by Laura Matiz 

The Thanksgiving Holiday is my favorite holiday because it is about sitting around with family and friends and enjoying a hearty meal that I prepare once a year. The holiday is about going to Central Park to watch the start of the parade from the rocks bordering Central Park West; it is about the annual football game the kids and my husband play that morning; and of course, it is about the gradual arrival of family and friends from out of town. 

Thanksgiving is also a perfect time to reflect on how fortunate we are and to recall the many traditions that have been handed down from prior generations. On our Thanksgiving table, Nana's Pumpkin Bread is one such tradition. Our family has been enjoying this moist delicious bread for close to 50 years. I am happy to share this recipe with all. It is always the first to go.

Happy Thanksgiving!

by Laura Matiz

As a long-time New Yorker, I recall looking down Park Avenue from the Upper East Side and seeing the Pan Am building visually closing the avenue's horizon. The Pan Am building, with its futuristic rooftop helipad, was a symbol of sophisticated air travel. The building's architecture, though, did not win many admirers and when the helipad was closed after a major accident in 1977, it lost any remaining jet-age luster. 

The view downtown changed slightly when the current Met Life sign replaced the iconic Pan Am sign in the early 1990s, but the view is in the midst of a major shake up with the addition of the new skyscraper at 432 Park Avenue scheduled to be finished in 2015. This 1,396 feet high needle building will have 96 floors and certainly grabs your attention as you look down Park Ave. 

The Fall/Winter 2014 issue of Elliman Magazine, Douglas Elliman's premier lifestyle and real estate magazine, has been released. The newly designed issue contains a mix of DE's most spectacular properties and insider stories. Don't miss the Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens editorials featuring coverage of our Knicks partnership, the Brooklyn Navy Yard and amazing food throughout Queens. 

"We're very excited to share the new look and feel of ELLIMAN with our readers," said Dottie Herman, President and CEO of Douglas Elliman. "This great new mix of news, interviews, profiles, and features offers our readers an intimate taste of the communities we serve while demonstrating the power of our new global reach."

The printed magazine is almost 250 pages. It is also available for iPhone and Android through the Apple App store and Google Play or you can view it below. 

by Laura Matiz

From its humble beginnings in 1970 when only 127 runners showed up to the starting line with only 55 men finishing the race, the New York City marathon has grown to become one of those quintessential gatherings that make New York City the crossroads to the world. It is also one of those Sundays that becomes a real estate holiday. Few brave brokers take out clients on marathon day in a city that is mostly gridlocked and impassible. Instead, we walk to First Avenue or to the Drive in Central Park to cheer on the laboring runners, commenting on how uncomfortable some of them appear. Their reward still miles away.