The Memorial Day weekend saw the city full of sailors, sales and the smell of barbecues. Mainly ours. From our midtown mezzanine we produced enough smoke to make pastrami, and as well as the crunchy black charr, the taste of the sausages was not far from it. But tomato sauce and sunshine can make all the difference, and there’s nothing wrong with pretending…

Pulling a few strings that afternoon in Washington Park was Ricky Syers, a puppeteer with a special gift for people and performance. He has made puppets for Superbowl commercials, transformed the lives of Greenwich Village locals, and made the day of many a passer-by. Not to mention dogs. Who could resist a cute little puppy that rushes to greet you, waits for you to throw the ball and then flies effortlessly through the air? There was much canine confusion, but Ricky, who creates his puppets from whatever is at hand, made no illusion about who his best friend really is – a polyester-anian!