Putting new windows in your apartment or house, buying a new air conditioning unit as weather heats up, picking a mover that will not damage your furniture or the front door of your new digs, cheaper is not always the wise option. Better spend a little more once than a little less twice! Minding the money for Concierge Mondays # 22 Continue reading

Walk into the storm andstroll around Hakkaido with illustrator and digital artist Mateusz Urbanowicz, Polish born, based in Tokyo. I picked Into the Storm for 2 reasons. First here in New Jersey as I write this thunderstorms are on the way, second it in a way illustrates our walk into (and hopefully through) the Covid storm. The stroll around Hokkaido, spoke to me through its ink illustrations. The small Hokkaido in Ink book contains 30... Continue reading

After receiving a bid on a home fix, a mover (especially if your new place is a long distance away), a body shop repair, slow down before making a decision. First of all get at least 2 estimates, if possible get your estimates from people that friends or colleagues recommended. If your plate is full and your mind is tired, it is one more reason to slow the decision process. Bids and estimates might be... Continue reading

Right Location, Rich Mix from Paintings to Distinct Clothing and Garden Fare Make for Successful Yard Sale As in retail, you will get buyers, not just passing by visitors , if you have the right ingredients and not just a mass of things for people to dig through the piles. How to Not have Just Another Yard Sale? Concierge Mondays # 20 Continue reading

Summer lunch up North (meaning Scandinavia) has seafood rillettes on the menu. Like this Smoked Mackerel Rillettes With Rye Crisps recipe from ScandiKitchen: Midsommar: Simply Delicious Food for Summer Days (Ryland Peters & Small, 2018, 2021) by Brontë Aurell, co-owner of ScandiKitchen in West London. Smoked Mackerel Rillettes With Rye Crisps This is a super-easy way to prepare an appetizer or light lunch. Rillettes are a coarse, potted meat similar to pâté that are stirred... Continue reading

Into The Woods, want to wander off off Paris, here's a map of natural parks and wooded areas around Paris. Carte des Bois via Enlarge Your Paris Continue reading

Will online marketplaces soon be flooded with 'For Sale' breadmakers and Peloton (Interactive) bikes? Will people start interacting with other people instead? With warmer days and people starting to trickle back or being tricked back (at least part time) to the office, time will tell! Not so new shiny objects for Concierge Mondays # 19 Continue reading

Being a liaison could become prominent concierge role for me in this getting past covid period. After reading number of articles on what 'back at the office' might mean, most of us are still muddling through this, it appears that ferrying things (documents, supplies, and more) from main office to satellite ones and same to and from 'working from home' team members could be a prominent activity in my New Jersey Concierges line of work.... Continue reading

Whether you are moving, need to empty part of your house or apartment for a home improvement project, or just running out of space for some of your possessions, many of us do, pick up a facility that has a drive in garage or loading room with direct elevator access to your storage space. Temperature control is also part of the basic requirements so none of your items suffer during their time in storage. If... Continue reading

Make the message fit on a very small birthday cake, shrink It! More small studio than penthouse! Cake and portion control for Concierge Mondays # 16 Continue reading

Crustacean eating red mullet makes for smooth pink Whole Thai Fish Skewers, a recipe from Skewered: Recipes for Fire Food on Sticks from Around the World by Marcus Bawdon (© Dog ‘n’ Bone, April 27, 2021) WHOLE THAI FISH SKEWERS I’m a lover of red mullet and I think it’s much under-rated by a lot of folk. It’s a lovely pink, smooth-skinned fish, and the flesh is delicate with a shellfish flavor from all the... Continue reading

Cannon N0 1 treat with no close contest: Meyer Lemon Cheesecake from Baking at the 20th Century Cafe 'Iconic European Desserts from Linzer Torte to Honey Cake' (Artisan Books, October 2020) by San Francisco baker extraordinaire Michelle Polzine Cecil Cannon’s Favorite Meyer Lemon–Coconut Cheesecake Cecil Cannon, the most remarkable child I have ever known, sprang from the loins of my soul brother, Vince Cannon, a Marxist punk rocker in the guise of a corporate lawyer,... Continue reading

