Citystrategy

“No exchange on hurricane supplies!” The sign went up in the window of my local hardware store as soon as the power came back on, six days post-Sandy. 

The air was glorious, bright and temperate, as it seems invariably to be after disastrous weather. And the hurricane season would officially end on November 30th.  But were my Greenwich Village neighbors—smart enough to re-elect Obama and tackle the Saturday crossword—really trying to offload their unused batteries? 

Looking for the unique? Great value? Buying without guilt?

Museum stores are an adventurous way to shop for an array of well-curated gifts often inspired by each museums’ unique collection or made by the artists and artisans they showcase. It’s also a wonderful way to support these institutions we cherish.

UNDER $25

First published in Women’s Voices For Change.

Every woman has damaged or unwearable clothing hidden in a bag in the back of the closet: a cherished Bruno Cucinelli cardigan with moth holes; a leather jacket with a gash on the elbow; a beloved pair of shoes with a torn strap; a treasured handbag with a tattered lining.

In Part One of our garment-care guide, we highlighted cobbler-wizards, leather restorers and one of Gotham’s genius reweavers.

Recent controversies and the politicization of abortion rights and contraception have energized the need for women to raise their voices and educate the world that women have a right to control their own lives and their own bodies.

Three times a day, Molly Gordy, 58, logs on to Facebook. It’s become her lifeline to friends in the states and in Europe and the vehicle through which she’s resumed relationships with gal pals she thought she’d never see again. She also connects with nieces and nephews on Facebook. And one day, it may be the link to her grandchildren, too.

On Tuesday, November 15, I woke at dawn to the sound of helicopters overhead, and I knew immediately that something big and probably bad had happened at Zuccotti Park. (We live downtown and sleep under the flight path, so there’s always an early warning of change.) My stomach is still tight with anxiety. The first images of a deserted Zuccotti Park stunned me. The golden trees so luminous, the power wash so needed, but I miss the blue tarps. They looked like pieces of bright autumn sky that had fluttered to the ground.

Nearing 65? No doubt you’re poring through your Medicare information packet—perhaps with the sort of befuddlement my friends routinely show as they peruse the entries: Original Medicare, Medigap policies, cost tiers, prescription-drug coverage, the flood of Medicare Advantage plans, the shrinking “donut hole,” Extra Help...

I’ve stopped trying to explain it all to them: I just throw up my hands after a few questions and intone, “Call the Medicare Rights Center helpline!”