Just the other day I wrote about a lovely lunch I had in Williamsburg, Brooklyn at Fornino (see previous post). Directly across the street is the former site of the Domino Sugar Factory, which at the height of its success was the largest sugar factory in the country and had over forty-five hundred employees.  My father’s excitement about seeing this building up close as well as the elaborate construction it seemed to be undergoing had me thinking. What is the history behind this site and what was its future? Domino Sugar was created by the Havemeyer Brothers in 1807 and was originally known as the W. & F.C. Havemeyer Company. The name was changed in 1900 after five smaller companies had been acquired.  The building site we known now was constructed in 1882 and achieved landmark status in 2007. If you don’t know anything about the preservation of historical places you can read all about it in a previous Find Out Friday ( https://bit.ly/2HYJICw ). The f

Fornino opened back in 2004 and now has three locations: Williamsburg, Brooklyn Bridge Park, and Greenpoint.  Two weeks ago on the way back through Brooklyn from Manhattan, I visited their shop in Williamsburg which isn’t far from their other store in Greenpoint. I was having lunch with my father, an infrequent blog partner, so it was a nice treat. This Fornino’s happens to be across the street from the old Domino Sugar factory which is under some kind of renovation, and that was a thrill for the old guy. This location has the largest wood burning stove in the city, which is now used in conjunction with the full sized kitchen downstairs from the seating area. The menu features many pizzas but also an array of gourmet sandwiches and side salads. For anyone interested, there is also a full bar.  What I noticed right away when I walked inside was how beautiful the restaurant is. I was captivated by the giant light fixtures. I was snapping pics of them immediate

Last week was the primary election for New York State. While there were several positions on the ballot, the one I was most interested in was governor. Our current governor Andrew Cuomo was running against activist and former actress Cynthia Nixon, whom I had the pleasure of meeting when she was performing Wit ( https://bit.ly/2OHX2hS ) on Broadway back in 2012. When I went to vote, for Ms. Nixon, I noticed that the lieutenant governor position was listed as well. That made me pause.  Apparently I am used to presidential elections where the president and vice president are on the same ticket. Actually the last time I voted was the debacle back in 2016 ( https://bit.ly/2zgUCU0 ).   So I wondered why it wasn’t the same for the governorship?  What happens if the incumbent governor is re-elected but not the lieutenant governor? Or vice versa?  As usual I though the answer would be straight forward and to some degree it is.  But the truth behind the techn

Yet another item can officially be crossed off my 2018/2019 to do list ( https://bit.ly/2JSFq4u ).  Orwashers Bakery has been making me drool for years, especially since I started following them on Instagram. My one goal for this visit was to leave with their signature jelly donut. It is the stuff of legends.  I went to the original shop on the Upper East Side of Manhattan where the Orwasher family first opened up in 1916. They had immigrated from Hungary and wanted to recreate the goods they grew up loving. In the beginning the baking was done in a basement and delivered via horse and carriage. The bakery remained in the family until it was sold to Keith Cohen in 2008.  Since than, Cohen has sought to expand Orwashers reach while maintaining the high quality customers have come to expect.  Two years ago this month a second location opened on Upper West Side that is larger than the original. The menu is also much more expansive. But the bra