The Neighborhood

 Hey Neighbor! Welcome back to THE NEIGHBORHOOD!  This week’s story is about a magical, snowy day in NYC.   The snow is doing that perfect thing where it falls quietly and it covers the city in a white blanket before it inevitably becomes a slushy, grey mess.  As kids, this is thrilling!  A SNOW DAY!!  For me, I am excited but disappointed.  My mom is supposed to come see me perform in my first National Tour at our only stop in Pennsylvania.  This is a show that I am incredibly proud of and it’s with people that I adore.  What a bummer that mom can’t see it now and there is no rescheduled date.   In true mom form, she hops on the train to come into the city for lunch!  My mom is one of those special people who will literally fly across the country for her kids.  I know.  Because she’s done it for me.  One time, she flies to Tennessee at 5 AM to see me perform in “James and the Giant Peach.”  We have lunch afterwa...

Hey Neighbor Welcome back to THE NEIGHBORHOOD!  This week’s story is about my favorite season here in my favorite city.   “Don’t you just love New York in the fall?  It makes me want to buy school supplies!” Ahhh.  That quote.  It perfectly encapsulates one of my favorite sentiments.  I LOVE fall.  And I love Nora Ephron’s movies.  Most importantly, I love New York.   New York in the fall is a special type of magic.  There’s that back to school feeling in the air.  The weather gets a little cooler and that smell.  Mmmmmm. That New York smell.  It’s not the stinky trash that means summer.  It’s “fally.”  It’s more special.   The pumpkin bread is back and the trees start to put on those costumes of colorful leaves.  What show offs!  I put on my costume of scarves and cozy sweaters.  I sip hot chocolate and hot cups of coffee.  I make stews and lots of comforting meals.  I breathe in a ...

Hey Neighbor! Welcome back to THE NEIGHBORHOOD!   This week’s story takes place on an unlikely place: the New York City Subway.   It’s amusing to me that one of the highlights of my day is my commute on the New York City Subway.  I know.  It makes no sense.  It’s dirty.  It’s crowded.  But I love it because it’s my chance to sit down, put my headphones on and either listen to music or a podcast or read! Peace and quiet.  No interruptions.  The best part is that I don’t have to talk to anyone!  In fact, it’s expected!   I’m on the downtown A train.  I nestle in my seat, put my headphones on and settle in for blissful uninterrupted 20 minute commute.  At 59th Street, a man gets on and he’s on his headphones talking loudly to someone on the phone.  Ugh!  There goes my peace and quiet!  He’s standing by the door as the train moves and suddenly he screams, “WHAT?! WHAT?! ARE YOU SURE?!” He bangs his hand on the d...

 Hey Neighbor! Welcome back to THE NEIGHBORHOOD!   This week’s story is about one of my favorite scarves.   I am definitely a saver.  A saver of money.  A saver of memories.  A saver of....things.   In my defense though, I also love to get rid of junk because I like downsizing and I don’t need a lot of stuff.   The stuff I do save is important though.  Like seashells from walks on the beach with the ones I love.  Or the flowers that I currently have pressed in some books.  A customer gave them to me as a thank you for being so kind.  I can never throw them away.  They are purple and they make me happy just as they did on the day that I found them sitting in water waiting for me on the counter.   The things I save create a time capsule of my life.   In it, you will find books that I love, my grandpa’s train keychain, playbills from magical nights in the theatre, and pictures and scripts from the shows I have done....

 Hey Neighbor! Welcome back to THE NEIGHBORHOOD!   This week’s story is about a childhood dream that started in my third grade classroom and took me across the country to the middle of the desert.   I open my social studies book and Mrs. Block starts a lesson on United States geography.  I am riveted.  I grow up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, and up until that point, I have traveled to New York City and the Jersey shore.  Mrs. Block, my beloved third grade teacher, opens my eyes to different places all over the country.  One in particular really stands out.   I can still see the picture.  It’s set in the margins of the textbook.  A boy, in 1970’s bell bottom jeans, laying in the Four Corners so that each limb was in a different state.  The Four Corners is the landmark where four states, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah, meet in a perfect square.  I want to go there and do the exact same thing!!  This boy is in four ...

  Hey Neighbor! Welcome back to THE NEIGHBORHOOD!  This week I want to tell you a story about the incident that inspired my love of storytelling and my love of community and connection over food.  Imagine yourself in a popular lunch spot on the Upper West Side and get ready to meet my dear friend, Paula.   I make the thrilling and exciting move to New York City and I am paralyzed with fear!   How can I possibly make a home here? I leave my “straight out of a Norman Rockwell” painting hometown, Havertown, PA, where everybody in my neighborhood knows my name and feels like family, to New York City, where I am surrounded by strangers.   I start searching for connection and for my places that feel like my special spots.             I discover the Upper West Side and fall in love with how charming it is.  I find a church and my dance studio and I love how the park is nearby.  It feel...

  Hey Neighbor! I am so glad that you are here in The Neighborhood !  Today’s story is a special one.  My grandma and I had a very special relationship. When I was in grade school, I had terrible anxiety. Part of my morning routine was that I would call my grandma at 7:15 AM every morning.  She would ask me about what my schedule was for the day. It consisted of going to school and then to ballet afterwards. I was so nervous about getting from point A to point B.  Grandma would listen and offer some words of encouragement. She would then tell me about her day and made it seem so simple. Finally, as we would finish our call, Grandma would say “Have a good day, Jackie. I’ve got you in my pocket.”  I’ve got you in my pocket. They are six little words that instantly made me feel safe and supported.  Thanks for reading this week.  From this point forward, you’ll receive The Neighborhood weekly on Mondays with a new letter, and a new story.   ...