In her 70s, Iris Murdoch began documenting the fraying of her memory in her journals. “Find difficulty in thinking and writing,” she noted. “Be brave.” She would write one more novel, “Jackson’s Dilemma,” before receiving a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s in 1997. Drafts of a letter from that year were later discovered among her papers. “My…
A major Christian group is being sued by former customers in at least three states who claim it sold them an alternative to health insurance that misled them about protections against large medical bills. Numerous insurance regulators, including in New York, are trying to stop the group from offering the plans in their states. The…
“I think I’m just really in love with women, and I love to see them looking incredibly, truly beautiful. I think every time a woman wears one of my dresses, you know, in a matter of speaking, I’m having a little love affair with her!”— Prabal Gurung
This was supposed to be the start of the busy season for wedding vendors — a time to freshen floral bouquets, ask guests to take their seats and wrangle wayward bridesmaids into picture-perfect arrangements. Instead these florists, event planners, photographers and officiants are staying home. So are the DJs, caterers and, most critically, the brides…
Now that most of us are homebound, trying our best to social distance and do our part to ease the spread of COVID-19, household chores have taken on a new meaning. Gone are the days of leisurely hanging around a laundromat waiting for your sheets to finally dry, not to mention hiring a handyman or…
What this summer will be like, with the possibility of sitting — maybe six feet apart — on a boardwalk overlooking the ocean, remains to be seen. But, in the meantime, you can arrange for lobster rolls at home for a dinner or weekend treat for that summer-by-the-sea feeling. Here is a selection of New…
For many New Yorkers, the ritual of grabbing a daily coffee is one of the last luxuries they are holding on to while social distancing. On weekends, people line up six feet apart outside cafes offering cappuccinos and mochas to-go. Bodegas continue to serve steaming hot cups of coffee to regulars and emergency workers alike.…
WARSAW — The Polish milk bar is remarkably well suited to the coronavirus lockdown. At these traditional restaurants, diners can pick up orders of ready-made pierogi or get home delivery of the familiar comfort of a barszcz beet soup and stuffed cabbage, to warm in the oven. Much of the menu comes at spectacularly low…
Self-seclusion, Week 1. I’d been planning to watch over the health of loved ones. But I’d also been looking forward to having time on my hands: long idle hours during which I’d administer liberal doses of self-love. Ordinarily that would have meant communing with my wardrobe, weeding out nonessentials, planing my skin to ageless perfection,…
One month ago, to meet the last payroll before the pandemic shut their restaurant, the three owners of Coogan’s in Upper Manhattan got a beverage supplier to take back cases and kegs of beer. Their insurance company would not budge on the quarterly premium, charging the same price to cover the risk of an empty…