arden / Everywhere Here and Now

The play has it: “All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players.” Taking that famous line as a queue, the multicultural cast of Arden / Everywhere, an embellishment of William Shakespeare’s As You Like It, has done something unusual. They have given their own unique

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Street Seens: The (City) Girl with a Pearl Earring

This is a story about “a pearl of great price.” Here’s a clue: it owes its status to two members of the New York Sanitation Department and two chic and generous passers-by named Carol and Maria. In the event that some literal-minded gemologist wants to unmask our central character, calling

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Social Media Is Letting Us Down

Whether you voted for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, you should be concerned about how one of our country’s enemies, Russia, interfered with our presidential election in 2016. If your candidate won this time around, who knows what will happen in 2018 or in 2020? This isn’t a partisan issue.

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Street Seens: WHAT – A Test To Welcome

In the interest of full disclosure, let me note that: The “test” of the title is a standardized test. I’m no fan of standardized testing. You who have shared our walks in this urban village know how passionately I believe that there are no coincidences. With those points in mind, I invite you to come with me on the path that brought me to this reflection. So, before you check out, in response to any

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Connecticut’s Mystic Aquarium: Weird, Wonderful, and Inspiring

The water was chilly, and swimming along the sides of the pool were a handful of cownose stingrays. If we placed our hand flat near the surface, the exhibit supervisor told us, the fish would come up for a little pet. And, sure enough, a few did. Their smooth surface was kind of icky, and it wasn’t until I read the little information card near the exhibit did I read that I was feeling their

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Arden / Everywhere Here and Now

The play has it: “All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players.” Taking that famous line as a queue, the multicultural cast of Arden / Everywhere, an embellishment of William Shakespeare’s As You Like It, has done something unusual. They have given their own unique voices—those of immigrant experiences of all kinds—and brought real heart to one of William Shakespeare’s sillier stories. In this version of the play, the forest

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The Sounds of Silence – If You Don’t Speak Up, You’re Complicit

Picture this: You’re out to dinner with some friends and a few people you are meeting for the first time. One person you don’t know makes a comment that, depending upon your interpretation, is coming from racism or ignorance. No matter the origin, you’re offended and so, from the looks on a few other faces, you’re not alone. What do you do? Ignore the person. After all, chances are you will never see him or

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We Need a Free Press Now More Than Ever – Sign Up for the New York Press Club’s Conference

We’re hearing a lot about “fake news” which has become a term to describe any real news that the President doesn’t like – and which is usually about him – like the Russian interference in our presidential election, or the small size of the inaugural crowd. False news, on the other hand, is news that is not true, but perpetuates an agenda, similar to propaganda – like pizzagate, or that white supremacists are good people,

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Street Seens: The (City) Girl with a Pearl Earring

This is a story about “a pearl of great price.” Here’s a clue: it owes its status to two members of the New York Sanitation Department and two chic and generous passers-by named Carol and Maria. In the event that some literal-minded gemologist wants to unmask our central character, calling it a costume jewelry alternative of questionable price, make it clear up-front that no one could possibly object to styling it “A Pearl of Great

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Social Media Is Letting Us Down

Whether you voted for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, you should be concerned about how one of our country’s enemies, Russia, interfered with our presidential election in 2016. If your candidate won this time around, who knows what will happen in 2018 or in 2020? This isn’t a partisan issue. This is about protecting our democracy. Every American should want to get to the bottom of what happened. That can’t happen unless we have more

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Street Seens: Say “Welcome” to the Newborn – a Long-Term Strategy

As the growing number of parents wheeling a fleet of prams and strollers in our urban village testify, we are daily being joined by a wondrous number and variety of babies.  Each one reminds me of an insight gained from parents I never met in person.  When asked by the hosts of Good Morning America how they would account for the off-the-charts brilliance of their own small children, they first looked a bit baffled, and

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