Wynken Blynken and Nod

At the bottom of Arlington Road in Utica this amazing boat--a play boat--caught my eye.

And the beautiful lines of the old house it sits behind.   

      

I wondered who lived in the house, now and in the past, and what lucky children got to play on the boat. And all of it reminded me of a nursery rhyme which turned out to be about sailing to sea in a wooden shoe (not to mention sailing off to sleep), but came close enough to the spirit of the place and the things I might have imagined when I was a child--if I had a boat in my back yard.

Wynken Blynken and Nod

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night
Sailed off in a wooden shoe--
Sailed on a river of crystal light,
Into a sea of dew.
"Where are you going, and what do you wish?"
The old moon asked the three.
"We have come to fish for the herring fish
That live in this beautiful sea;
Nets of silver and gold have we!"
Said Wynken, Blynken, And Nod.

The old moon laughed and sang a song,
As they rocked in the wooden shoe,
And the wind that sped them all night long
Ruffled the waves of dew.
The little stars were the herring fish
That lived in that beautiful sea--
"Now cast your nets wherever you wish--
Never afeard are we";
So cried the stars to the fishermen three:
Wynken, Blynken, And Nod.

All night long their nets they threw
To the stars in the twinkling foam--
Then down from the skies came the wooden shoe,
Bringing the fishermen home;
'T was all so pretty a sail it seemed
As if it could not be,
And some folks thought 't was a dream they 'd dreamed
Of sailing that beautiful sea--
But I shall name you the fishermen three:
Wynken, Blynken, And Nod.

Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes,
And Nod is a little head,
And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies
Is a wee one's trundle-bed.
So shut your eyes while mother sings
Of wonderful sights that be,
And you shall see the beautiful things
As you rock in the misty sea,
Where the old shoe rocked the fishermen three:
Wynken, Blynken, And Nod.

Re-Utica: Orin Domenico's Passionate Essay

And now that I've alerted you to a new literary magazine in our fair city, I want to share part of an essay from the first issue of Doubly Mad.

The title is "Prayer for the Resurrection of Utica." The author is Orin Domenico, part owner of Cafe Domenico and The Other Side, and sponsor of many events and efforts to bring life back to our city, including the new magazine:

   "….One step to redeeming and rebuilding our cities is to re-imagine them as what American historian and social philosopher, Lewis Mumford, called them: “the greatest of all human works of art.” Cities are products first of human imagination and creativity. I return to James Hillman, who suggested that the “flowing imagination which founded the city in the first place can be re-found. It is planted in our midst always ready to flower—if we begin, not with the ‘problem’ of what needs to be changed, or moved, or built, or demolished, but begin with what already is here, still stands and sings of its soul, still holds the spark of the mind that initiated it.”

Kim Domenico, Wm. Welch & Orin Domenico

Kim and I didn’t move to Utica 22 years ago to address the city as a problem. Our approach in building the Café Domenico and The Other Side has always been to celebrate Utica as the cool place that it already is; to sing of and embrace the preservation of its great architecture and parks, its neighborhoods and small businesses, its bars, cafes and restaurants, its vibrant music and arts, its exotic mix of ethnic cultures, cuisines and people.

  A second step to redeeming Utica is to recognize that to love the soul of the city we must also come to know and love better the land on which it was built, this dark, damp, soulful river valley. The geography of Utica is not a “geography of nowhere,” such as Commercial Drive, with nothing to distinguish it from similar non-places across the continent. Cities—like cultures—arise in relation to particular places; they are unique expressions of the climate, the landscape, the soil from which they spring. Rejecting the sameness of globalization, we must remake Utica in the image of this place, build a local economy in relation to this land.

  Finally, we must ever recall that the driving force of redemption is sacrifice. If we would redeem Utica we must be willing to give our lives to it, to a future here for its children, without thought of personal return beyond the joy of living as if love matters. I finish with a few more words from James Hillman, who said, “I don’t believe love interferes with business or efficiency or the tax base or retail sales or any of the rest—at all. I think the city is built on human relations, of people coming together, and love would increase, if anything, the very things that are desirable in a city.”

 

Doubly Mad

The second issue of Doubly Mad is out and on sale at various locations, including Cafe Domenico. It is edited by William Welch.

