MONDAY: U.S. SURGEON GENERAL DR. VIVEK MURTHY TO HOLD TOWN HALL IN SAN FRANCISCO ON COMMUNITY, CONNECTION, AND HEALTH
(San Francisco, CA.) – On Monday, May 2, at 6:30 p.m. PST, the Surgeon General of the United States, Dr. Vivek Murthy, will hold a town hall at Manny’s in San Francisco. He and Manny Yekutiel, founder of Manny’s, will participate in a fireside chat about rebuilding a more connected society as the nation continues to recover from the COVID pandemic. The fireside chat will be followed by a question-and-answer session with the audience and online participants. There will be a media availability directly following the end of the town hall. Manny’s serves as a community focused meeting and learning place in the heart of San Francisco that combines a restaurant, political bookshop, and civic events space. Manny’s goal is to create a central place to become a better informed and more involved citizen. During this town hall, the Surgeon General will discuss the physical, emotional, and societal ramifications of loneliness, and he will answer questions about how we can heal as individuals, communities, and as a society. Earlier on Monday, Dr. Murthy will also speak at The Atlantic’sIn Pursuit of Happiness Summit on the topic of community and connection. His session will begin at 2:10 p.m. PST. Appointed by President Biden and confirmed by the Senate in March 2021, Dr. Murthy serves as the “Nation’s Doctor” and is charged with promoting and protecting the nation’s public health. WHAT: Town Hall on Community, Connection, and Health with the U.S. Surgeon General and Manny Yekutiel WHEN: Monday, May 2: 6:30pm PST TIME: 6:30 P.M. PST ADDRESS: Manny’s 3092 16th Street San Francisco, California The Surgeon General will participate in a fireside chat with Manny Yekutiel to discuss why he is in San Francisco and his hopes for rebuilding after the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Murthy will then take questions from the live audience and from viewers online. Media interested in attending should contact Rocio Cruz at Rocio.Cruz@hhs.gov. ###
Above: Greek Line’s Queen Anna Maria at Boston in 1968
Mon Apr 3rd At Home in Secaucus: Lee & Rosemary are longtime cruising friends (we crossed the Pacific together, from Tokyo to Los Angeles, some twenty years ago, for example, and did a Viking Ocean trip more recently). Today, Rosemary wrote: “Lee and I returned from a spring cruise adventure on March 24th. The cruise had been planned a long time ago, not knowing if we’d be able to go or not. Well—we DID!!! We sailed on Regent Seven Seas Splendor (below)from Miami to Miami for 18 days through the Caribbean. We are just short of sailing with Regent cruises for 200 days over many years; one of our favorite cruise lines. It was one of our very best cruises everywhere – maybe our happiest. A highlight: Lee turned 100 while onboard!”
And from across the seas in England, our good friend Stephen Macey wrote following our posting about P&O and the liners Canberra & Oriana: “Amazing! Regarding the original Oriana, my first encounter with her was on 26 July 1968! And I spotted the Canberra (below, at Southampton in 1979) in the background of one of your pictures, mylast encounter with her was 45 years ago this evening, prior to docking in Southampton. As I type this, now 45 years ago, I was in the Peacock Room dancing the night away before arriving in Southampton on Sunday 3 March 1977! I must confess to starting to feel a little ‘mature’!”
Another one gone! TV characters sometimes become like friends, part of our life, our world. For many years, I was a fan of the British soap EastEnders. Today, news of the passing of June Brown, who was the iconic Dot Cotton on the long-running series. Brown first appeared in the series in 1985, the year EastEnders was created. She stayed until 1993, returning to play the same character from 1997 until 2020. An EastEnders spokesperson said: “There are not enough words to describe how much June was loved and adored by everyone at EastEnders, her loving warmth, wit and great humour will never be forgotten. June created one of the most iconic characters in Dot Cotton, not just in soap but in British television, and having appeared in 2,884 episodes, June’s remarkable performances created some of EastEnders finest moments.”
