By Caitlin Hawke

If you are like me, your jaw drops when you enter some of the Art Deco lobbies in our city.  And I love it when coops and landlords tend to the preservation of these details.  Of course, right here in Bloomingdale we have our iconic Master Apartments building (aka The Master and The Master Building).  It has the magnificent haut Deco Riverside lobby where an event will be held this Thursday featuring Tony Robins's book on this very topic (details in the flyer below). That building, at 310 Riverside Drive, is such a fine specimen from 1929 that just last year it was entered on the National Register of History Places. I've blogged about 310 Riverside Drive here.

Thanks to both the arrival of the IRT, the invention of the elevator and New Yorkers' thirst for modernism, Deco buildings sprung up around Bloomingdale.  The Cliff Dwelling (243 Riverside Drive) and its interior and exterior Deco details rivals The Master -- in a good way.

In the meantime, check out the event this Thursday.  There's a discount for neighbors who'll get the Landmark West members rate.  A bit pricey at $20, but if you love this era as I do, it's probably worth your time and do re mi.  I suspect the walking tour that Tony Robins will be giving after the slideshow on Thursday will be well worth the price of admission. And it's always a thrill to see the Riverside lobby of The Master.

Are you a Deco fanatic?  Live in a sublime example of this art form?  Send me a shot of your lobby or your building. I'll blog it: [email protected].
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By Caitlin Hawke

Please note the correct address for the Bloomingdale Library branch is 150 W. 100th Street (not 103rd Street as written in the prior blog post).  Come on out this Wednesday at 5 p.m.  Details below.

By Caitlin Hawke

Thanks to BAiP's Panel Committee, the upcoming June 7th panel features two Columbia University scientists presenting the latest work in neuropsychology and the aging process: "The Aging Brain and How to Keep It Fit."  This panel isn't just for the older adults among us! 

It will be held on Wednesday at 5 pm (til 6:45) at the Bloomingdale Branch of the New York Public Library, 150 W. 100th Street in the Community Room on the 2nd floor.

So, does it boil down to good genes?  Or is it a matter of 'use it or lose it' when it comes to keeping cognitively fit? You might be surprised how compelling the research that argues for staying physically active is for keeping sharp.  Speakers will present latest research and some strategies that might be helpful.

Here's the line up. Hope you can join us.  I'll be moderating it, wearing my work hat as Senior Science and Strategy Officer at the Columbia Aging Center.

Speakers:

Dr. Richard Sloan is Nathaniel Wharton Professor of Behavioral Medicine.  Among his research pursuits as a behavioral scientist, Dr. Sloan examines the effects of exercise for the prevention or slowing of age-related changes in the brain.

Dr. Anna MacKay-Brandt is a neuropsychologist specializing in geriatrics who will speak about evidence-based strategies to improve memory.  BAiP's Caitlin Hawke, who is Senior Science and Strategy Officer at the Columbia Aging Center, will moderate. With articles -- like this one from last week's New York Times -- regularly recommending strategies to stave off memory loss through behavior modification, we thought the research focus of this panel would be compelling to BAiP's members.