This is a collector’s item. Save it. We all know that bookstores are a thing of the past. The Culture Trip, an app, just did a wrap up of 50 unique independent bookstores that are still around the country. My lovely friend, Anne Bloom, just posted the bookstores and locations on Facebook.

So what did I do? I quickly copied her post to deliver you a keepsake. I’m definitely filing this post in a safe spot because I love visiting bookstores. I want to know which city has what. I used to spend hours every weekend roaming through book and record stores. It was my social life. It was cheap, informative and fun. 

Now, we will have Amazon taking over where the independents left off. I don’t know how much fun Amazon will be, but I do know the independent bookstores always offer a different twist in marketing.

Most of the listings below give you the state, the name of a bookstore, a store description, the address and phone number. One or two may be missing a headline, but the copy will give you all the information you need.

Have fun! 
o

I thought audio cassettes were dead. I never wanted to see them again. My friend, Richie Grand, had several walls in his Queens, NY co-op lined with cassettes, neatly stacked in custom-made bookshelves.  I used to tell him to get rid of them. It looked old fashioned.

I even told him to digitize all of his music so he could easily access his albums from the convenience of his smartphone. He eventually listened to me, or to someone else, because one day he announced that they were all gone. Richie is a big music lover so this was quite a major transformation.

Now Forbes Magazine reports cassettes are getting popular again. Folks admit they like their sound. Billboard claims that the best selling cassette of 2016 was the Guardians Of The Galaxy with 4,000 copies sold. The other big cassette hits were Eminem’s The Slim Shady LP, and Prince and the Revolution’s legendary Purple Rain.

Artists with big budgets will probably produce cassettes for some new albums. The only trouble is that most Americans discarded their players and they are not buying new ones. 

Vinyl is another story. That format is really doing well again and is showing a lot of promise for the future. Americans just love their music on Vinyl because of the superior quality of the sound. Check out why some believe Vinyl is the most consumer-friendly high-resolution format around. Click here.

I promote high resolution music players like Astell&Kern. I predict that hi res will be the winning format as prices come down for the players. It’s the truest studio sound quality. It’s just a matter of time.

The Verge, a popular news site, also covered the audio cassette popularity story. I suggest you read both stories for a better perspective on the subject.

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​​Hanna hugs her mother as she walks down the aisle.

​​Hanna makes her grand entrance.

​Hanna receives her diploma.

Hanna’s grandparents, Frayne and Sandor Rosenfield.

Hanna’s parents, Jeff and Beth.

Hanna with Fredrick, Lois, Whitney and Eliot 

Us again

One more time 

Hanna’s devoted and dedicated uncles Larry, Darren, George, and Chris.

I really appreciate our Arlo home security. My cousin Jeff talked us into getting it, and we have no regrets. It’s great to be able to check on our apartment. We have folks going in and out for   different reasons and I like making sure everyone shows up.

They all know we have cameras, so I am not sneaking up on anyone. I am so grateful for this technology.  We just have to make sure the batteries are fully charged. This is totally a wireless system. 

This is what the app looks like. Above is a full report of the activity.

Here is a shot of Jorge, our concierge, delivering our mail. Below that is our balcony. Furniture is still in place. That’s a relief. 

A video of our housekeeper taking care of business.

There she goes again. 

I’m currently in Los Angeles. I usually have until 3am east coast time to write my blog. After that, it gets distributed to you. Guess what? It’s almost midnight in LA and I just returned from a night out with friends. I only have a few seconds to beat the east coast deadline. I’m going to trick this digital distribution mechanism.

I’m going to write a few words now and then post. Then I will add to my blog post after midnight so at least the post goes out. The system allows me to make additions and edits after my copy is posted.

See you on the other side of midnight.

Hello again. Now I can breath easier. All it took was a little but of copy to get into the daily distribution system. 

This is Lissa Levin with her husband Dan Gutzelman. We spent the evening with them. They are very well known in Hollywood as major writers for both stage and TV. They took us to a really cool restaurant in West Hollywood. The minute we got there Lissa spotted a famous late night talk show host sitting at the next table. 

I didn’t say a word to anyone but secretly snatched a video of the TV star. Can you tell who it is? 
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I know I am nasty for invading this person’s privacy, but he is a public figure so I  became star struck. 

Two nights ago, we dined with my cousins Larry (r) and Darren at Norah’s, another fine restaurant. They were the celebs that people were whispering about. They rank number 21 out of 42,000 Berkshire Hathaway real estate agents. Quite an accomplishment.

Good night.