Spring has sprung and that means it’s time for the Hester Street Fair. Running from April 27 to October 26 on Saturdays, the Fair encompasses a wide variety of offerings to please any and all tastes, styles and desires.

Held on the historic site of the turn-of-the-19th century pushcart vendors, this updated version of that ethnic street market presents food, jewelry, crafts, clothing, home furnishings and much, much more, in an exciting, fun venue.

In addition, in NoMad (North of Madison Square Park) the Fair presents the return of the all-food night market. Taking place in the EVENTI open air plaza, shoppers and food aficionados can come down on beautiful summer nights beginning on May 2 to September 26 every Thursday from 5-10pm and partake in their favorite foods, cocktails and desserts.

So come on down to Hester Street for the daytime market on the corner of Hester and Essex on the Lower East Side; and to Hester Nights on Thursdays, at 851 6th Avenue on 29th and 30th Streets. You are sure to find something you love to take home.

Chariot and Banquet  from Phoenix Ancient Art

Serious art and antique collectors as well as those with a fascination with ancient and contemporary art have every reason to celebrate this week. On Wednesday evening, May 1st the “Spring Show NYC” will open with a benefit to raise money for the ASPCA, and then will continue until May 5, at the Park Avenue Armory.

Among the 50 exhibitors on hand are 15 leading galleries from all over the United States and abroad who have never participated in the show before, plus some veteran participants who are among the region’s most respected and notable dealers of art and antiquities.

For those history buffs among us who would like to travel back in time not just centuries, but millennia, then be sure to stop by the exhibit of brothers Hicham and Ali Aboutaam, proprietors of the distinguished dealership Phoenix Ancient Art. Here you will find artifacts dating as far back at 7,000 years (!), and as new as the first century AD. Explore the art and culture of ancient civilizations, and take something from your favorite bygone era home with you.

Looking for something a little newer? Lillian Nassau is a prestigious art dealership, owned by Arlie Sulka, which has on hand incredibly beautiful Tiffany Studio pieces and a lot more. Investigate classic lamps, pottery, and glass and desk items. Over the years there have been so many cheap copies of Tiffany lamps produced that a bit of their specialness may have worn off. But a visit to Lillian Nassau and a talk with Sulka will re-excite you about the beauty, style and class of real Tiffany pieces, whose value over the years has continued to climb.

A visit to Carlton Hobbs, an exclusive dealer in rare, unique and collectible art and antiques from the 17th through 19th centuries, will make you feel like one of the royals who actually once owned much of the pieces on hand. Go take a look at the amazing, impeccable furniture and art which used to inhabit the abodes of some of Europe’s most powerful, and rich, aristocracy.

General admission for the “Spring Show NYC” is $20 for one day and $40 for all three days. The show is being held at the Park Avenue Armory at 643 Park Avenue at 67th Street. Open from 11am on Thursday May 2 through Saturday May 4; Open at 12 noon on Sunday, May 5. Closing times: Thursday-7:30pm; Friday-9pm; Saturday-7:30pm and Sunday, May 6 the closing time will be 6pm. For more information call: Michael Franks, Fair Director, 800.563.7632.

Don’t miss this spectacular show for art lovers, antique admirers and collectors of every type and taste.

Museum of Jewish Heritage

This Sunday evening and Monday is Holocaust Memorial Day, an appropriate day to visit the Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. The museum, which is located at the Edmond J. Safra Plaza, 36 Battery Place will be having special programming in honor of this day, known as “Yom Hashoah” in Hebrew.

Community leaders will join together on Sunday evening, April 7, at Congregation Temple Emanu-El on Fifth Avenue and 65th Street to commemorate Yom Hashoah at the largest and oldest Holocaust remembrance event in New York. Tickets are required and can be ordered by calling 646-437-4227.

On Monday the Museum is open and free of charge, but a donation is suggested. Visitors will learn the history of the Holocaust, the unique political climate that led up to what proved to be the worst calamity in Jewish History, and the events and experiences of individuals that marked this tragic time.

