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Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary died on Jan. 7, 2025, at age 86.(AP Photo\/Kathy Willens, File)<\/p>\nHi Neighbor,<\/p>\n
Struggling with New Year\u2019s resolutions? Shutterfly, the photo company giant that allows you to produce personalized Christmas cards, photobooks and that kind of thing, has come up with a bunch of ideas. One-hundred-and-one to be precise. <\/p>\n
I love #1: \u201cTry one new restaurant every month.\u201d #43 is a good one: \u201cCreate a better work-life balance.\u201d #83 is fun: \u201cKeep a plant alive \u2014 or become a full plant parent.\u201d But #100 is my favorite: \u201cCreate a legacy project \u2014 something meaningful you\u2019ll contribute in 2026.\u201d <\/p>\n
I kind of do that in reverse: A look back at the previous year to see if we\u2019ve made a difference. Has our newspaper, our reporting, had an impact? Have we been good neighbors? <\/p>\n
I could list all the impact projects our team accomplished in 2025. But I received an email from a friend who, with his wife, have really made a difference on Staten Island. <\/p>\n
Rich and Lois Nicotra have changed the landscape of our West Shore with two beautiful hotels and a string of Class A office buildings. Along the way, they changed the image of Staten Island. Rich shared some thoughts about what we do at the Advance. Today, I\u2019m honored to share them with you. Take it away, Mr. Nicotra . . .<\/p>\n
By Richard Nicotra<\/p>\n
We left the hotel last night around 11 p.m. and got home just in time to see the tail end of the 11\u2019oclock news. We saw the first part of Saturday Night Live . . . falling asleep after the opening monologue.<\/p>\n
I got up at 5:30 this morning, had a cup of coffee with Lois as we were staring at our beautiful view of Staten Island. We watched Sunday Mass on our laptop and then went to our garage, which is now our gym, and walked on the treadmill for more than an hour while watching our favorite TV show, Sunday Morning with Jane Pauley. <\/p>\n
We watched intently the segment they do at the end of every year, of the people we lost this year. So many great people have left us, but one in particular hit a chord — Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary fame. I was a big fan of their music and we were actually at his townhouse on the upper West Side of Manhattan many, many years ago for a fundraiser for World Hunger Year. <\/p>\n
Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary died on Jan. 7, 2025, at age 86.(AP Photo\/Kathy Willens, File)<\/p>\n
After working in my home office for a couple of hours doing end-of-year stuff, Lois asked if I wanted a quick lunch. Still trying to lose weight, a protein shake, an apple and crackers with peanut butter was the feast that awaited me. <\/p>\n
On my way to the kitchen, I passed a little gallery in my house where I have photos of famous people we met and important pictures of family and company events. In that room, I have a gigantic book that the photographer, Annie Liebowitz, did of her most famous photographs. Ironically, the double page spread was opened to a beautiful closeup of Peter, Paul and Mary. <\/p>\n
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Folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary. Fom left, Mary Travers, Paul Stookey and Peter Yarrow, perform at a Los Angeles benefit to aid to Cambodian refugees on Jan. 30, 1980. (AP Photo\/George Brich)AP<\/p>\n
Taking that as a sign, I hit my Pandora account to the Peter, Paul and Mary station. I had my delicious protein shake lunch and took a break to go to my front door to collect my SI Advance and the NY Times. <\/p>\n
Since I had a little time and was feeling melancholy about Peter Yarrow while listening to his music, I decided to sit and read the papers for a while. <\/p>\n
I always read the Advance first and leave The Times for later in the day.<\/p>\n
As I was reading, it occurred to me again, how the Advance has played such an important part of my life and so many Staten Islanders\u2019 lives. Even though I read the articles online, it was different this morning, holding the paper in my hands and reading about Staten Island stories.<\/p>\n
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Megan Coppola is being honored with a 2026 Lou Miller Award(Courtesy of Megan Coppola)<\/p>\n
The first story was about Megan Coppola, who is receiving the Louis Miller Award. She owns a coffee shop in West Brighton called Beans and Leaves. What a wonderful story and one that makes me want to send her an email to tell her how I admire her and what she has accomplished. We can\u2019t wait to meet her in person on February 12 when she gets the award at the Hilton. <\/p>\n