In case you haven't heard:

"Doubly Mad is Utica’s own independent journal of literature, arts and ideas! Four years ago, Orin and Kim Domenico started a small publication which they hoped would be a forum for ideas in the Utica area. Now under new editorial leadership, Doubly Mad has returned! We are devoted to publishing fiction, poetry, essays, and artwork. You name it, we’d like to see your work! If you have somethin...g you would like to share with us and readers throughout the city, submit it to doublymad@gmail.com. We’re also looking for anyone who would like to volunteer. We need readers to help us with incoming submissions and people to spread the news about Doubly Mad throughout the region. Come double the madness in Utica!"


You can find this info and more at --  http://www.facebook.com/DoublyMad

Upstate Architecture: Whatever Happened to the Sherman House?

I've quoted my friend, Jeff Boehlert, on this blog before. He knows a thing or two about houses and is interested in local architecture.

He has come across some unanswered questions about a house that used to stand on Genesee Street during Utica's "golden" years. Back when the manufacturers hadn't left the area, when the elms lining Genesee Street hadn't died away from Dutch Elm Disease, when the population had grown to around 100,000 people, when the railroad station was central to both business and pleasure.

 

The above house, portrayed in both a photograph and a post card, belonged to James S. Sherman ("Sunny Jim"), Vice-President of the United States under President William Howard Taft. He was born in Utica, a Hamilton College graduate, a lawyer, mayor of Utica and Representative in Congress. Have you ever noticed all the Sherman Places and Sherman Streets in our city? Hmmm. Well, James Sherman was the inspiration. He had three sons: Sherrill, Richard and Thomas. But I can find out very little about them, or about his wife. They all went on to successful careers--so the brief internet bios say. Where are the Shermans today?

Meanwhile, "Sunny Jim," served his first four year term in D.C. and then, during the re-election campaign in 1912, succumbed to Bright's Disease, a kidney disease, and died a few weeks before the election. 25,000 - 30,000 people showed up in Utica for his funeral, including President Taft.

30,000 people, Vice-President of U.S.

So what did our city do to his beautiful house. Here's what Jeff found out:

"It was an outstanding house on Genesee St., unique, beautiful. Instead of our leaders fighting to make such a treasure a national landmark and/or museum, they allowed it to be torn down as if it had no historical significance what-so-ever. An A&P grocery store was built on it's site-- most likely in an effort to increase the city's commercial tax base. It's my understanding that it was torn down in the 1940's. I'd love to know why, who the players were and how such a horrible decision came to be. Was it public knowledge that the house was to be demolished, or were the people left in the dark?  How wonderful it would be to have The Sherman House here, both for us and for those who pass through our city from other parts of the country and from around the world." 

Thanks to Jeff's interest, I am planning to go to the Historical Society and see if I can find out why the house was torn down, as there is no information on the internet. I will post whatever I can find.

If anyone knows anything about this house or the Sherman family, please respond to this post. I would love any information.

Meanwhile, here is what the Sherman "lot" between Jewett and Clinton Streets looks like today. First, it was an A&P Market. Now it is the home of Rite-Aid, etc. And a parking lot.

Photo by Jeff Boehlert

And below is a photo that shows the house that stood next door to Sherman's. It can be seen in the old photographs of the Sherman house. 

Photo by Jeff Boehlert

Upstate Summer: Dog Days

Dogs of summer. The dog days. We found this guy in a little alley in Hamilton, waiting for his owner. Let sleeping dogs lie, as they say. 

Hamilton, NY on a bright July Sunday

Although citizens of the Utica area often say nothing is going on around here, I find walls like this one wherever I go, filled with event flyers, news of exhibits and shows, sales, etc. Maybe we need to ask ourselves how we define "nothing." Or, conversely, how we define "something."

Upstate Summer: Oneida Lake

You might enjoy a good gossip in the shallow waters of Sylvan Beach,

or get yourself a tattoo, wine, or some worms at the other end of the lake in Brewerton.

Opening Day at the Oneida County Public Market

It was overcast, of course, and the numbers small, some venders familiar, some just starting up. But the Utica Coffee was hot and good and the silence soon broken by acoustic guitar. We felt certain that we were witnessing another example of new life and hope for our broken-down Upstate city. We bought a quart of strawberries.

 

What's Wrong With City Hall

This morning I had to go to City Hall to get a permit for a garage sale. I forgot to take pictures, so I am using a standard photo from Google Image, but I will go back and take photos so you can see the plastic lawn chairs out front in Hanna Park and the uninspired fountain, not to mention the overall, overwhelming ugliness of the building and the parts in need of repair.

