Nora Ephron

From 1988 when I first saw When Harry Met Sally (I've now seen it hundreds of times -- seriously) Nora Ephron has been my idol. Her wit and intellect and independence have been constant inspirations to me. Aside from the perfect When Harry Met Sally, her other films, screenplays, and books have served me well when I needed to be cheered or inspired or consoled. Her words and humor always the perfect dose of medicine. 

“You can settle for reality, or you can go off, like a fool, and dream another dream.” ― Nora Ephron

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Let It Pour

It is no secret that I love the rain. And Paris. And the Impressionists. And Woody Allen. Herein lies a bit of all those wonderful things.

Paris Street-Rainy Weather, 1877, Gustave Caillebotte

And...a little scene from Woody Allen's Midnight In Paris. 

Gil: This is unbelievable! Look at this! There's no city like this in the world. There never was. 

Inez: You act like you've never been here before. 

Gil: I don't get here often enough, that's the problem. Can you picture how drop dead gorgeous this city is in the rain? Imagine this town in the '20s. Paris in the '20s, in the rain. The artists and writers! 

Inez: Why does every city have to be in the rain? What's wonderful about getting wet? 

What can I say? I love the Upper West Side. There are so many great neighborhoods in NYC but the UWS is just so New York to me. The best I can determine this traces back to endless viewings of Woody Allen films. It is just classic New York in my head. Its Lincoln Center and Symphony Space; its Zabars and Fairway; its Broadway and Columbus; its the Natural History Museum and the Cloisters; its Columbia University and Brandeis; and Central Park West and Riverside Park; its Mia Farrow and Norah Ephron, Regis Philbin and Tina Fey and the list goes on and on. It is not hip or trendy. It is not reasonably priced. But I love it.

(top) Zabar's; (bottom) Greenmarket on Columbus Ave