One aspect of the Holocaust visitors can explore is the relationship of the not-yet State of Israel to the events surrounding World War II and the Holocaust. In a noteworthy document which is in the possession of the Shapell Manuscript Foundation, David Ben Gurion expresses his opinion that if the State Israel had been established even as late as 1937, before the advent of World War II, much of the horror of the Holocaust could have been prevented. In the document, a letter written in early 1956 to Professor Hanoch Albeck in Jerusalem, Ben Gurion states:

I received your letter.  All this would be correct if the State had been established not in 1948 but in 1937 – and if millions of Jews in Europe had not been annihilated, the situation of the State of Israel would have been entirely different.  What, after all, are eleven years in the history of our people which stretches back thousands of years?  But so short a time difference is of great and serious significance to our people and the future of Israel.

For more information about a visit to the Museum call 646-437-4202.

El Museo del Barrio is New York City’s leading Latino cultural depository, welcoming all visitors from all cultures to explore and discover the unique and exciting world of Latin America and the

El Museo del Barrio

Caribbean right here in the Big Apple.

Located at 1230 Fifth Avenue (at 104th Street), the museum has been housed in the almost 100-year-old historic Heckscher Building since the fall of 1977, about eight years after artist/educator Rafael Montañez Ortiz was appointed to create educational materials to introduce into New York City school District 4 on the culture, folklore, history and art of Puerto Rico. Instead of creating curricula, Ortiz instead conceived the idea of El Museo del Barrio. In the following Ortiz introduced the idea of the museum to Puerto Rican artists:

“The Museo del Barrio is its title: a neighborhood museum of Puerto Rican culture. . .” El Museo del Barrio receives its primary funding from the Board of Education from 1969 until 1974. Montañez Ortiz stated, “The cultural disenfranchisement I experience as a Puerto Rican has prompted me to seek a practical alternative to the orthodox museum, which fails to meet my needs for an authentic ethnic experience. To afford me and others the opportunity to establish living connections with our own culture, I founded El Museo del Barrio”

A visit to the unique El Museo del Barrio is sure to be a fun, eye-opening experience.

Open Wednesday thru Saturday 11am-6pm. Closed on New Year’s Day, the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
For more information call: 212-831-7272

Every Friday at 5:30pm until 7:30pm the American Folk Art Museum will present free live music with a cash wine bar to help enjoy the good vibes. Musician who would like to perform at this venue

Free Music on Fridays at the American Folk Art Musem

are invited to contact Lara Ewen. She will examine your special sound and contact you if she believes you will fit into the program. Send an email to: lewen@folkartmuseum.org

The collection at the museum includes objects of the highest quality dating from the 18th century until today. The focus of the collection is to increase the appreciation of traditional folk art and creative expressions of contemporary self-taught artists from the US and elsewhere.

The American Folk Art Museum is located at at 2 Lincoln Square, at Columbus Avenue and 66th Street. The hours are: Tuesday–Saturday: 12pm–7:30 pm; Sunday:12pm–6:00 pm; closed on Mondays.

The upcoming schedule of free performances is:

• March 8: Kevin Johnston, Michael Patrick Flanagan Smith, and Casey Shea
• March 15: Ari Swan, Ellen Adams, and Andy Fitzpatrick
• March 22: Scott Rudd, Adam Day, and Abby Ahmad
• March 29: Jeremiah Birnbaum, Caleb Caudle, and Haley Dreis

Orchids at the New York Botanical Garden

Hidden away in a beautiful corner of New York City at 2900 Southern Boulevard in the Bronx, is an amazing place for all those in love with the plant kingdom, The New York Botanical Garden.

Just 20 minutes from the Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan, this center for all things green will surprise you with the wealth of things there to do and to see. Right now there are three exhibits and special events of interest:

•    Tropical Paradise from January 19 until February 24, 2013: Feel like you are on vacation to a tropical paradise while still in New York, in the middle of the winter.
•    Manolo Valdés: Monumental Sculpture: Until May 26, 2013: Seven huge sculptures by the famed Spanish artist are on exhibit, highlighting to observers the connection between art and nature.
•    Magnificent Trees: November 17, 2012 until April 14, 2013: Incomparable photography that highlights the beauty of the Botanical Garden’s trees by landscape photographer and member of the Board of Advisors Larry Lederman. The photographs accumulated over the years as Larry explored the Gardens throughout the years and seasons.

