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 »

And Now First Grade!

September 25, 2016

Seven years ago last night, my wife and I were in a race against time, driving from New York to Virginia. Our daughter Jen had gone into labor with her first child (our first grandchild), and we wanted to get there before they took her into delivery. Thanks to heavy traffic in central Pennsylvania, we arrived at the hospital a little after midnight, shortly after Jen had been taken in to delivery. But we were there to welcome our new grandson Evan into the world.

Fast forward to today, and our first grandson is now a first grader. Jen took this picture on the first morning of school last month. Evan is excited, and his younger brother Noah seems just as excited. When my wife asked him how his first day of first grade was, Evan said, ”Awesome!” Keep that attitude for many years, Evan, and Happy Birthday!

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 | 1 Comment »

Half Price Broadway Shows!

September 11, 2016

That’s no misprint, folks – and for one more week, until September 18 – Broadway Week is being celebrated, and you can buy 2-for-1 tickets to some of the best shows in the City, including Aladdin, Chicago, Holiday Inn, Matilda the Musical, Kinky Boots, Jersey Boys, Something Rotten!, The Phantom of the Opera, and Wicked! Good deals – you can find full details at http://www.nycgo.com/broadwayweek. And while you’re at that site, enter the sweepstakes to win dinner and a show for you and five friends…break a leg!

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 »

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