When I was in college one of my mentors, Leslie Marmon Silko (Native-American author and teacher) told me that “Art will always transcend a border, but politics will not." This was a very sage and unexpected response to my question, “Ms. Silko, should I choose to be a writer or a diplomat?" When I think back to that brief conversation, I am stunned at its truth. Human beings connect over paintings, sculpture, music, film, theatre and one of my favorite art forms… food. I understand that not everyone agrees on what is proper to eat. Some eat meat; some do not. Some eat dairy; some do not. I also understand that food can bring people together, help resolve differences and teach tolerance.<< MORE >>

The Galavant Girl is down. Sick and stuck in an apartment. Maybe it is a blessing in disguise to save me from the heat. Or, maybe it's just torture, and I'll just have to suck it up and move on. Whatever. Sick sucks. While in this forlorn state, I thought I'd share some good tips on "sick recovery" to all those new to New York City or staying here on vacation.<< MORE >>

Meet Tom Bernardin--the EXPERT of Ellis Island. He has been labeled as author, speaker, interpretive historian, tour guide, foodie, preservationist and storyteller--oh yes--and expert. Tom began his love affair with the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island back in 1978, before the restoration began, before the island really took in many tourists. He attended a small training program to become a tour guide and after a few seasons, the relationships he established with the workers as well as immigrants and their families would change his life forever.<< MORE >>

If you live abroad for sometime and then return back to your home country, the last few weeks and months of your stay become more meaningful and significant. You try to put things into your schedule that you had planned on "getting to later". You try to see everyone that has been a part of your journey and say your goodbyes. You thoughtfully construct the life to which you are heading, while simultaneously closing the one you have been living. Life feels uncertain and emotional. In these moments, humans need a bit of ceremony. << MORE >>

I've known people who have said, "I just eat for fuel." When I hear this, I am always saddened for them. I want to cook them everything in my repertoire and show them the joy of food. Understandably, not everyone needs to be a "foodie," but with this philosophy, a major source of feeling alive and well is lost. They have no connection to their food source. There is no pleasure in the process. There is no savoring. Dung is fuel, too, but I wouldn't eat it! I had been thinking about how so many busy New Yorkers either eat out or order in, rather than preparing food themselves. Now, there is a place for eating out. But, continuously eating out, New Yorkers save on time, but lose financially. They also lose out on what I call "food healing." Let me explain.<< MORE >>

It was an ordinary day. It was a day full of life's stresses. I was thinking too much about money. I was thinking too much about my need for a vacation. The daily grind had just "gotten to me." And, then out of nowhere, walking through the park near City Hall, I heard a piano. Maybe it was a busker. Maybe an event was happening. I rounded the curve and there was a man, sitting at a psychedelic piano. I stopped. My thoughts stopped. The music invited me to sit on a nearby bench and listen. So I complied.<< MORE >>

What is it about Spring? What is it that makes us so stupid on the most beautiful days of the year? Is it the air? Is it the sun? Is it the pollen? The weather in and of itself does not let us do our work. It won't take no for an answer. Like a precocious child it pulls you towards the green of the parks and the budding trees and doesn't let you go. I, for one, cannot resist the Greenmarket at Union Square, and now with my mission being "food in NYC," I had a genuine excuse to get outside.<< MORE >>

  Hello all my dear Galavant Girl Followers....

“I don’t like Chinatown. I wouldn’t trust any of the food. It’s so dirty,” my friend said to me when I told him where I was going. I threw up my hands in apathy. There are thousands of people living in Chinatown with access to cheap food, fresh fish and a good helping of Chinese medicine. If it was good enough for them, it was good enough for me, so I set out.<< MORE >>

Jet lag. Even after doing everything I had been trained to do, I had acquired a serious case of jet lag. I couldn't seem to snap back. I couldn't seem to ARRIVE. I could say it was the cold I picked up from the plane, but I think it was something deeper. What was it? Had I been gone so long I felt like a foreigner? No... I was too happy to see the Manhattan skyline. Was I afraid?... Very possibly. The "what now?" question lingered in the back of my subconscious, and I didn't like it.<< MORE >>