New York Times

Every August, Chris Gaudreau, who owns the Racquet Koop here, and four employees set up shop in a trailer and spend up to 17 hours a day stringing about 500 tennis rackets during the nine-day Pilot Pen tournament. The Pilot Pen, beginning this weekend at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale… Read more...

Dear Diary, The Metro-North New Haven train was packed with Yankee and Red Sox fans, en route to Game 3 of the opening Yanks/Sox series. As the train neared the 125th Street Station, the conductor, instead of saying, “Harlem 125th Street next,” said, “Have fun at the game, folks.” He paused and… Read more...

Dear Diary, Back in the day, families and friends of marathon runners waited for hours for their loved ones to pass by. They would tell the runner in advance precisely where they would be standing, and hope they connected. Then came the cellphone, allowing runners to offer location and commentary…. Read more...

Dear Diary, My wife and children and I were flying Song Airlines to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The flight attendants, playful and funny throughout the flight, said as we landed: ‘’Be sure to check the seats and overhead compartment for all of your belongings. What you don’t take can be reclaimed… Read more...

Spotted by Howard Blas on a sign at Kyoto Sushi on Lexington Avenue between 83rd and 84th Streets: ‘’Early bird special: chicken teriyaki.'’ Howard Blas Read more...

Dear Diary, We had recently moved to New Haven from Manhattan. The week before Passover, on the first nice day in quite some time, I followed the custom of car owners in the suburbs and went to the car wash. I was prepared for the sales job that awaited me: the attempt to sell an interior and… Read more...

Dear Diary, The place is the entrance to Riverside Park at 84th Street, where Joseph Dembo notices a tiny woman talking to her tiny dog. As he saunters by he hears the woman say, “I have enough neuroses of my own, Toby, therefore I can’t cope with yours.” . . . The place and time: a crowded M66 bus… Read more...