What We Can Do To Celebrate Memorial Day Now 😎

Dear Reader,

In the US, Memorial Day Weekend is the unofficial
start of summer.

Since we now live in the time of social distancing due to COVID-19, many Americans didn’t experience this weekend as a holiday in the traditional sense.

Usually, my husband and I would have boarded the Brighton Beach bound subway and headed to our favorite local beaches. (note: Photo is from last summer.)

While Manhattan doesn’t have any beaches, all of the other 4 boroughs (Brooklyn, Bronx, Staten Island and Queens) do. According to The New York Times, NYC beaches can attract a million people on a hot summer day.

And, beyond the city limits, beaches along the southern border of Long Island and the coast of New Jersey require a car, train, bus and/or boat to access.

Although Governor Andrew Cuomo opened New York City’s beaches, getting there still requires at least one subway ride. And we decided not to risk it ourselves or to add to the risk for essential employees.

Instead we continued our regular quarantine activities this weekend. Namely, we explored our neighborhood on foot.

We’re lucky that the NYC Parks Department takes good care of its parks.

This weekend, pinkish-lavender hydrangea peaked their flowery heads out in Gramercy Park. As did white azaleas. Nearby, beautiful yellow roses had just opened their petals to greet us.

But, for me, the most fun was pretending I had taken a trip to a European castle and met a knight in full armor. Of course, forget your dreams about Prince Charming since he doesn’t look like a very friendly chap.

But maybe he’s a bit hot under all of that metal. Or perhaps, his metal suit is getting a bit heavy. Or, more likely, he’s bored of standing in one place too long.

As you can see, I’ve my navy and white spring attire on. But I’m still wearing my mask to stay safe.

The courtyard where this knight hangs out consists of amazing stonework. While it’s common in many parts of the UK and Europe, it’s rare to see in the US.

But make no mistake—New Yorkers were out taking advantage of the sunshine.

And someone parked this yellow convertible VW Beetle in plain sight to show that the weekend wasn’t a total “lemon”.

The advertising insider joke is that VW Beetles were best known for their standout “Lemon” and “Think Small” ads.

Agency head and early Mad Man, Bill Bernbach, believed that:
Advertising’s goal was to keep customers and turn them into brand ambassadors instead of attracting people who weren’t already interested in the product.

“But there’s one little rub. Advertising is fundamentally persuasion and persuasion happens to be not a science, but an art.”

BBD Art Director Helmut Krone created the memorable VW ads. Since Volkswagen’s advertising budget was $800,000 in 1960, the ads were often black and white.