A Super Bowl feast: chili at home, turnovers on TV

So how was the Super Bowl celebrated in our Syracuse city neighborhood home? Food was heavily involved, of course. Yup. Flat screen, football and food. The Sunday spectacular started with an appetizer of my choice: a bowl of shrimp sitting next to another bowl of cocktail sauce, perfect for super dipping. I stood next to…

Read my Lipsy: Women’s fashion store comes to Syracuse from London

Call me skeptical. I walk past a store in Syracuse, N.Y., with a sign that calls out to the world “Lipsy London,” and I wonder if indeed this store has any official connection on that side of the ocean. I wouldn’t know offhand because the posh-looking fashion in the windows — black dresses and red…

A street corner dilemma: What do you do when asked for money?

Somebody you don’t know addresses you on the street. They ask for money. You must make a decision. It’s an issue that will not go away, a cultural sign of our economy and so much more. Recently in downtown Syracuse, N.Y., my walking journey was interrupted by a request that threw me off my stride.…

Remember Pete Seeger, rich of voice, deep in commitment

Over my two decades covering music for the big daily in Syracuse, I got the opportunity to talk with a whole lot of interesting people. One morning, I talked to Pete Seeger on the phone. He agreed to the interview because he would be coming that little stretch north and west to Central New York…

A Super Bowl primer for people of many lands

It seems like every man, woman and child in America watches the Super Bowl, no? The championship game for the National Football League has become a national holiday. Edition XLVIII, as the NFL has come to list each game, features the Denver Broncos vs. the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday, in MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford,…

The Cheesecake Factory will open in Syracuse with a Big Bang for us

A cheer erupted within The Cheesecake Factory-to be at the mega shopping, dining and entertainment complex Destiny USA in Syracuse, N.Y. This I know because my face was pressed up against the window, like the proverbial kid and the candy store. (Grown me, though, made sure not to leave any tell-tale nose prints.) We’ve been…

Cold night, warm lights in Syracuse

Oh, cold, cold Syracuse winter. Sometimes I must drive through the deep freeze. I pilot my car with freezing hands, despite the leather gloves. The heater churns to bring some small level of comfort inside the vehicle. This week I found myself stopping my car at the curb because a certain sight had the potential…

RIP, sweet keyboardist Al Dunn, you gave so much pleasure to so many

Mr. Owl passed away Thursday. That was the stage name of Al Dunn, a keyboard player who fed the music jones of Central New Yorkers with his exciting performances and steady presence. Al Dunn was a cool guy in a lot of bands. He was part of the first lineup for Masters of Reality, the…

How to shoot a truly high score at Pebble Beach without leaving Syracuse, N.Y.

I loosened up the old golf swing this week. The temperature was at zero when I pulled out of my driveway for the trip to the Syracuse, N.Y., mega shopping, dining and entertainment complex Destiny USA. I had wisely, I thought, moved my clubs from the back porch into the house some 10 hours earlier…

I fondly remember The Snurfer, that early yellow snowboard

I was a pioneer in the snowboarding movement. This I discovered yesterday, when my sister Fran started a look-back Facebook thread because they were expected a good bit of snow on Long Island. Our neighbors two doors down on the Suffolk County hill that cascaded on our suburban street, the Carrs, chipped in with memories…

	beth on Rise high, strawberry moon
	Nancy on Rise high, strawberry moon
	Nancy on Wasn’t it only yesterday?
	beth on Wasn’t it only yesterday?
	TheHappyQuitter on Welcome, summer sunset

Mark Bialczak

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Life