Aside from the special events the Garden is involved in crucial issues affecting all of us every day, including: conservation, research, education and much more. So treat yourself to a wonderful exploration of the diversity of the plant world at the New York Botanical Garden.

After years of being one of the trendiest destinations for older singles in New York, the upscale bar-restaurant franchise Zarsha Leo is reaching out to a more global customer base, beginning in Brooklyn.

“Going to Brooklyn is like a dream-come-true for me,” says CEO Evan Burschkopf. “I am originally from Brooklyn, and opening one of my restaurants there is a real thrill for me.”

Burschkopf started Zarsha Leo soon after his graduation from the University of Greater Vancouver. His belief was that customers wanted an upscale place to relax, get great food, have a drink or two, and watch the best sports going on anywhere in the world. Giant plasma TVs are set up around the restaurant so no matter where you may be dining or drinking, the action is within sight and sound.

Statue of Liberty

Winter might be the best time of year to visit the Statue of Liberty. Lines are shorter with less tourists and natives willing to bundle up against the cold winds blowing up river. But if you are a hardy soul and don’t mind the chill, then you can save yourself hours of time on line and have a great experience.

Most people choose to visit the great sculpture, which was a gift from the French people in the 1870s, via ferry boat from Battery Park in Lower Manhattan. But if you really want to beat any possibility of crowds you can sail over to Liberty Island from Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey. Same tour, shorter lines.

After a visit to the statue take the ferry over to Ellis Island and tour the Immigration Museum. It is a wonderfully told story of the people who sought the American Dream as they fled poverty, persecution, and violence in their homelands. There is no doubt you will come away inspired and thankful that the United State of America has been a safe haven for so many, and an opportunity for more.

There is no charge to visit the island, but unless you swim or have your own boat, you will have to pay $13 for the roundtrip ferry ticket. An audio tour of the museum is $8. For more information you can go to the website of the National Park Service, who administers the park and museum.

Ravel Hotel’s Penthouse808

Only five minutes away from midtown Manhattan, visitors to New York may want to consider some of the new hotels that are popping up in Long Island City. For a fraction of what a guest would have to spend to stay at a centrally located hotel, visitors can enjoy a good night’s sleep and some well-appointed spaces only slightly off the beaten track.

Take the Ravel hotel as an example.  This boutique hotel has a waterfront view of New York’s iconic skyline and offers a complimentary ride in their Mercedes shuttle to the nearby subway entrance. On the roof of this classy hotel is their Penthouse808 where socializing and excitement pervade the atmosphere. Surrounded by retractable glass, the eight thousand square foot space is a delight to guests.

Other perks offered by the Ravel are:

•    Free Parking
•    Room Service
•    Dry cleaning and Laundry Service
•    Gourmet Mini Bar
•    Virtual Wine Bar

Treat yourself in style without breaking the bank.

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) launched a project to set new standards and enhance quality of end-of-life care.  The project – valued at $1.9m – is the only one of its kind in New York State being used in nursing homes.  While Americans age, it is increasingly likely that they will live out their days in nursing homes (estimates for 2020 reaching 40 percent).  Daniel E. Straus, head of The Straus Group, has been working in this field for many years, with both CareOne and HealthBridge, through which he has established nursing care units throughout the upper half of the East Coast.  With this new PCORI project, those in this field will be given additional assistance for the care of the elderly in nursing homes.

Getting additional help for nursing care residents will definitely be welcome.  According to an associate professor in the University of Rochester Medical Center’s (URMC) Department of Public Health Sciences, Helena Temikin-Greener Ph.D., M.S. (also lead investigator of the study), nursing home staff are not adequately prepared to provide the care needed for residents approaching death.  Such a project, with its large funds, is long overdue and will definitely help the situation for nursing home workers and residents alike.

Within this project, nursing home staff will thus be given training in the area of palliative care.  Team-based models for nursing home staff will be developed through existing models used in acute-care settings, which will also focus on enhanced communication and decision-making.  Issues covered will include: breathing difficulties; hospitalizations and pain management. 

The study also showed that teams (rather than individuals) produce “better health care options.”  Thus the project’s aim is to work with both palliative care standards and new organizational models. It is hoped that this will render improved care to residents.