Some of her biggest storylines included Nasty Nick’s murder plot, when her son, played by John Altman, planned to poison her so he could steal her big bingo winnings to use on drugs. He changed his mind at the last minute. One of her most moving and controversial moments came when her close friend Ethel, who was terminally ill, asked Dot to help her take an overdose of morphine to end her life. Dot wrestled with her Christian beliefs but ultimately decided to leave out morphine pills for Ethel to take. Her relationship with husband Jim Branning, played by the late John Bardon, was much cherished by fans of the soap. Brown remained a favourite with viewers for years, but during a podcast interview in February 2020, she confirmed that she had left the series “for good”. In the last episode she featured in, Dot Cotton – or Dot Branning – left a voicemail message for another character, Sonia Fowler, saying she had moved to Ireland.
Tue Apr 4th At Home in Secaucus: This ‘n That: Cruise lines are finding that positioning voyages with added sea days have become especially strong sellers following the covid shutdown. … Some cruise lines are increasing their mandatory charges – such as gratuities. … It’s a cruise line staple that went away due to the pandemic, but the self-serve buffet is returning. With some modification of course, cruise giant Royal Caribbean International has brought it back.
Wed Apr 6th At Home in Secaucus: Carnival Cruise Line said on Monday that the one-week period of March 28-April 3 was its busiest booking week in the company’s 50-year history, showing a double-digit increase from the previous record seven-day booking total.
Another long-ago voyage! I had a call today from a lady who sailed from New York to Le Havre on the French liner Flandre back in Sep 1959. She returned home months later, in Apr 1960, on the very same ship and wanted to know the fate of the ship. Conservative in size by North Atlantic liner standards (only 20,000 tons and with quarters for just under 800 passengers), the Flandre (seen below at New York in Jul 1962) was commissioned in 1952, but then sold to Italy’s Costa Line in 1968 and renamed Carla C (a name later advertised as Princess Carla for a charter in the late ‘60s to then newly formed Princess Cruises and then later formally renamed by Costa itself as Carla Costa). She was again sold, in 1992, to the Greek-flag Epirotiki Lines and became the Pallas Athena. Unfortunately, she was destroyed by fire at Piraeus but two years later, on Mar 24th 1994, and then her scorched remains were sold off to Turkish scrappers later that same year.
Below: Another new face! Virgin Cruises has now added its third big cruise ship, the Resilient Lady.
Post card: Permanently moored in Rotterdam harbor, friends reported an excellent stay on the preserved, 1959-built Rotterdam. They noted, “It was as if the ship was brand new!”
Thu Apr 7th At Home in Secaucus: The restart of the global cruise industry continues to pick up pace as 300 cruise ships are expected to sail in April. That’s up from 264 ships in March, and just 22 last April. There will be 71 brands operating in April, compared to just 20 a year ago in 2021.
The Carnival Sunshine leaving Nassau in a photo by Andy Hernandez
Meanwhile below, our good friend & keen photographer Justin Zizes has been at the helm of harbor vessels – and with his trusty camera in hand. While sailing along the East River and on a moody afternoon, he captured the Brooklyn Bridge (1883) and the World Trade Center (2016).
Sat Apr 9th New York City: 90th birthday for our dear friend Des Kirkpatrick – late morning drinks in a luxurious townhouse, then to lunch (just around the corner) and then back to the townhouse for cake & Champagne. A fine tribute in every way! Des was, in his long and colorful and well-traveled life, a purser on Royal Mail Lines’ Andes and then Furness-Bermuda Line’s Ocean Monarch (seen below), and did countless cruises on the likes of the Rotterdam, Kungsholm & many others. He also worked for Lindblad Travel & so sailed off some exotic, often quite remote ports of call.
The Ocean Monarch laid-up and for sale in Cornwall’s River in a view from fall 1966.
