Randolph Mase&#8217;s Weblog

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at the Cloisters (just published!)

Death Inside Diamond Head (under construction)

Nathan Hale

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

Enjoy Labor Day!

September 5, 2016

Each year, we celebrate Labor Day here in the United States on the first Monday in September (many other countries celebrate the May 1 Labour Day, but of course we are different), and many of us mourn it as the unofficial end of summer, yet celebrating it as the unofficial start of football season. But do you know the history of this holiday? It actually originated in Canada when a parade supporting the Trade Union Act was held in Toronto in 1872. Ten years later, American labor leader Peter McGuire saw the parade in Toronto and was inspired to organize a similar parade in New York City on September 5, 1882, becoming the first Labor Day here. After the bloody Pullman strike of 1894, President Cleveland and Congress hurriedly passed a bill making Labor Day a national holiday. This year, the New York City Labor Day Parade starts at 10:00 am on September 10 on Fifth Avenue at 44^th Street. Enjoy!

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at the Cloisters (just published!)

Death Inside Diamond Head (under construction)

Nathan Hale

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

Questions to How Well Do You Know Queens?

August 28, 2016

Here are the questions to the Jeopardy! answers in the category “First, Queens” I posted a couple of weeks ago:

Between the boroughs of Queens & Manhattan flows this “directional” river. – What is the East River?
Queens is the site of Citi Field and this predecessor – What is Shea Stadium?
Parts of Queens were once marshland, including these “Meadows” that have hosted 2 World’s Fairs. – What are Flushing Meadows?
Home each year to the Wood Memorial Stakes, this Queens racetrack sounds like an old Roman construct. – What is Aqueduct?
A nature preserve makes up part of this Queens peninsula that juts “Far” into the Atlantic. .– What is Far Rockaway?

I need to brush up on Queens; I got only four correct. How did you do?

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at the Cloisters (just published!)

Death Inside Diamond Head (under construction)

Nathan Hale

Posted in About New York City | Leave a Comment »

The Force is Strong in Times Square

August 21, 2016

One of the current exhibitions at Discovery Times Square is “Star Wars and the Power of Costume,” highligting the many costumes from the first six movies (and a bonus peek at costumes of The Force Awakens). It’s a great exhibition, and no true Star Wars fan near New York City should miss it. But hurry; the exhibit is scheduled to close Labor Day! For more info go to http://www.discoverytsx.com/star-wars-exhibition.

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at the Cloisters (just published!)

Death Inside Diamond Head (under construction)

Nathan Hale

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

Summer Streets 2016

August 12, 2016

On the next two Saturday mornings (7am to 1pm on tomorrow and next week), Park Avenue will be closed to motor vehicle traffic between the Brooklyn Bridge and Central Park. The reason is the annual Summer Streets, which is, according to the event website, provides an opportunity for prople to “play, run, walk, and bike.”

Free activities include music, sounds of the shore, athletic activities, and crafts using small bicycle parts. In addition, there will be 5 rest stops along the route, featuring free activities, performances, and demonstrations:

Foley Square at Duane and Centre Streets
SoHo at Spring and Lafayette Streets
Astor Place at Lafayette
Midtown at Park Avenue and 25^th Street
Uptown at Park Avenue and 51^st Street

You can find more details, including videos from past years and the route map shown above, at http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/summerstreets/html/home/home.shtml. I’d say it’s a great way to spend a summer morning…

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at the Cloisters (just published!)

Death Inside Diamond Head (under construction)

Nathan Hale

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

The Psycho House Comes to New York!

August 5, 2016

Years ago, I visited Universal Studios with my family. One of the attractions we saw on the Studio Tour was the house on the hill from the movie Psycho; it was actually pretty cool.

If you want to see it now, you don’t have to travel to California, as the house is also located on the roof of the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Fifth Avenue. This one was fabricated from a deconstructed red barn, and will be on display there until the end of October.

Get more info at http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2016/cornelia-parker. Enjoy!

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at the Cloisters (just published!)

Death Inside Diamond Head (under construction)

Nathan Hale

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

How Well Do You Know Queens?

July 28, 2016

One of the categories on a past Jeopardy! episode was “First, Queens,” so I’ll venture into a NYC borough. Here are the answers; just come up with the correct question for each. I’ll give those questions in a future post:

Between the boroughs of Queens & Manhattan flows this “directional” river.
Queens is the site of Citi Field and this predecessor.
Parts of Queens were once marshland, including these “Meadows” that have hosted 2 World’s Fairs.
Home each year to the Wood Memorial Stakes, this Queens racetrack sounds like an old Roman construct.
A nature preserve makes up part of this Queens peninsula that juts “Far” into the Atlantic.

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at the Cloisters (just published!)

Death Inside Diamond Head (under construction)

Nathan Hale

Posted in About New York City | Leave a Comment »

A Bicycle Tour of Block Island

July 20, 2016

If you’ve never visited Block Island, east of Long Island, this summer is the perfect time to do so, and get some exercise in the process. It’s the Block Island Bicycle Tour, a 16-mile ride with 12 stations along the way. At each station you can watch a one minute video on your phone which describes the area you’re at. It’s a great way to enjoy a piece of New York!

Make a weekend out of it by spending a couple of nights in Newport, Rhode Island, and catch the ferry there to Block Island. Get more info at http://www.blockislandinfo.com/island-events/block-island-bicycle-tour. 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 Beyond New York City | 1 Comment »

The World’s Greatest Indoor Miniature Village

July 12, 2016

Years ago we visited Reno, Nevada and were greeted by a sign that read “The Biggest Little City in the World.” Now we found another sign in Pennsylvania that reads “The World’s Greatest Indoor Miniature Village,” and we just had to check it out. It’s Roadside America, located along Interstate 78 in Shartlesville, about halfway between Allentown and Harrisburg.

Opened in 1941, the village is a model of an American village, complete with houses, trains, cars, animals, and anything else you’ll find in a typical village. The layout reminds me of the Panorama in Queens, and although you can spend as long as you like there, it takes about an hour to go through it, reading all the markers and notes. If you’re a fan of Americana, it’s well worth the 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 Beyond New York City | Leave a Comment »

Happy Fourth of July!

July 4, 2016

I think that most Americans know enough about our country’s history to realize that today is a celebration of the signing and approval of the Declaration of Independence, beginning our fight for independence in 1776. But I also think that most of us take the holiday for granted, and view it as just another day off from work, particularly this year when it creates a long weekend for many of us. But few of us know much else about the holiday; in fact, I learned a lot as I researched it, such as:

In 1778, General George Washington gave his troops a double ration of rum to observe the date. Fortunately, they were recovering from the Battle of Monmouth and didn’t have to prepare for another battle.
In 1779, July 4 was on a Sunday, so the celebrations were held on Monday…perhaps that set the precedent for what we do today.
In 1781, Massachusetts was the first state to make it an official state celebration
The first time July 4 was referred to as Independence Day was in 1791
It was made an unpaid holiday for federal workers in 1870
It was finally declared a paid federal holiday in 1938
The oldest continuous July 4^th celebration has been held in Bristol, Rhode Island since 1785.

So whatever you do today, remember the intent of Independence Day as you celebrate!

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer