David J. Goodwin
No Need to Go Far
Several years ago, Melody Warnick wrote This is Where You Belong, a book urging readers to slow down and appreciate their lives right where they are. According to Warnick, your life isn’t waiting to begin in a distant city or a rural hamlet. Discover what makes your community, neighborhood, or city interesting. You might be…
Bromo Seltzer & Baltimore
Earlier this month, I visited an old friend in Baltimore ostensibly to lend him a hand with his cozy 1850s rowhouse. In between projects, he introduced me to a few (of the many) high points of Charm City. Knowing our shared passion for architectural, industrial, and local history, my friend prominently included a tour of…
Diners & The Imagination
Since I have summer Fridays off from work, I try to take advantage of the cultural and natural amenities of the metropolitan region. I never lack for something to do. Yearning for the immersive atmosphere of a darkened theater, I recently visited the Film Forum, a cinematic temple in Manhattan’s West Village neighborhood. I bought…
Another View from Brooklyn
Many journalists, commentators, writers, and everyday citizens (including yours truly) have observed how New York and other red-hot cities have grown expensive, homogeneous, and bland within the past decade or so. Yet, inspiration stubbornly remains.
Keeping Cities Weird
Recently, I visited “To Fast to Live, Too Young to Die,” an exhibit showcasing the graphic art of the early punk scenes in New York and London, at the Museum of Art and Design. The exhibit captured a raw, wild creative moment in New York.
A Feline Storyteller
My wife and I are unapologetic book lovers. Every birthday, anniversary, or major holiday involves an exchange of books. While browsing the shelves of Kinokuniya, a Japanese bookstore, I happened upon The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa. A novel told from the point of view of a cat? The perfect gift.
Plants & America: A July 4th Reflection
Every summer, near the Fourth of July, I try to read a history of the American Revolution or a biography of a founding father. This period has long captivated my imagination: Enlightenment thinkers led a young nation discovering its identity.
A Lorillard Sighting
While recently visiting cultural and historic institutions in the East Village in New York, I noticed a plaque outside the storied St. Mark’s Church In-The-Bowery. The plaque noted that St. Mark’s is the oldest physical site of worship in New York, dating back to the days of New Amsterdam. Additionally, it listed some of the more…
A Pencil Shop on Orchard Street
While walking through the Lower East Side in Manhattan on a recent Saturday afternoon, I happened upon CW Pencil Enterprise. The shop window read “Purveyors of Superior Graphite.” As a writer with very specific preferences in writing implements, I couldn’t resist.
A Local Seed Library
While returning several slightly overdue books–yes, I resemble the stereotypical book hoarder–at the Mid-Manhattan Library of the New York Public Library on a recent afternoon, I noticed a flyer promoting a seed library. Any library member could request up to three packets of non-GMO vegetable, flower, or herb seeds. My interest was piqued.