Randolph Mase&#8217;s Weblog

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head (under construction)

Nathan Hale

The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is Now Lighted!

November 29, 2018

The annual celebration surrounding the lighting of the Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center did indeed happen last night. A little about the tree first: it’s a 72-foot high, 12 ton Norway spruce that had been growing in Wallkill, NY. It’s been decorated with more than five miles of lights (50,000 bulbs) which with the star on top (that contains 3 million crystals and weighs 900 pounds!) are the only decorations. After the holidays, the tree is recycled and provided to Habitat for Humanity to build homes for the needy.

The ceremony, broadcast on NBC and attended by an estimated 500,000 people, was hosted by Al Roker, Hoda Kotb, Savannah Guthrie, and Craig Melvin, and included performances by John Legend, Pentatonix, Tony Bennett, Martina McBride, Diana Ross, and of course the Radio City Rockettes.

Whether or not you watched the ceremony, the tree merits a personal visit…

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head (under construction)

Nathan Hale

Posted in Things To Do In New York City | Leave a Comment »

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 22, 2018

The history of this holiday in the United States is uncertain at best. Some claim it started with Spanish settlers in St. Augustine, Florida an 1565; others look to the English in Virginia in 1619; still others claim it originated in 1621 with the settlers of Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Whatever the actual origin, Thanksgiving became a legal holiday here in the United States when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the bill making it such in December of 1941.

Today, of course, it goes beyond giving thanks for the harvest and all that we have; it’s a time for families, travel, shopping, and parades. And New York City is one of the leaders there, with its annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The parade, which began at 9 this morning, follows a new route because of the closing of Broadway for the new pedestrian mall. It will still begin at 77^th Street and travel south on Central Park West (Eighth Avenue) to 59^th Street. Then it will turn onto Seventh Avenue and continue to Macy’s at Herald Square (Sixth Avenue and 34^th Street). Although the 3-mile route is different, the floats and balloons and bands and performers are just as good as they always are, so enjoy the holiday!

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head (under construction)

Nathan Hale

Posted in Observations on the Strange and Unexpected and on Life Itself | Leave a Comment »

FAO Schwarz is Back!

November 16, 2018

Three years after the iconic location on Fifth Avenue closed, the unique toy store is back in New York in its new location at 30 Rockefeller Plaza!

The store was founded in 1862 by Frederick August Otto Schwarz in Baltimore, expanding to New York in 1870. Difficult times led to its eventual closing, but it’s back complete with life-sized stuffed animals and the walk-on piano keyboard featured in the movie Big. It’s definitely worth a visit!

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head (under construction)

Nathan Hale

Posted in Things To Do In New York City | Leave a Comment »

Celebrate Veterans Day!

November 11, 2018

Most of us know that today is Veterans Day. But how many of us have ever given thought to the history of this day or, more importantly, what it means?

The history goes back to World War I, which officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919. However, fighting had actually ceased seven months earlier when the Allies and Germany agreed to a temporary cessation of hostilities, at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month; in other words, 11:00 am on November 11. One year later, President Wilson declared the first Armistice Day. It became a legal holiday in 1938, honoring those who had fought in World War I. In 1954, after many Americans had lost their lives in World War II and the Korean War, the holiday was renamed Veterans Day, honoring all American veterans. There’s a very good video explanation and tribute at http://www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/.

The Veterans Day National Ceremony was held today at 11:00 am, with a color guard honoring American veterans at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. Let us all remember them, including those who are currently in hostile action. I’ll quote the dedication of my book Nathan Hale: “To all those who have risked their lives to protect the freedom of our great nation.”

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head (under construction)

Nathan Hale

Posted in Observations on the Strange and Unexpected and on Life Itself | Leave a Comment »

The Day of the Dead

November 1, 2018

We have yet another holiday…in Mexico this time.

In the past few years, I’ve learned a lot about Halloween. I also learned a lot about November 2, known in some cultures as All Souls Day. In Mexico, it’s a holiday called The Day of the Dead. According to a friend of mine in Mexico City, the day celebrates our relatives that have passed away, so that we do remember them. In fact, it’s part of the Mexican culture to laugh in front of Death today, and the photo above is one of an office decoration that my friend sent to me. He said the most famous celebration in Mexico today is in Michoacán State, at Janitzio and nearby Patzcuaro Lake, with many people attending the ceremony at night. You can read more about it, and see more photos, at http://www.mexicoinsmallbytes.com/november.html.

However you do it, it’s very worthwhile to remember and celebrate our ancestors…

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head (under construction)

Nathan Hale

Posted in Observations on the Strange and Unexpected and on Life Itself | Leave a Comment »

Happy Halloween!

October 31, 2018

At this time every year, many of us have acquired our stash of candy and anxiously await the arrival of all those children seeking treats, including my grandsons Evan and Noah. I don’t know about you, but I never gave much more thought to Halloween, until I watched a program on The History Channel about the history of this day. And that prompted me to do some research about Halloween and its traditions. For example, in the 8^th Century, Pope Gregory III declared November 1 as All Hallows (Saints) Day, and the evening before became known as All Hallows Evening, later shortened to Halloween (actually Hallowe’en). And I also learned the history of some of the other traditions associated with the holiday:

Trick or Treating. The Celts left food and sweets around for the evil spirits to take and leave. Years later, in medieval times, poor people would go from door to door, begging for food in return for offering prayers for the dead on All Souls Day, November 2.

The Jack-o’-Lantern. Years ago, many Irish and Scottish people would carve a face into a turnip and place a lighted candle inside to honor the dead on All Souls Day. There is also the legend of Irishman Stingy Jack who tricked the devil into climbing a tree. To avenge this, the devil placed a curse on Jack – he was forced to wander the earth with the only light he had: a candle inside of a hollowed turnip. Thus the name.

The Wearing of Costumes. The Celts also believed that at summer’s end (the same time as Halloween), spirits passed by. Of course, the spirits of ancestors were invited into the home, while evil spirits needed to be warded off. To do this, the Celts wore costumes and masks to disguise themselves as evil spirits, thus escaping harm. And of course, today, we see the full range, from the simple to the elaborate and bizarre.

So enjoy the day, but remember the traditions…

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head (under construction)

Nathan Hale

Posted in Observations on the Strange and Unexpected and on Life Itself | Leave a Comment »

It’s National Pizza Month!

October 23, 2018

Now, with only about a week remaining in October, do I learn that October is National Pizza Month! I typically have pizza once a week, but had I realized the special nature of this month, I may have doubled that. Too late now, so I’ll share some of the facts I discovered in my research:

The popularity of pizza here is attributed to American soldiers in World War II returning home from Italy with a taste for pizza
94% of Americans eat pizza at least once a month
There are about 63,000 pizzerias in the United States, almost 400 of which are in New York City
Pizza consumption in the US amounts to an average of 45 slices per person each year
Here in the US, we eat 100 acres of pizza per day, equating to 350 slices per second!

So enjoy!

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head (under construction)

Nathan Hale

Posted in Observations on the Strange and Unexpected and on Life Itself | Leave a Comment »

America’s Best Italian Restaurants

October 15, 2018

The other day I read another article on msn.com, this one naming the Best Italian Restaurants in America, by state. The best one for New York State was Patsy’s on Manhattan’s West Side near Central Park, which I have mentioned in some previous posts. To work up an appetite, take a look at their menu at https://www.patsys.com/menu.html. And if you want to find more great Italian restaurants in other states, look here: https://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/casual/the-best-italian-restaurant-in-every-state/ss-BBNzbq0?ocid=spartanntp.

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head (under construction)

Nathan Hale

Posted in About New York City | 1 Comment »

Is Columbus Day a Forgotten Holiday?

October 8, 2018

It’s interesting that when I was going to school or working, I viewed holidays simply as another day off. Now that I’m doing neither, I find myself trying to learn more about each holiday. Take today – Columbus Day – as an example. Before it was moved to the second Monday in October, Columbus Day was always celebrated on October 12. I always assumed that it marked the birth of Christopher Columbus, but it actually marks the date when he arrived in the Americas. Although it is a federal holiday here in the U.S., only 26 of our states also recognize it as a holiday. In fact, in my last three jobs I worked in a state which still recognizes it as a holiday, yet we did not get the day off.

On this day, let’s taker the time to remember Mr. Columbus and take the time to discover more about the meaning of the day. It’s interesting stuff!

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer