How Well Do You Know NYC?

One of the categories on a recent Jeopardy! episode was “A Borough Burial.”  Here are the answers; just come up with the correct question for each.  I’ll give those questions in a future post:

1. Cornelius Vanderbilt, long-time owner of the ferry named for this borough, rests in an elegant mausoleum there.
2. Quarantined on an island nearby from 1915 on, she was buried in the Bronx when she died in 1938.
3. This 1890s NYC mayor said, “The idea of leaving Manhattan permanently irritats me,” so he rests near 153^rd & Amsterdam.
4. In 2002 mobster John Gotti was given an elaborate send-off in this borough whose Howard Beach neighborhood he called home.
5. Unlike the Dodgers, this man for whom their ballpark was named is a permanent of Brooklyn.

Feel free to leave a comment, and please come back – I write and post often!  And if you like what I have to say and how I say it, you’ll probably enjoy my novels as well.  They’re listed below, and you can read more about them on my improved website, designed and built by my son Don, http://www.randolphmase.com.  On my site, you’ll also find excerpts of my books that you can read – please check it out!

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphmase

http://www.facebook.com/MatthewHoganMysteries

http://twitter.com/randolphmase

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head

Death Under Jones Beach (under construction)

Nathan Hale

New York Then and Now

I’ve seen books which contain photos of New York City, comparing past with present images.  In fact, I have one but couldn’t think of a way to share it in my blog.  But I recently found a video of the same thing, and offer it here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOEYtEkmg-M&t=126s.  It’s worth a look – enjoy!

Feel free to leave a comment, and please come back – I write and post often!  And if you like what I have to say and how I say it, you’ll probably enjoy my novels as well.  They’re listed below, and you can read more about them on my improved website, designed and built by my son Don, http://www.randolphmase.com.  On my site, you’ll also find excerpts of my books that you can read – please check it out!

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphmase

http://www.facebook.com/MatthewHoganMysteries

http://twitter.com/randolphmase

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head

Death Under Jones Beach (under construction)

Nathan Hale

The Statues of Central Park – the Answers

Here are the questions to the Jeopardy! episode from last month:

1. Who is Christopher Columbus? (This statue is in the lower section of Central Park; there is another at Columbus Circle just outside the park.)
2. Who is Hans Christian Andersen? (The statue is sitting on a granite bench in the Great Lawn section of the park.)
3. Who is Samuel F.B. Morse? (The statue is inside the park at Inventor’s Gate, Fifth Avenue and 72^nd Street.)
4. Who is Duke Ellington? (The statue is in the north end of the park, near 100^th Street, and is 25 feet tall.)
5. Who is Sherman (The statue and plaza are at 60^th Street)

So there’s a lot more to Central Park than paths and joggers, so enjoy!  [If you’re really feeling energetic, make it a walking tour of these five statues – it’ll be about five miles.]

Feel free to leave a comment, and please come back – I write and post often!  And if you like what I have to say and how I say it, you’ll probably enjoy my novels as well.  They’re listed below, and you can read more about them on my improved website, designed and built by my son Don, http://www.randolphmase.com.  On my site, you’ll also find excerpts of my books that you can read – please check it out!

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphmase

http://www.facebook.com/MatthewHoganMysteries

http://twitter.com/randolphmase

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head

Death Under Jones Beach (under construction)

Nathan Hale

Enjoy Labor Day!

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, there’s the West Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn until 6:00 this evening.  Get full details at https://www.timeout.com/newyork/west-indian-american-day-carnival-new-york.  Enjoy!

Feel free to leave a comment, and please come back – I write and post often!  And if you like what I have to say and how I say it, you’ll probably enjoy my novels as well.  They’re listed below, and you can read more about them on my improved website, designed and built by my son Don, http://www.randolphmase.com.  On my site, you’ll also find excerpts of my books that you can read – please check it out!

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphmase

http://www.facebook.com/MatthewHoganMysteries

http://twitter.com/randolphmase

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head

Death Under Jones Beach (under construction)

Nathan Hale

Questions to How Well Do You Know Broadway?

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

1. Its second act features a magic carpet, “A Whole New World” & a reprise of “Arabian Nights.”. – What is “Aladdin?”
2. This musical featuring the hero Jean Valjean was adapted from a 1,200 page novel.  – What is “Les Miserables?”
3. Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells played Elders Cunningham and Price when this musical opened in 2011.  – What is “The Book of Mormon?”
4. This name of the wicked witch in “Wicked” was based on the initials of the author of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” – Who is Elphaba?
5. We want you to “state” this musical set in Indian Territory; it was Rodgers & Hammerstein’s first collaboration.. – What is “Oklahoma?”

At least I got three correct; how did you do?

Feel free to leave a comment, and please come back – I write and post often!  And if you like what I have to say and how I say it, you’ll probably enjoy my novels as well.  They’re listed below, and you can read more about them on my improved website, designed and built by my son Don, http://www.randolphmase.com.  On my site, you’ll also find excerpts of my books that you can read – please check it out!

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphmase

http://www.facebook.com/MatthewHoganMysteries

http://twitter.com/randolphmase

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head 

Nathan Hale

Death Inside Diamond Head is now available in Paperback!

Good News for you non-Kindle readers – Death Inside Diamond Head is now available in paperback! And I can use your help. One of the steps in the publishing process I’ve used is to obtain verified reviews (verified only means that the person who submits the review actually bought the book). So, if you like mysteries and appreciate a quick, easy read, please consider buying my book and leaving a review on Amazon.com. You don’t have to read the entire book (although it is short); you can leave a review based upon a chapter or two, if you prefer. To help you, I’ve cut the price in half to just $3.99 for the next two weeks. Click the link below to buy my book and leave your review. Thanks for your help!

Death Inside Diamond Head

Feel free to leave a comment, and please come back – I write and post often!  And if you like what I have to say and how I say it, you’ll probably enjoy my novels as well.  They’re listed below, and you can read more about them on my improved website, designed and built by my son Don, http://www.randolphmase.com.  On my site, you’ll also find excerpts of my books that you can read – please check it out!

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphmase

http://www.facebook.com/MatthewHoganMysteries

http://twitter.com/randolphmase

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head 

Nathan Hale

The Statues of Central Park

I’ve mentioned Central Park several times in my posts, and even devoted a separate post to the 850 acre park in the heart of Manhattan.  One thing that’s really interested me is the many statues in Central Park, and one of the recent categories in a Jeopardy! episode was about the statues of Central Park (by the way, there are 73 statues in Central Park; for a complete list, go to https://www.centralparkinbronze.com/statues-1).  Here are the answers from that episode; I’ll post the questions in a future post.

1. Funded by subscriptions to New York City’s Il Progresso newspaper and unveiled in 1892, his memorial depicts his three ships.
2. His monument was sponsored by the Danish-American Women’s Association (Who is Hans Christian Andersen?
3. One hand of his statue rests on his most famous invention; the other holds a strip of code.
4. The statue of this “Mood Indigo” composer and bandleader has him standing next to an open grand piano.
5. This Union general stands in Grand Army Plaza; a rear hoof of his horse is crushing a Georgia pine branch.

So there’s a lot more to Central Park than paths and joggers, so enjoy!  [If you’re really feeling energetic, make it a walking tour of these five statues – it’ll be about five miles.]

Feel free to leave a comment, and please come back – I write and post often!  And if you like what I have to say and how I say it, you’ll probably enjoy my novels as well.  They’re listed below, and you can read more about them on my improved website, designed and built by my son Don, http://www.randolphmase.com.  On my site, you’ll also find excerpts of my books that you can read – please check it out!

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphmase

http://www.facebook.com/MatthewHoganMysteries

http://twitter.com/randolphmase

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head 

Nathan Hale

How Well Do You Know Broadway?

One of the categories on a recent Jeopardy! episode was “Broadway Musicals.”  Here are the answers; just come up with the correct question for each.  I’ll give those questions in a future post:

1. Its second act features a magic carpet, “A Whole New World” & a reprise of “Arabian Nights.”
2. This musical featuring the hero Jean Valjean was adapted from a 1,200 page novel.
3. Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells played Elders Cunningham and Price when this musical opened in 2011.
4. This name of the wicked witch in “Wicked” was based on the initials of the author of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.”
5. We want you to “state” this musical set in Indian Territory; it was Rodgers & Hammerstein’s first collaboration.

Feel free to leave a comment, and please come back – I write and post often!  And if you like what I have to say and how I say it, you’ll probably enjoy my novels as well.  They’re listed below, and you can read more about them on my improved website, designed and built by my son Don, http://www.randolphmase.com.  On my site, you’ll also find excerpts of my books that you can read – please check it out!

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphmase

http://www.facebook.com/MatthewHoganMysteries

http://twitter.com/randolphmase

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head 

Nathan Hale

The First New York Penny

A good friend of mine who knows of my interest in New York City and my Dutch ancestry recently gave me the collectible coin pictured here.  The face of the coin is dated 1737 and has the logo of VOC (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, Dutch East India Company), and the reverse has the Coat of Arms of the Dutch province in which it was minted (this one looks like the province of Holland).  I don’t know what it’s worth, but I’m not even thinking of selling (or regifting) it.

Thanks, Jack!

Feel free to leave a comment, and please come back – I write and post often!  And if you like what I have to say and how I say it, you’ll probably enjoy my novels as well.  They’re listed below, and you can read more about them on my improved website, designed and built by my son Don, http://www.randolphmase.com.  On my site, you’ll also find excerpts of my books that you can read – please check it out!

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphmase

http://www.facebook.com/MatthewHoganMysteries

http://twitter.com/randolphmase

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head 

Nathan Hale

Questions to How Well Do You Know New York?

Here are the questions to the Jeopardy! answers in the category “All Around New York” I posted a couple of weeks ago:

1. From its resemblance to a certain game, the skyscraper seen here [above] is nicknamed this building. – What is Jenga?
2. It opened in 1899 with 843 animals; today, it has over 6,000.  – What is the Bronx Zoo?
3. You’ll be tickled pink to know that at the Plaza Hotel, you can book a really pink suite named for this literary girl.  – Who is Eloise?
4. To visit the Statue of Liberty, hop on a ferry at this site named for the line of cannons that once defended it. – What is Battery Park?
5. At one time or another, this famous apartment building was home to Leonard Bernstein, Lauren Bacall & John Lennon. – What is the Dakota?

At least I got three correct; how did you do?

Feel free to leave a comment, and please come back – I write and post often!  And if you like what I have to say and how I say it, you’ll probably enjoy my novels as well.  They’re listed below, and you can read more about them on my improved website, designed and built by my son Don, http://www.randolphmase.com.  On my site, you’ll also find excerpts of my books that you can read – please check it out!

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphmase

http://www.facebook.com/MatthewHoganMysteries

http://twitter.com/randolphmase

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head 

Nathan Hale