Why I Miss Bill Clinton (and other thoughts):

This afternoon, I experienced the most moving and effective historical home tour I've ever been on. And I've done a few, including homes belonging to George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, the Brucemore estate, and, of course, the Glensheen Mansion. All of these sites have in common the rarity and/or beauty of their previous occupants' possessions and stature. However, the mission of the museum curating the historical residence I toured today has an entirely different purpose: to preserve what was a common, ordinary dwelling for thousands of immigrants between 1864-1935.

From my experience this afternoon,The Lower East Side Tenement Museum executes its mission with a great deal of intelligence, sensitivity, and care. Most impressive was the extent to which the museum has sought to personally include prior residents or their descendants in telling the stories that lived between the walls and passed through the hallways of one tenement building. I was especially moved that one descendant who had given a great deal of information and time to the effort was killed in the World Trade Tower on 9/11. His family decided that his memorial would be the ongoing telling of his ancestors' story at the tenement, including the showing of his picture during each tour of his family's apartment.

Next time you're in NYC, don't miss this!