“We congratulate Matt Haney on his victory and look forward to his representing the concerns of all San Franciscans. We look, hopefully, to his leadership in addressing some of San Francisco’s most intractable issues on crime, safety and homelessness, all of which require a unified response from City and State.”
— Kevin Carroll, President & CEO, Hotel Council of San Francisco
Tue Mar 29th At Home in Secaucus: A call today asking about the fate of Holland-America’s Ryndam of the 1950s & ‘60s. Seems the caller was on one of the ship’s “floating university cruises” back in 1968. It was a four-month voyage completely around the world but with teachers & speakers onboard while passengers were enriched, enlightened and even earned credits (through the Chapman College). The ship is seen below sailing from New York’s Pier 40.
Wed Mar 30th At Home in Secaucus: The horrific situation in Ukraine continues to receive support. The cruise industry has, of course, many Ukrainian staff & crew. Among the honorable examples, Costa Cruises will be offering housing to Ukrainian refugees on its Costa Magica (seen below). A Costa spokesman added, “We have offered one of our ships to the Italian Government to be integrated into the National Civil Protection’s plans as a potential temporary hub for Ukrainian refugees in case of growing numbers of arrivals in Italy in the coming weeks”. Meanwhile, MSC Cruises is offering refugee accommodation in Eastern Europe, particularly Rumania, and while several European river boats are to be used as refugee accommodation. Many cruise lines are allowing Ukrainian staff to break their contracts, return home and even offering return air. Of course, citizens of many countries are providing lodging in their homes. Even the Dutch & Belgian royal families are pitching-in: They are turning unused castles into temporary housing.
Possible comeback! It has been announced that the fleet of insolvent Genting Hong Kong — those ships that sailed for Crystal Cruises, Dream Cruises and Star Cruises — will likely go to auction soon. Auctions are required as part of the legal liquidation process to clear any maritime liens (necessities like fuel, crew wages, supplies, etc.) with priority that rank before mortgages. Upon sale at auction, the ships would be purchased free and clear of any liens. If there are no adequate bids, the mortgage holder could take a ship in exchange for their lien and try to sell it on their own for more money than the auction would have produced, a maritime attorney said.
A number of parties reportedly have expressed interest in the Crystal Cruises ships and some in the company as a whole. One of those parties, Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio’s Heritage Group, confirmed that ‘Heritage maintains a strong interest and we hope to be successful in acquiring [the] Crystal ocean fleet and brand.’ Before the liquidation, Genting HK is understood to have appointed Crédit Agricole — a longtime financial partner — to sell Crystal Cruises, and this process has continued under the subsequent appointment of the joint provisional liquidators. Overall, the hottest sale item is the quite new Crystal Endeavor, the most expensive and luxurious expedition cruise ship yet built. The 350-passenger Endeavor was en route (on Mar 29th) from South America to lay-up in London/Tilbury while the larger Crystal Serenity & Crystal Symphony were in the hands of caretaker crews and lying off Freeport in the Bahamas.
Out of the Basket! Cruise fares, which were very often very low following the long Covid shutdown, are now climbing. Bookings are up and 65% of Americans say they would rather vacation than, say, buy a new car. … More & more ships are returning to service and restricted capacities are now gradually being increased.
Thu Mar 31st At Home in Secaucus: Thanks to geopolitical tensions surrounding Russia’s war in Ukraine, there will soon be a new world’s longest flight — sort of. Cathay Pacific’s service from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) will soon take considerably longer as the airline avoids Russian airspace. Instead of taking a conventional great circle routing that brings departures out of Kennedy over Greenland, Russia, Mongolia and China, the new flight path will bring Cathay’s flights on a more southerly route over the North Atlantic Ocean, Great Britain, continental Europe, the Black Sea and Turkey.
