Martinfest enjoys the short February thaw

A late February day in downtown Syracuse with the high temperature hitting 68º F? Martinfest really does see it all. This gathering of great friends started four years ago by the Martins, of course, has weathered deep snow blown around by gusting winds and bone-deep cold that made one wonder if the coffee would freeze…

Baseball, please, Hot Stove style

The Syracuse Chiefs Hot Stove Dinner warmed me up for the 2017 baseball season last Friday night. When my dear wife Karen asked me if I’d like her to say yes to two tickets offered to her at her job at Syracuse Media Group, I said yes in a flash. This baseball fan was ready…

A sign of the times in downtown Syracuse

Seen on a work stroll from car to the Central branch of the Onondaga County Public Library on South Salina Street in downtown Syracuse was a sign on top of an otherwise nondescript general merchandise store. This, my friends, is a sign of our times. No run-of-the-mill 5 and 10 store this, those of you…

Shine on, almost Harvest Moon

I was hit with this startling sight in downtown Syracuse when my dear wife Karen and I stepped out of the Landmark Theatre after seeing Jersey Boys Friday night. I believe we were one night past the official Harvest Moon here in the Northern Hemisphere. I know it was a beautiful nearly full moon over…

You never know what gorgeous building you’ve been missing

For 33 years, I’ve lived and worked in the greater Syracuse, N.Y., area. Schooled in journalism, a reporter and editor by trade and a curious sort always, I consider myself the sort who always looks long at the surroundings. Imagine that I couldn’t quite place exactly where I had to go when my bosses at…

The Central Library looks smart indeed

They threw an open house on South Salina Street this week. The Onondaga County Public Library’s Central Branch has been working on its three floors of grand stuff in the Galleries of Syracuse since I’ve been working at the Liverpool Public Library. Our brethren did good. Real good. The Children’s Room on the second floor…