As if to provide me with the perfect metaphor, on the bench in front of the building a couple in jeans and dirty tee shirts were smoking and reading the classifieds.

When I went inside, the large lobby was virtually empty and in the city clerks' office several people were standing around expressing their opinions regarding a colleague, I assume.

What is wrong with Utica is exemplified by our current City Hall (see above) and our old City Hall (see below), which the city tore down in the 1960's. Why would any city officials destroy such a magnificent architectural treasure and worse, rebuild in its place this piece of utilitarian nothing that nobody will remember or want to remember. I'm sure they cited heating expenses at the time or parking problems or any excuse to explain why they had no foresight or vision for the city's future.

There would be no London or Paris if the citizens of those cities had torn down every building that became expensive to keep up. The architecture a city preserves will repay it many times over in the future--and that applies not just to great cities but small cities like Saratoga Springs, Cooperstown, and   Skaneateles, NY. to name a few.

But not Utica. My experience in City Hall this morning is what defeats me here, what leaves me, in spite of all the local efforts this blog has been noting of late, feeling hopeless about Utica. 

WONDERFUL NEWS: Brand New Downtown Farmers Market

A brand new farmers market in Utica, the Oneida County Public Market, beginning Saturday morning, June 25 through September!

With a goal of being open year round! Nearby newly renovated buildings, such as Doyle Hardware, and new restaurants and cafes!

From the Observer-Dispatch: "About 25 vendors will mark the first Oneida County Public Market on Saturday, setting up fresh produce, artisan foods and crafted local products at Boehlert Center at Union Station.

"The market will take place outside the long-vacant Railway Express Agency wing – the site of a $250,000 county capital project that eventually will allow it to be set up inside and possibly year round. It also will feature live entertainment.

"County Executive Anthony Picente Jr. said he anticipates a healthy crowd for the event, which runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It continues every Saturday.

"He also hopes the event capitalizes on the seeds of transformation that have been planted around the Main Street neighborhood where developers have worked to rehabilitate 421 Broad St., the former Cobblestone Building, and the former Doyle Hardware building.

"The capital project will include new windows, lighting and general upgrades to a small portion of the wing, Picente said. As the market grows, more of the wing could be renovated."

Gourmet Utica: Chuck E Cheese

We finally caught up with our grandaughter, Amelia, who has been away for awhile, and her first request was to go to our house. Her priorities are right on. But her second request was to go to Chuck E Cheese, the mouse that roared for little children everywhere!

I had never been to Chuck E Cheese but Amelia knew the place like the back of her hand: all the rides, what to eat, the prizes, the looked-forward-to appearance of Chuck E himself, the little stage where kids can sing or dance or just plain show off. In short, a kid's paradise. Constant noise. Bright lights and colors. Pizza and candy galore. Rides in cars, on horses. Lots of other kids running around.

And that will be $35. please. For a cardboard pizza and tokens for the rides. I'll spare you a photo of the (so-called) pizza.

Not to mention the Flaming Finger and Extreme (has to be EXTREME) Hunting! Where if you look closely you can see the words "life like violence mild." An oxymoron if ever there was one.

Upstate Fashion Dept.: Party Pants

Forever Leather, New Hartford Shopping Center

For those of you who were wondering what to wear clubbing around here--or to make a big statement at back yard picnics--Forever Leather has put forth--literally (like on the sidewalk)--these form-fitting, metallic gold pants! Hurry. They may sell out before you get there.

With thanks to my fellow broken-down Uticans, Caitlin and her mother, Kathy.

Catch Up, Plus Good News for Utica via NPR

Little Italy

No, this is not East Utica! But the flavor is similar. It's Little Italy in Manhattan.

Warm greetings and apologies to my many followers, fellow bloggers, and cool people of Utica. My last post was May 17th, and one of the cardinal rules I have learned in the fleeting world of blogging is keep those posts coming or your blog will drop dead from lack of upkeep and interest.

I have been sick as a dog for most of this past winter, culminating in a horrible flu I acquired en route to Brooklyn, NY to visit my daughter. It began as a cough, then a sore throat, until it filled my chest and created a hacking cough and fever. I made it through two great dinners, an Israeli breakfast, a Circle Line cruise (my daughter, a true citizen of NYC, had never gone), and a visit to Little Italy, not to mention several climbs up and down her three-story building, before I collapsed on the way home a week ago Monday. Just got on my feet last weekend and I am more or less up and about today.

Which is when I came upon my neglected blog!!!

So let me begin to pick up the pieces with a piece that appeared in the Observer-Dispatch a few weeks ago regarding a program on National Public Radio (NPR) entitled "State of the Re:Union." Al Letson, the host, is doing a whole series of shows about forgotten and neglected cities and towns in the USA, and he gave Utica a pretty good review.

What really seemed to impress his producers was the acceptance here of the new mosque on Court Street. While the citizens of Manhattan were battling over the creation of a new mosque a few blocks from Ground Zero, the citizens of Utica were welcoming the Bosnian-Muslim community and its mosque.

If you haven't seen it, it's an old church transformed into something new and beautiful, a white mosque with gray accents.

The O-D article notes that people who listen to the NPR report on Utica (http://stateofthereunion.com/) will hear about the mosque as well as Rev. Maria Scates on her work to rehabilitate a drug-infested Cornhill neighborhood. "People outside of the area are noticing things here, and if we are smart enough to capitalize on this they can be trigger points for a much more prosperous future," said Gary Grates, executive with the independent PR firm, Edelman.

The "Re;Union" producers visited last January and spent a lot of time sampling the ethnic food on Bleecker Street in such restaurants as Thuy and the Florentine Bakery.

Gourmet Utica: She Delivers!

Check out "The Dish" this week, fresh, healthy meals delivered to your home or place of work. Including lemon bars! The menu and prices are on the website: http://www.dishesbytrish.com/

Upstate Architecture: A Genesee Street Gem

If you have seen any pictures of old Utica, particularly looking north or south on Genesee Street, you are aware of what a grand avenue it used to be, lined with tall arching elm trees and residential buildings in a variety of architectural styles. Almost all of those homes are now small businesses or doctors' offices. And the elms were lost to elm disease years ago. Still, I love to imagine how it used to be. If I squint a little, I can see the crowded downtown, trollies, even the carriages, and the families on their porches in the summer. 

Here's a classic I passed on a walk a few days ago; one I had never really noticed. It's been home to various businesses and is currently for sale, if anyone's interested.

Gourmet Utica: Joeys

This will not be news to anyone who has lived here for any length of time, because Joeys has been around for roughly 20 years and has changed hands at least once, but it's a great restaurant, one of my favorites. It provides the simplest and most basic of Italian dishes--manicotti, lasagne, ziti, meatballs, eggplant parm, chicken parm, etc--as well as creative, delicious specials every night. The pasta is fresh homemade and the dining rooms remind me of Little Italy and Italy Italy and "The Godfather."  You almost forget you are in East Utica on the corner of Mohawk and Lansing Streets.

Little Italy, Italy Italy and "The Godfather"

I have been to Joeys with almost everyone I know over the years--with my family, people I worked with, for parties, and on Saturday nights with Ray.

And of course, I have to mention that a portrait of my former brother in law, Sal Amico, a jazz musician, holds an honored place on the wall near the bar.

Upstate Architecture: Two Whitesboro Beauties

I'm happy to post photos of two houses taken by my friend, Jeff Boehlert, who knows a lot about construction and renovation, having taught himself how to do just that.

A few weeks ago I posted a picture of a house I noticed as I was leaving the Dunham Public Library in Whitesboro and launched what I hope will be another thread  (Architecture) in this blog about life in Utica and/or Upstate New York. In its heyday, Utica and many other Upstate cities and towns created beautiful buildings, both residential and public. I know enough about architecture to see that some are elegant and/or unusual. Some are odd. Some imitative of 

Europeon styles. Many have been renovated and adapted for various uses today.

Jeff expressed an interest in this particular aspect of life here and sent me these photos a few days ago. I asked him to tell me what he liked about these two houses. Here's what he said:

"As for the houses they are both from upper Main Street in Whitesboro. I liked the first one because of the capped turret style slate roof over the porch. I love all things turret. 

I like the white house because it looks so classic and inviting...timeless. It's actually a very old home, maybe 90-100 years, and it has so many unique features. Large (25 small paned) front windows, great cornice details, a really nice roof line and to top it off the house is a 6 sided design. If I was ever to build a house, I would imitate that exterior."

Local Food: Aqua Vita Farms

Well, I see that my posts dwindled in the month of April. Let's just say the pouring rain failed to inspire me to go anywhere or find out about anything!

Foodies take heart. More and more citizens of Oneida County are becoming entrepreneurs in the slow food, organic, home farming movement. I have already posted about a few, such as Debra Richardson of Leaf, Loaf & Ladle (see my post of 2/3/11).

My friend, Mark Doherty, has been urging me to look into his new business in Sherrill. It's called Aqua Vita Farms. Although I haven't visited yet, I've talked to Mark and gone on Facebook to get information and look at photos.

Aqua Vita Farms is an indoor farm that utilizes Aquaponics to grow fish and produce, for wholesale distribution. Aquaponics is the combination of aquaculture and hydroponics. It involves growing fish and plants together in one integrated, soilless system. The fish waste provides a food source for the plants and the plants provide a natural filter for the water in which the fish live. Aqua Vita Farms grows safe, fresh, organic produce and seafood.

Aqua Vita Farms Plant

Lettuce growing aquaponically

I hope to talk to Mark soon and add more details in another post about this exciting new project.

Upstate Writers: Frederick Busch and Snow

Frederick Busch

Almost ten years ago I attended the Chenango Writers Conference at Colgate. It's a summer conference and participants attend workshops in fiction and poetry, as well as readings by visiting writers and editors. I was lucky enough to sign up for Fred Busch's class, author of some 25 novels, admirer of Charles Dickens, realist, and all-round enthusiast. Sadly, Fred died a few years ago.

But of course, his novels and short stories live on and are often situated in Upstate New York. His descriptions of life here are pretty accurate. Here's a passage from one of his last novels, Girls, which was based on the Sara Ann Woods kidnapping and murder. Even though it's still snow showering on this cold April day, we can take heart that we are done with storms like this one:

  We had more snow on our road than I'd ever seen. I watched it from our bedroom window and our living room windows and our kitchen window. In the back room, I saw the vast amounts of snow in the field and at the edge of the woods. I saw plenty of snow...

  While she was at work, I climbed out onto the roof from an upstairs bedroom, and I tried to shovel snow. The idea was to keep the stuff from breaking through the roof. It weighed tons. The idea was also that when the snow really began to melt, it would run under the shingles, and then if it froze again and melted, it would shove the shingles off or even break through the subroof. The dog stayed below, where the lawn would be if the snow ever melted, and he barked each time I tossed a shovelful over. That added up to five barks, because the pain was too bad. I settled for edging the stuff around with a stiff leg, then kicking it sideways, in a clumsy soccer motion, to push it in powdering mounds off the roof. He didn't bark for the pushes because they were probably not very impressive."

 

Upstate Architecture: Turrets

Here begins a series of photos of the sometimes strange assortment of houses and public buildings we live in and/or with, perhaps without noticing.

This one struck me as one of those ordinary houses that wanted to be a castle instead.

The Fine Arts Dept.: The World Music Chorus

Last Saturday morning I went to a rehearsal of an international chorus at the Unitarian Church. Several members of the group are friends of mine and they had encouraged me to come and listen or sing. I can't sing, or even read music, but I can listen.

The sun was streaming through the many windows as the chorus slowly went over Abun d'bashmayo, or The Lord's prayer in Aramaic. As their leader, Chris Gaca, explains below, their objective is not the perfect "trills" of a church choir, but a more natural, honest singing, as well as a means of introducing people to international music.

Here is Chris Gaca's description of the group's beginnings:

 "I started this group in August of 2009.  Having just come back from a week long workshop in world music and dance with the "Vanaver Caravan" at Omega Institute, I decided to test the waters of Utica, NY for interest in this topic.  I advertised a World Music Workshop which was held for no charge at the UUU church and there were 15 people that showed up for it.  At the end of the workshop, most of the people who attended wanted to continue, so I set our rehearsals for 2 x each month and got approval from the church to use their facilities to practice.  We have been singing together as The World Music Chorus ever since.

Our repertoire at present includes about 20 different songs from countries all over the world including China, Puerto Rico, Iran, Bulgaria, Nigeria, and many more. Much of the music we do comes from world music I have collected over a lifetime  but we have also had some workshops to learn music from many other sources.

The music I pick is based on folk tradition - again not western re-arrangement.  We are unafraid of trying to pronounce lyrics that have sounds and vocal expressions not used in the English language.  There are many examples out there of groups who have taken musical pieces from other countries and re-arranged them for choir by swapping out the original melodies for something more western sounding and dropping the original language for English. This is not us.  Choirs can also become somewhat elitist.  There is no audition to join my group and abilities cover a wide range.  We sometimes learn from music, but also learn aurally, so there is no requirement for specific musical skills.  We are just a group of adults who enjoy tapping into the sound production possibilities of our bodies and giving homage to cultures other than our own by exploring their vocal expressions.
 
 I have started my own blog at:  http://chrisgaca.wordpress.com/category/world-music-chorus-repertoire/

This site has connections to YouTube videos of native singers performing the songs we are trying to learn and a link to download lyrics. If people want to know the kind of songs we are working on, they can go to the website.

We have performed at the UU church several times now as part of their services and also at St. Luke's Nursing Home where we sang our full repertoire for the residents there."

News from The Other Side: Don't Miss Monk Rowe

Monk Rowe

On Wednesday, April 13th @ 7:30 p.m., The Other Side will present the Imagining America talk called Jazz Tales from Jazz Legends, with Monk Rowe presenting excerpts from interviews with some of the jazz greats  archived in the Hamilton College collection. Included will be samples of their performances. This is a wonderful opportunity not only for those of us who already are jazz converts, but for people (and you are the majority!) who aren't sure how they feel about it but want to know more. 

Monk is the Joe Williams Director of the Jazz Archive at Hamilton College. He has helped create a collection of 300 audio interviews with jazz musicians, arrangers, writers and critics, the jazz greats and the supporting cast from the 1930s to the present. This collection is now available online and free to the public courtesy of the Hamilton College Jazz Archive. Listeners can click on a link and read the transcripts or listen to interviews with some of jazz’s most well-known musicians, including Dave Brubeck, Lionel Hampton, Oscar Peterson and George Shearing as well as former members of bands led by Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Woody Herman, Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Stan Kenton and the Dorsey Brothers. 

 

Petit Larceny, or what our citizens are stealing lately:

I've been struck by frequent notices of trivial crimes, but crimes nevertheless, in the Observer-Dispatch. They're called petit larceny, or the stealing of property worth less than $50.

I wonder why these crimes need our attention, or what they say about us? Poverty? Desperation? Boredom? Lack of imagination? Temptation? (There's so much stuff out there just waiting to go on sale.) Cleptomania? At the same time, the absurdity of stealing a jar of oregano has its comic side.

According to the Observer-Dispatch, the following thefts occurred in the last week:

• A woman told police she first heard noises from her bedroom, and upon checking the room saw Brandon Woods, 18, of Park Avenue, exit through the window holding her purse, police said.

•  A Utica man was arrested Tuesday for stealing copper pipes and wiring in a home, Utica police said. Allen Dole, 30, was charged by Investigator Salih Rizvanovic with felony second-degree burglary and misdemeanor petit larceny. in connection with a March 24 burglary, police said. Officials said often times, thieves sell copper pipes to recycling centers for cash.

• At about 1:15 p.m. Wednesday, Renee Lyles, 49, of Green Street, was arrested by Officer Joseph Dare after store security witnesses him stealing Tylenol from the Genesee Street store, police said.

•  A Utica man has been accused of stealing chewing gum and cold medication from a Rite Aid Tuesday afternoon, Utica police said.

•  Fallon Bell, 24, Neilson Street, has been charged with petit larceny after she allegedly stole several cosmetic items and food seasonings from Hannaford Market, 1122 Mohawk St.

Spring in Upstate New York

Although winter won't quite let us go today and it's snowing, the days portrayed in this wonderful photograph, in which you can almost see the buds on the trees, the wind moving the clouds across a new blue sky and the sun-dappled fields--those days are coming. Spring is coming.

Thank you Patrick Yasu Huther, via a friend on Facebook.

"The Dish" This Week

The Dish will be delivering this week on Wednesday the 30th and Thursday the 31st.  Please place your orders 24hrs. in advance thru the site www.dishesbytrish.com, or 723-9865.

Sweet potato soup is on the menu.

Calling Writers and Artists

Just in from The Other Side at Cafe Domenico in South Utica:

Calling all writers, poets, artists:  our old  journal of local culture and ideas, Doubly Mad, is being started up again, this time with Will Welch, a Utica College graduate with a BA in English, at the helm, and an enthusiastic, mostly young, crew around him to help turn the dream into a reality.  They are seeking for submissions, deadline for which is May 1.  Look for the posters around the Cafe Domenico and other places with details.

Broken-Down Dept.: Voted Sad City (Again)

The old Utica City Hall   Today I'm quoting at length from an article in the Utica Daily News, because surveys and news such as this are fairly frequent and one of the reasons a blog focused on Utica interested me.    What is it about this place? That is my question. How do we always place so low? Even if common sense tells us such surveys can't be entirely accurate, the consistency of the results carries its own accuracy. I ask again, what is it about this city? What have our elected officials and leading citizens done over the years to create such a terrible score?   When I see articles like the one I am quoting below, I feel shame. They are shaming. Family members and friends living out of state, or out of Utica anyway, don't even laugh anymore; they smile patiently. It's like, d'uh. And clearly, the mayor and other officials feel shame because they immediately go around telling everybody that it isn't true, we are a great city, look at the Boilermaker, etc.      The Boilermaker does not a great, or even a good, city make!   Over half of the news and events that I have been posting about on this blog are good. Of course, there are wonderful, creative people living and working in Utica. But overall, we are behind the times, struggling to keep up. Anyone who travels to other cities and towns, whether they be close by like Syracuse, or further away--Boston, Hartford, Stockbridge, Keene, Portland--is immediately struck by the wealth of choices in restaurants, shops, parks, walkways, businesses, etc. Not to mention beauty. Who isn't drawn to a beautiful building or a pretty street? Who would want to stroll down much of Genesee Street, look in the empty or third rate shop windows, or nod hello to our citizens as they pass by in their t-shirts, uncombed hair and jeans?   The answer is always the same, especially in these economic times. No one knows how to bring the brains, the money, the ideas, the business into this city. No one knows how to replace what was torn down by short-sighted common council members, such as the old city hall. Our leaders only seem to know how to put up exaggerated signs declaring our greatness and towers pointing to nothing. UTICA-ROME, March 21, 2011 -- Utica finds itself in the negative national spotlight once again as it’s rated one of the top 10 saddest cities in the county. According to a Gallup survey conducted recently, in a list of 188 cities, Utica- Rome ranked 179, the bottom end of the happy-city spectrum. Nationally, CBS Money Watch took a look into the list.   “This is a ridiculous survey,” said Utica Mayor David Roefaro Monday afternoon after reading the report. “I don’t know who they polled, but they must have been some sad people. Utica was just rated one of the top cities to buy a house in, because Utica is doing so well. And to be ranked 179 out of 188 cities, well, we’re not doing so bad, are we?”   Results are based on telephone interviews conducted as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index survey, with a random sample of 245,817 adults, aged 18 and older, living in reportable metropolitan statistical areas in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, selected using random-digit-dial sampling. Top 10 overall well-being: Boulder, CO Lincoln, NE Fort Collins-Loveland, CO Provo-Orem, UT Honolulu, HI Madison, WI Cedar Rapids, IA Gainesville, FL Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV The bottom ten lowest-rated were (Utica being 179, Huntington being 188): Utica-Rome, NY Prescott, AZ Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ Spartanburg, SC Hickory-Lenoir- Morganton, NC Fort Smith, AR-OK Redding, CA Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX Youngstown-Warren- Boardman, OH-PA Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH   The survey used six categories to divvy up its questions to those who chose to participate in the interviews:  life evaluation, physical health, healthy behavior, emotional, work, and basic access.   "Based upon what they’ve evaluated the way they’ve asked the questions, it looks like a very valid process, so you can’t discredit that,” said Frank Elias, president of the Mohawk Valley Chamber of Commerce. “But in looking at some of those things you can see why as a whole the greater Utica area came out ranking where it did. That’s not to say there are not bright spots or people who would answer these questions very differently. I think I would answer them much differently than the people who were asked to part in the survey. But my circumstances are probably different than theirs.”   Elias said while he agreed with the survey’s stats based on the questions asked, he didn’t wholly agree with the survey itself.   “Each of us as citizens are responsible for our own health, well-being, behavior and work circumstances,” he said. “So for someone to say, Life sucks here and I’m not happy; I say, Look in the mirror, because that seems to be your own issue. I’m sorry to be insensitive, but … if you’re not happy, go out and get an education, if you’re not healthy, go join the gym. That’s my choice -- I did it, and I’m not subjugated to someone telling me my day should be bad. Not me!”   Elias said questions about things like someone’s personal life evaluation, emotions, or their content or discontent with work, aim low – at the possible root of some people’s overall happiness. And those are conscious decisions that don’t completely have to do with the city you’re in, he said. “Choose to make your own happiness,” Elias said, “and don’t have it subjugated upon you.” Elias also said the survey looked at things like weather and access to activities – kind of another unfair jab at the small cities of Central New York.   “If I was on the island of Owahu in Hawaii, yeah, the weather’s really nice and I could see where it ranks number one (in the categories of life evaluation and emotional),” he said. “And isn’t Boulder, Colorado, the home of the U.S. Olympic Center, and known for being very physically healthy city? I see why it’s there at number one (for physical health).”   This isn’t the first time that the greater Utica area fell in negative spotlight. In May of 2010, Forbes magazine proclaimed Utica one of the worst cities in America to do business in.   “Upstate can be especially tough,” said Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente at the time. “There are things we can do and are doing to make strides, but I don't think it's fair to single-out Utica when the whole region has been struggling.”   Utica ranked high with a low cost of living and a low crime rate, but got poor marks in most other categories, scoring lowest in projected economic and job growth.   Rome Mayor James Brown said the survey couldn't have come at a worse time for Central New York. Not only did he feel it was a low blow to the area, given the small sampling of nationwide cities, but during a time of economic struggle, surveys like this at a national level could easily deter businesses, tourists and potential homeowners from bringing money to the community.   "That survey right now is not fair to this region. Gas prices across the country… food prices going up and even the cost of cotton -- we have a situation that could be applied right across the United States. This is unacceptable to me and it does nothing for us."   When a similar survey came out several years ago by the Brookings Institution, Brown said he wrote a letter of complaint. He's considering yet another, given Gallup's survey results.   "It's something we don’t need right now in our region," he said. "We're trying to come back. I have a problem with it -- the harm these things do is hard to quantify because so many people read about it. How are we going to go out and market and bring businesses in here when we have negative press like that?"