The other article I read was about Robert Mosci. We have been to the Carlyle many times. We even have Bobby Short\u2019s piano stool from the Carlyle on Lorenzo\u2019s stage. I heard that Robert played there sometimes and I even know that his wife is a wonderful Staten Island artist and I really like the type of art she does.<\/p>\n
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Patrons at the packed Bemelmans Bar at the Carlyle Hotel were treated to a celebrity singalong when actor and comedian Bill Murray did an impromptu duet with Robert Mosci, a beloved Staten Island musician and pianist, who was singing at the swanky Manhattan hotel. (Courtesy Robert Mosci)Courtesy Robert Mosci<\/p>\n
The story about Paul McCartney tapping Robert on his shoulder is priceless. It is so sad that a man with such talent and the same age as me, is no longer with us. It is sobering. His wife, Sarah, is also very talented. What is also sad, is that I never really got to know either of them, even though they are our Staten Island neighbors. I am going to reach out to Sarah; perhaps Lois and I can have lunch with her to learn more about her and Robert.<\/p>\n
Turning the pages of the Advance, I read \u201cNotes from the Editor\u201d and I do remember Richmond Chandelier. I bought Lionel trains at Sterner & LaBlanc, and spent a lot of time in the Forest Avenue Shoppers Town.<\/p>\n
I remember when my mother told AL Lambert, who worked JC Penney, to watch me so she could continue to shop there. Al loves to tell the story of me pressing all the buttons on his cash register and driving him crazy. <\/p>\n
And a real Staten Islander would remember Majors Department store and the great hotdogs that you would get from the lady at the Sears Roebuck store followed by walking to Neisner\u2019s to listen to Charlie the Talking Bird.<\/p>\n
And yes, I remember E.J. Korvettes; and I remember the manager asking my mother to leave the store after she used a few choice words about the price of a lamp.<\/p>\n
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On their 46th wedding anniversary, Lois and Richard Nicotra celebrated the ribbon-cutting of the newly renovated Lois and Richard Nicotra Heart Institute at Northwell’s Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH). June 3, 2025.(Advance\/SILive.com | Jan Somma-Hammel)STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE<\/p>\n
And Lois, a great West Brighton girl, remember Lucci\u2019s and Wallich\u2019s Camera Shop with great fondness.<\/p>\n
Another page talks about a new travel lane on Victory Boulevard, where Tina\u2019s Diner used to be, to make room for a new McDonald\u2019s. I remember waiting on the corner of Bradley and Victory for the bus to take me to St. Rita\u2019s school. I also remember breaking my elbow on that corner while playing ball, and still going to class. I was afraid to tell the nun until the pain was so bad that I almost passed out. <\/p>\n
I also saved the page of the 10 best movies; we\u2019re hoping to see some of them in the coming year on Netflix. I love seeing the page with the ad for Lorenzo\u2019s Cabaret shows; we\u2019re always trying to push them. And love the article about the Holocaust survivors, especially after seeing the movie \u201cNuremberg\u201d with Russell Crowe several weeks ago.<\/p>\n
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As newspapers across the country eliminate their print products, the Staten Island Advance continues.<\/p>\n
As I folded the paper to put it down, I thought about what an enjoyable time I had in the last hour, reading the Staten Island Advance and bringing back so many memories and reinforcing my belief that Staten Island is a wonderful place to live and work and it is filled with wonderful, beautiful people. <\/p>\n
And finally as I took the paper to bring to Lois so she could read it, I saw another page that reprints articles from the past. Today\u2019s page was from December 28, 1988. The article was about a local Staten Island artist who painted romance novel covers. The artist\u2019s name was Roseann Nicotra. I lost my sister last year and I have been thinking a lot about her over these last couple of weeks.<\/p>\n
Maybe it is the time of the year, but reading the article made me smile and I was happy that she got a little bit of recognition for creating such beautiful art. <\/p>\n
Hell! I am not even going to read The Times now. I am throwing it in the garbage. LOL!<\/p>\n