One of the heartwarming moments I witness on a daily work is watching entire families on their bicycles. I see couples walking together through the neighborhood. As I walk through my neighborhood, I smile when I observe children chalk drawing on the sidewalk outside their house, mothers and fathers sitting in the yard with them. Some of the chalk drawings are simply amazing – there are some great upcoming artists that will come out of this.

A heart warming story comes out of Venice…neighbors who live by the restaurant C & O Trattoria came out on their balconies and sang That’s Amore – something that they have heard every night since 1992. Owner Debbi Singer saw a post on instagram that it was going to happen and said that it touched her heart…”Who knew how many people care. My daughter and I walked over to the restaurant, and it was so quiet. We followed the voices to an alley two blocks North of C&O…and thats Amore!!  CLICK HERE to watch the video.

During this time of isolation, so much social engagement is happening all around us. Take it all in. The flowers are starting to bloom, Spring is peeking out. If there is anything that we can cherish during this otherwise stressful time, is that this is a temporary moment in our culture, so let’s take advantage and utilize it the best way we can.

As a writer, I have always worked from home. Sitting on my couch with my laptop and 1-2 cats lounging on me is the norm for me. But being a workaholic, is also one of my own disadvantages. Keeping up with tight deadlines is what I am good at. And of course going out to art parties is an important part of my business….yes its the BEST part of my business.

So, as soon as the order came to shelter at home, I thought, great, I can catch up on all my work. There will no longer be any events to post, so I can catch up on my other articles (with soft deadlines), and I even started a massive update/backup on my very large subscriber list. Whew! I’m still in the midst of this project. Of course now we are starting to receive more online viewing events and video exhibition walk-throughs, etc. So I am pretty busy and trying to keep my assistant employed at least on a part-time basis.

If you haven’t already set up some sort of routine, I highly recommend it. Instead of booking online meetings and sectioning off writing times, I am now taking a power walk every day. I used to take a walk 3-4 times a week, but often due to deadlines, I would end up going out late, or not at all. Now I go out on my favorite time of day (when the sun is best). Take some photos and use the #Dailyblooms and we may feature it on our sister site’s instagram –  EatTravelGo.com


I have learned is to set aside time for me, and my husband. I am a very organized person, and have found that when one works from home, one needs to schedule tasks. I usually work in hourly segments. Priority deadlines have to be dealt with early in the day, right after I have assigned jobs to my assistant. Next softer deadlines are handled – this continues well into the night. Yes I am guilty of taking my mac to bed where I work sometimes until 2am, while my husband snores into the night. Good news – I am NO LONGER doing this. I have been ‘attempting’ to shut the computer down early (between 6-8pm). Last night I watched a movie without working (usually I work through it). No kidding, we shut the lights, and my husband and I watched a movie. This is big for me. What I am saying is…whatever your vice is, this is the time to undo it. Create a movie night with your family or with you and your cat or dog. Do something nice for yourself. Take a bubble bath, view some online art of stream some videos. Bake some cookies. Engage with friends on Zoom, or FaceTime – set up some snacks, open a bottle of wine, or beer, or have a cocktail. Have your own virtual party with your friends. Check out our Performing Arts Page, our Culinary Arts Page, and of course LAArtParty’s Visual Arts Page to find all sorts of fun things to do at home.

A longtime friend of mine lives in Greenwich Village, and another lives on the East side of New York city. They both told me every night at 7pm, the sound of thunderous applause emanates from all of the windows in the urban canyon of buildings. New Yorkers are offering gratitude to the healthcare workers on the frontline. How inspiring is that? Born and raised in New York, I can tell you firsthand, the apartments are small. The average person does not have a patio – some live in one room (a studio). My family lives in NYC. I am in constant contact with them. My sister’s entire family is hit with some type of illness, but they were told they could NOT be tested unless they were very ill. Fortunately, they are not….so like the rest of us, they will have to wait till after the fact to see if they had contracted Covid-19.

If you are looking to dream about your next vacation, or dining experience, feel free to check out our sister site EatTravelGo.com. The Destinations section of the website offers more travel suggestions while the Stories Section features articles about inspirational ordinary people who has started their lives over in a new location, artists, chefs….we have lots more to come. I am wrapping up two more articles as I write this – so stay tuned. Also if you are a great cook, and have some easy recipes you would like to chair, we will post it on our FB page and of course give you credit – send with a photo if you have. We can also post it on instagram and link it back to FB.

These next few weeks will be very scary, so  please STAY IN. Feel free to take a walk around your neighborhood..but Be safe – I miss you all, and can’t wait till the art parties are back…I’ll see you out there!