"The Dish" This Week

Chicken Vegetable Quinoa and Broccoli Strawberry Salad top the menu for dinner this week at "The Dish," a new local business that delivers healthy meals to your door. The Dish will deliver this week Wednesday the 23rd and Thursday the 24th. The web site will reflect this weeks menu.

Any questions please call 723 9865.  Email or call your orders in 24 hours in advance, please. www.dishesbytrish.com

Slow Food Mohawk Valley Events This Month

Slow Food Mohawk Valley (http://www.slowfoodmohawkvalley.com/), a movement to educate people in preparing and eating healthy, nutritious, delicious, locally grown (when possible) food, is sponsoring the following events in March and April:

Friday, March 25, 8:00 a.m. Coffee Klatch @Cafe Domenico. A casual conversation on "Eating Locally In the Mohawk Valley.with Celeste Friend.  To know more, email Celeste at celestefriend@gmail.com

Sunday, March 27, 11:00 a.m.  Breadmaking 101 returns, back by popular demand.  To know more, contact slowfoodjoe@yahoo.com.  Only 10 spaces are available, so reserve right away if you are interested.

Sunday, April 10, 4:00 p.m. Slow Food Potluck at McKwen Hall, Hamilton College.  For more information about these and other Slow Food projects, or to become a member, contact Debra, drichardson111165@hotmail.com or Joe, slowfoodjoe@yahoo.com.

Lunch Hour Performances at Utica College

Writer Shawn Goodman

For many years, Utica College has sponsored the Professors Harry & Mary Jackson Lunch Hour Series, a series of performances and lectures on Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m. (lunch hour) in DePerno Hall. Writers and musicians, both local and national, have presented their work there, as well as professors and experts in various fields--this past year including poet Don Bogen, musician Monk Rowe, an African mask exhibit presented byWilliam Gotwald, Emeritus Professor of biology, and the Utica College Choir.

This week young adult writer, Shawn Goodman, an advocate for juvenile justice reform, will read from his work at MacFarlane Auditorium in DePerno Hall.

To find out more about the series go to: http://www.utica.edu/academic/as/culture/jackson/fall2010.cfm

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