Happy Happy Happy

A couple of office birthdays this week reminded each of us of just what is so great about birthdays. From the celebrations, the hugs and kisses, the sweet treats…we firmly heart birthdays. A recent poll of Team Shackman asked the question: “What was the best birthday present you’ve ever received?” Kick back and blow out the imaginary candles as you read:

• A 25th birthday trip to Paris, feted and treated by Dad


• A true eight-year old’s delight in the form of a Pink Huffy Bicycle, complete with sparkly streamers and a banana seat


• A surprise trip home to Spain to celebrate a birthday with the family after 10 years of being away - Feliz! Feliz!


• A milestone birthday was celebrated on the sand and in the sun of Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands


• A puppy’s licks made a certain birthday the most memorable


• A pair of red Adidas roller skates, complete with sparkling shoe laces, were the highlight of being 10 and made growing feet a sad occasion

Congestion Question

As New Yorkers who are forced to battle for road space on daily basis, we can totally get behind Mayor Bloomberg’s plan to implement a congestion fee for Manhattan. Yes, we’re totally thinking from that special place we go to when we are stuck in midtown, rush-hour traffic in the back of a taxi with no air conditioning. So, in an effort to “say something when we see something,” we’ve come up with some alternative plans to help ease congestion. We don’t want to give away all of our secrets before we meet with the Mayor (which we’re convinced will happen any day now), but here are a couple of highlights from the list:

• Replace all taxis with hover-craft style vehicles that fly through the city


• Ban shoes on all city sidewalks, and mandate roller-skates as the city’s required footwear


• Replace the Department of Motor Vehicles with training and licensing classes on magical apparition, taught by the esteemed Professors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry


• Replace sidewalks in NYC with moving escalators, and allow NYC cops to arrest anyone who does not adhere strictly to the custom of standing on the right, passing on the left


• All drivers will vie for entrance into the city with a series of competitive challenges at checkpoints, including those blow-up sumo wrestling get-ups…those just crack us up…

Deli De-lish

If something can be as “American as Apple Pie,” perhaps other things can be as “New York as a Pastrami on Rye." If you are coming to New York and your stomach is leading the tour, there is one place that is a must-visit that will take you beyond the current culinary trends and back to a place where a bowl of assorted pickles is THE appetizer of choice. Katz’s Deli. Yup, Katz’s still rules. No ifs, ands or buts about it. It has embraced itself as a tourist destination (Yes, Harry did meet Sally there), yet maintained its NYC cred by keeping the same quintessential deli menu offerings from the day it opened. If you’re looking for the best brisket or the perfect pastrami or the choicest cheesecake, look no further than Katz’s. We’ll be there in the back, stuffing our faces.

Happy Independence Day!