There’s a new mom and pop ice cream shop in town, and our roving photographer has the “scoop.” Valerie Smaldone has a great post on healthy aging, and some suggestions for healthy getaways. Our Broadway Babe pays tribute to Jackie Mason this week. If the Olympics piqued your interest in Japan, check out the exhibit on Japanese Style at the Met. Did you ever meet at the beautiful clock that graced the lobby of the Waldorf for decades? Now you can meet at the clock in its temporary home at the New York Historical Society. And the legendary Paris Theater has reopened!

Just What is Healthy Aging

Valerie Smaldone poses that question today and went to some experts for answers. One of those is the fabulous Anne Biging, co-founder of Healing Hotels of the World. And if you’re ready for a healthy, healing getaway, check out some of Valerie’s suggestions, like the “Fountain of Youth Rejuvenation Week” at a resort in the Alps and a healthy aging program at a retreat hotel in Greece. Read more.

Now Streaming: Jackie Mason and More

The beloved Jackie Mason recently died, and our Broadway Babe (Randie Levine Miller) unearthed his Tony and Emmy winning show, “The World According to Me.” And she shares a wonderful anecdote about chatting with him only a week’s before he died. And there’s more: a fabulous Liza in concert, Guys and Dolls behind the scenes, a classic 1950s TV show starring Shirley Booth as Pearl Mesta. Read more.

The Newest New York Mom and Pop Ice Cream Shop

Our roving photographer, Nicole Freezer Rubens, captured this mouth watering images of the newest New York mom and pop ice cream shop, the Social. It opened on July 25th a few blocks from the Brooklyn Museum. Its founders Jackie and Brian are taking another scoop at the ice cream business after learning from their mistakes with their first brainchild Ample Hills. Their love of Brooklyn, community, family and ice cream is evident in their inviting store filled with nostalgia. Colorful vintage toys and games abound and deliver all guests back in time to the simplicity of childhood.  

Some flavors are elementary and some are quite complex, infusing ingredients including Captain Crunch cereal, Hydrox cookies, popcorn, croissants and maple syrup.  Nicole says entering the shop made her feel like she was visiting Sesame Street, and she loved spending a short sweet time there. 

Japan: A History of Style

This exhibition celebrates how gifts and acquisitions of the last decade have transformed The Met’s ability to narrate the story of Japanese art by both expanding and deepening the range of remarkable artworks that can meaningfully elucidate the past.

Each of the ten rooms that make up the Arts of Japan Galleries features a distinct genre, school, or style, representing an array of works in nearly every medium, from ancient times to the present. Highlights include the debut of a spectacular group of contemporary metalwork by Living National Treasures and emerging artists, and, in the first rotation, a selection of woodblock prints from the Lee E. Dirks Collection.  Get the details.

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Meet Us At the Clock

We love the New York Historical Society and right now the beautiful towering clock that graced the Waldorf Astoria for decades and was a meeting spot for generations of New Yorkers, is on display in their Smith Gallery while the hotel is being renovated. Originally made for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, it was crafted in London and features relief portraits of Presidents George Washington, Andrew Jackson, William Henry Harrison, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses Grant, and Grover Cleveland, and Queen Victoria of England.

For decades, the towering clock graced the Waldorf Astoria—both at its first location on Fifth Avenue and 34th Street and in the lobby of the hotel’s longtime address at Park Avenue and 50th Street. This time-keeping treasure recently underwent a meticulous restoration—watch a video of the process below—and is on view in the Smith Gallery during the hotel’s renovation. Get the details of the exhibit.

The Legendary Paris Theater Reopens

The longest-running arthouse cinema in New York City and the only single-screen cinema, almost went under during the pandemic. But thanks to Netflix, it’s back and after some renovations has officially reopened. With 571 seats it’s the largest movie theater in Manhattan with a great history. Built by the French distributor Pathé as a showcase for their films it opened on September 13, 1948.

An elegant theater, with a distinctive arte moderne style, it became a premier venue for the best films from around the world. We’re so glad it’s still here. Get the details and the current movies.