WHY: After two canvas free, COVID-cloistered years, the internationally acclaimed Art Market San Francisco returns to San Francisco, marking the occasion with its new official cultural partner The Union Square Alliance highlighting ten Union Square Galleries: Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Cloe Gallery, Christopher-Clark Fine Art, CK Contemporary, Hang Art, K Imperial Fine Art, Maybaum Gallery, Nancy Toomey Fine Art, Scott Richards Contemporary Art and Sin Titúlo. On Saturday April 23 (7:30pm – 9:30pm) CK Contemporary (246 Powell Street) will celebrate the cultural vibrancy of Union Square and support Union Square Alliance as an Art Market SF official cultural partner by hosting anevent that will include drinks from Union Square establishment ENO Wine Bar, as well as San Francisco based Subtle Spirits and small bites from Bluestem Restaurant & Market.
“There is no greater economic magnifier than art,” said Marisa Rodriguez, Union Square Alliance Executive Director. “Long known as the center of San Francisco’s gallery landscape, Union Square is showing off its renewed vibrancy in this recognition by Art Market SF as a true cultural hub and partner. The excitement is palpable, especially as crowds of art lovers return to the district in force for the first time in two years.”
Art Market San Francisco is the Bay Area’s premier art fair, taking place April 21-24 at Fort Mason Center. International attendees discover, discuss, and acquire works from 75 established and innovative modern and contemporary art galleries from around the world.
“The Cultural Partner program is a way for the fair to engage with a range of regional, cultural organizations,” noted Rodriguez. “This program expands the fair’s footprint beyond the gallery walls and their clients, to engage with the local community in a multitude of ways. The goal of this expansion is to support and contribute to the existing, ongoing cultural conversations here in Union Square – exactly what the mission of the Union Square Alliance is all about.”
About the Union Square Alliance: The Union Square Alliance serves members and creates a high-quality visitor experience by managing and activating public spaces, attracting new investment, and advocating for the District’s future success. Union Square is the vibrant heart of San Francisco and an international destination where visitors come to enjoy exceptional retail experiences, luxury hotels, world-class cultural institutions, and great public spaces found only in the City by the Bay. A lively 27-block community surrounding Union Square Park in the heart of San Francisco makes up the Union Square Alliance. It is generally bordered on the north by Bush Street, on the east by Kearny Street, on the south by Market Street and on the west Taylor Street. For more information on the Alliance, go to www.visitunionsquaresf.com
CK Contemporary represents the very best in contemporary American and European artists working across a broad range of styles and media. While realism and representational art has long been the focus of the gallery, we continue to showcase artists whose distinct points of view set them apart within genres as far ranging as abstraction to still life. In addition to its roster of contemporary artists, CKC has developed a number of artist estates, primarily of mid-century American painters. Located in San Francisco’s historic Union Square, CK Contemporary is committed to new and experienced collectors who desire a skillful steward in the acquisition of paintings, drawings and sculpture that are both timeless and unique.
Set in the heart of Union Square, San Francisco ENO Wine Bar and Merchant is a casual wine bar and retailer of fine wine for those seeking a new adventure in wine. With a diverse selection of wine by the glass/bottle for here or to-go, ENO will enhance and entice your taste for the city’s abundant wine offerings. Excite your thirst for something new with an easygoing evening with friends or loved ones. Here at ENO, first-time sippers and worldly wine travelers alike are welcome to swirl, savor and sip their way to a relaxing experience in the very center of the City by the Bay.
Subtle Spirits is a contemporary independent bottling brand pairing each release with original label art. There is nothing subtle about our spirit, and from the beginning, we knew we had to do it differently. Our spirits aren’t intended to be categorized; they are meant to be experienced. With each release, we capture a place in time, dynamic like the artist whose work is featured on the bottle. Each one is personal to us because they represent real moments or ideas in our life, our story unfolding in real-time.
Bluestem Restaurant & Market is a spirited gathering place created to foster connection and serve people for how we eat and drink today, on the go, in the moment or somewhere in between. Our California coastal fare marries the vibrant bounty of ingredients native to Northern California, with the diverse cultural influences of the many immigrant groups who continue to plant roots in the region.
