We are all aware of the dismal economic situation. One truly cannot avoid the headlines. One way I read into all this is the call to slow down. I feel like the universe is calling us to re-evaluate our priorities, and to remember what’s real and important in this life. My friend who works for Martha Stewart told me that in these hard times Americans tend to get back to basics and spend time at home, cooking, with the family. As an optimistic and spiritual person, I find this process to have, in the end, a positive effect: slowing down will allow us to have the capacity to be more aware, in all the major areas of our lives.


At a time of reflection and atonment in the world, we also find ourselves at that very special and holy time in the Jew calendar, Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is the day of atonement, and the holiest of the Jewish Holidays.The traditions calls for praying, & begging for forgiveness for our actions, while fasting for 24 hours. The holiday starts the eve of Yom Kippur (this Wednesday) with a meal (Hello, "Jewish" everything starts and ends with food) and ends the evening with a meal when we break the fast after sunset on Thursday. In Hebrew, people greet you with Gmar Chatima Tova, which means may you be written in the book of good, however, you can always wish your friends an easy fast or a good holiday.



ART:
I spent my Saturday afternoon walking through the Chelsea Galleries and was able to view and appreciate the following exhibitions:




Vik Muniz at Sikkema Jenkins on West 22nd Street: While I am a big fan of Mr. Muniz work, and I get the ingenuity of perfectly replicating the back of master paintings, I must admit I was not taken by the show (http://www.sikkemajenkinsco.com).





David Lachapelle at Tony Shafrazi Gallery on West 26th Street: Not a disappointment, but I didn't experience the same excitement I had with David's last show. It is a great visual experience as always (http://www.tonyshafrazigallery.com).








Robert Morris at Sonnabend, West 22nd Street: This is one on my "must stop by" galleries. Morris’ show titled “Twilights Mirrors Meteorites" as well as others on exhibition are visually intriguing (http://www.artnet.com).




FALL SHOPING:
A very talented stylist once told me that he gets all of his cashmere at J.Crew, and so I followed his advice and went to explore the cashmere sweaters and knits at J.Crew. The selection was great, with fashion forward colors, and great pricing for the quality.

RESTAURANTS:
My friend Rob Warner introduced me to this charming upscale Mexican restaurant in Chelsea. It is called Crema and is located at 111 West 17th Street between 6th and 7th Ave. The food was great and it was accompanied with very attentive service. There are three dishes that I tried and would recommend (Yes, call me fatso, or in Spanish, gordo!): Bean and cheese casserole (First course), fish empanadas, and carne asada tacos. The tacos and the casserole were fantastic.

CLUBS:
I went out dancing with my friends on Saturday at Mr. Black. The new location at 27 West 24Th (between 5th-6th Ave) reminds me of the old New York, 10 years ago when I moved to the city. The party was fun, crowed and complete with great music. I definitely recommend it!

UPCOMING:
This coming weekend starts the New York Food and Wine Festival. Imported from Miami, and produced by Southern Wine and Spirits’ Lee Schrager, this event should be very interesting for food geeks like me. They will be hosting events like “Chelsea Market After Dark Hosted by Food Networks own Bobby Flay”, “Wine and Dine NYC”, “Times Talks Featuring Alice Waters and Gerry Marzorati, A New Talk: Food”, “Meatpacking Uncorked” and much, much more! (http://www.nycwineandfoodfestival.com)


Go out there or stay in, and enjoy every moment of this precious life and the people you share it with!

Love,

Shai