The Latest News From
Paulanne Simmons

Three decades ago, I was on a crowded subway train the day before Thanksgiving with my son Alex. Halfway through our trip a man in torn jeans and a shabby shirt came onboard, leaned against a pole and began singing “Me And Bobby McGee,” a song written by Kris Kristofferson and most famously recorded by Janis Joplin. The man was obviously looking for a handout, and many people were not listening. But he sang with such emotion and sincerity I was hooked. When he came to the l

Getting a New Coat! Thirty-seven years ago I wrote the first ad to launch the New York Cares Coat Drive. It is now the oldest such campaign in the United States. It is one of my proudest accomplishments. When I see advertsements for the campaign every fall, I am not only reminded of this accomplishment, but also of the fact that I am a year old. It's like a second birthday, only the gifts go to all the people who get new coats. In life, we don't often get the chance to play a

Rev. Gregoary's Booth The last time I went to the doctor, the first question I was asked was, “Are you depressed?” My answer was, “Who isn’t?” But if you find yourself beset by personal and existential angst these days, help can be found on Lexington Avenue every Tuesday morning. And it only costs five cents. What a bargain. Reverand Gregory P. Fryer, pastor of Immanuel Luteran Church, says every day people stop for spiritual advice. Sometimes they have more mundane issues

I bought a cowboy hat in Austin. It was my birthday, and I wanted to get myself a present. The hat makes me look ten years younger. I...

By the time I was reading comic books, Betty Boop, a Depression era phenomenon who was actually a caricature of a Jazz era flapper, had...

The excellent Broadway show Goodnight, and Goodluck did an admirable job showing the pivotal nature of Edward R. Murrow’s news...

Gorgeous! Not sure how you get to the balconies. Me, contemplating all that literature.

The beautiful house. The Stage. And you don't even have to practice! Me looking very professional.

Love Mondigliani's women! Cezanne's "The Bather" Picasso was pretty good with women too.

Beautiful Brookgreen Gardens in South Carolina These gardens are made of four plantations, one of which was owned by a man who married...

Here you can take a walk with me without ever leaving your armchair. I might visit a Greek synagogue on the Lower East Side or Santa...

These are true fans on the steps of the library on Fifth Ave.

I recently went on a history tour of Madison Square Park. It was also here that New Yorkers saw the first lit Christmas tree. And the...