White Horse ‘inside story’
To The Editor:
Re “Whoa! Call to landmark White Horse interior” (news article, March 14):
Having worked at The White Horse for five years in the 1980s I can tell you that those walls have treasured stories, and not only the walls but floors as well!
One of my favorite stories was from the ’70s when the assistant night porter had a crash pad in the basement that was only accessible by an outdoor metal entrance, locked at night, or the trapdoor behind the bar.
There were wonderful impersonations of the storied characters and the aplomb the bartender offered as he waved the porter and his lady friends down the steps as all activity by the taps came to a standstill, a full bar of waiting patrons notwithstanding.
The shenanigans are just a humorous sidebar to the resonant beauty of the tap room’s hollow echoing floor. The Emerald Society’s bagpipers ballads have made the most of its amplification for their yearly St. Patrick’s Day visit for decades, and if this is already something else lost to time, we can mourn now. Please landmark The White Horse interior, if not the added rooms, at least the original pair that include the corner tap room. Once New York’s historical gems are tossed away, the whole island will just be another nameless anonymous strip mall.
Veronica Marino
Bring back deliveries, Joe!
To The Editor:
Re “Johnson urges Trader Joe’s to do deliveries” (thevillager.com, March 15):
We’ve been be-Trade! The bargains are delicious, but hauling bags of groceries up and down the subway stairs is no picnic. Three bells, Trader Joe’s! Please reinstate the delivery service.
Susan M. Silver
Pat’s spirit lives on
To The Editor:
Re “Patricia Winters-Liotta, 60, a saint with a scissors” (obituary, March 14):
My friend Pat took over after my other haircutter Frank died. She and I became friends and would go out to dinner after I got a haircut. I loved her spirit and we always laughed and had fun. Several times she invited some of her friends to join us and it was always fun.
I went to her for many years and watched her son grow up, saw her get married to Andrew and create a lovely home in Atlantic Beach that she invited me to, and even saw her fishes in the backyard.
I always assumed she would be my friend forever. She has left us but her spirit lives on. I am glad her son will keep the shop open. Long live Pat.
Bob Seligson
Think about brain injury
To The Editor:
Since 1997, I’ve tackled the ongoing daily ups-and-downs of my own wholly life-altering traumatic brain injury, caused by Con Edison’s now so-called stray voltage. Much of the media’s limited focus when they cover the more “sensational” incidents emphasizes “remarkable recoveries,” “exceptional care” and “vast support.”
The typical brain injury story actually is usually a very complex, erratic, gritty and lasting one, with no less inspiring or heroic elements than the media models. Many of the injury’s symptoms are often recognized only by its survivors or the most sensitive care providers, who themselves are likely to be baffled by the overwhelmingly and even contradictory array of systemic challenges.
Improved awareness and care may begin by obtaining information from organizations like the Brain Injury Association of America (biausa.org), by encouraging more in-depth representation in the media, and by fair and compassionate action by our legislators and healthcare providers.
Phil Vanaria
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