Summer vacation flight is on your mind? My suggestion, book directly through the airline in case of hiccups. I had booked a round trip flight for me and my son in November 2019 (EWR to Rome via Copenhagen) for Spring Break 2020. Covid came and of course what would have been a wonderful getaway did not happen. Flight was on Scandinavian Airlines but it was booked via Expedia. It took me almost a year of... Continue reading

Moving soon, sell or donate items that will not make the trip on Nextdoor. Take shipping costs out of the equation as you will be selling to people nearby and they will pick them up from you at your current abode. Curating your belongings for Concierge Mondays # 14 Continue reading

Suffolk has my Vote! In 'Sheep of the British Isles Poster' by Kathryn of 'Kattoonsbykat' Continue reading

For some client projects to be done fully, succesfully, a check list helps. More important than the list itself, is the fact that client takes time to check all the boxes. Say, someone asked me to get their taxes done. I give them a list of documents the preparer will need. If they don't provide me with these needed pieces, it will make the end result less satisfactory for client. In some cases, it could... Continue reading

No Need for Magic Potion to Carry this Chocolate Menhir by Maison Leroux. Easter 2021, Breton Style 500 grams version in dark or milk chocolate: 68 Euros (* Photo from Maison Leroux Facebook page) Continue reading

Need alterations on clothes, how much will it cost? I have been asked the question many times. My answer, it varies. Before I get a precise price from seamstress, I ask my clients 2 questions: Was it an expensive purchase? Are you attached to it for sentimental reasons? If the answer is no to both questions above, some repairs like a zipper on a jacket, a coat or the back of a dress might not... Continue reading

Infuse Your Nightcap with Negroni Bianco Bergamotto from Negroni: More than 30 Classic and Modern Recipes for Italy’s iconic Cocktail (Ryland Peters & Small, 2021) by David T. Smith and Keli Rivers. NEGRONI BIANCO BERGAMOTTO Italy is the home of the Negroni and this variation includes a few extra ingredients from the bel paese. The Italicus Bergamotto liqueur not only comes in a bottle that is itself a work of art, but it is flavored... Continue reading

I don't have any car wash on my work schedule right now but I do have a few dozen gift bags to distribute all over New York later this week. I plan to do as many stops as possible Wednesday, hopefully still a fairly dry day. And, as a precaution, I purchased a large box of clear bags to protect the goods from the elements. A look at the weather forecast influences how this New... Continue reading

French air dry their laundry, Japanese their fish, balcony a plus. What you... Continue reading

One off, Thankfully! Key snapped in two as I was locking a door. I had to break the news to my client. Early pandemic work stories (March 2020) for Concierge Mondays # 10 Continue reading

No connection whatsoever between snow melting and this week selection, Artisan Pizza and Craft Beers of the Pacific Northwest, our 2 books for Friday Book Giveaway Number 6. Book cleaning before Spring... First, Artisan Pizza, To Make Perfectly At Home (Kyle Books, 2015) by Giuseppe Mascoli of Franco Manca and Bridget Hugo. Secondly, Craft Beers of the Pacific Northwest (Timber Press, 2011) by Lisa M, Morrison -Question: City where Timber Press is based First come... Continue reading

Giving an estimate can be just that: giving an estimate. I want clients to keep that in mind on occasion. When some jobs take me to New York City, even now, travel time can be hard to predict. If many stops are part of the picture, it adds to the uncertainty. In these cases, I give an estimated price for the job based on details that are given to me, and make that clear to... Continue reading

After skipping last Friday due to a cold, Naturally Lean and Foolproof Freezer Cookbook are 2 Book Giveaway Number 5 lineup. Each Giveaway is a Twofer, book cleaning before Spring. First, plant based and gluten free recipes in Naturally Lean (Da Capo Lifelong, May 2016) by Allyson Kramer Secondly, Foolproof Freezer Cookbook (Kyle Books, 2011) by Ghillie James. -Question: Where is Ghillie James currently residing? First come first serve. E-mail your answers to: s.ls [at]... Continue reading