NYC - 4th and final installment!

Everyone has their own idea of what NYC is all about. Their own reason for wanting to go there... For me it's the Broadway Shows. They are "numero uno" for me - my reason for going, my number one priority. Some of the ladies who go on this annual trip are all about shopping. Not me. I'd rather put my money into Show tickets. I don't need to eat in fancy restaurants or come home with seven new pairs of shoes. I'm happiest sitting in a Broadway theatre each night to see a show of my choice. I prefer to buy my tickets ahead of time and know I'm going to see what I want. You won't see me spending precious hours in line at the TKTS booth in Times Square to try to get a "cheaper" ticket to whatever show might be available. No sirree. Of course there are always a number of shows on my "want to see" list, but you have to narrow it down and make your choices. This time we chose the Disney show Newsies, The Trip to Bountiful, and the new Motown. All excellent choices. I've already

told you about Newsies here. On Saturday night we went to The Trip to Bountiful at the Stephen Sondheim theatre. It's the first time I've gone to a non-musical, but we had good reason for this choice. You see, it starred Cicely Tyson, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Vanessa Williams. Wouldn't you choose it too?  It. Was. AMAZING! I could hardly take my eyes off Miss Tyson. She is one incredible actress. She is just months short of her eightieth birthday, (glad I googled her biography- I've been telling everyone she was older than that - sorry!) and she's doing 8 shows a week on Broadway. She had the majority of the lines in the show and never missed a beat. The show was 2 hours and 20 minutes long and I hardly moved in my seat. To quote my roommate at the end of the show- "You feel like you've really seen something special. Like Oprah says - It was a moment." The entire audience was enthralled with the performance- the standing ovation went on and on and on... Even Whoopi Goldberg, yesterday on The View, was expounding on Tyson's amazing performance. (She won a 2013 Tony "Best Actress" Award for this role.) Tyson plays Carrie Watts, a senior "who has to live with a daughter-in-law who hates her and a son who does not dare take her side. While the unhappy family lives in a Houston apartment, Carrie Watts dreams of returning to
Bountiful, where she was raised. She eventually runs away and embarks by bus to her destination.... " Gooding played his role well too - the son "caught between" his mother and his wife. And what can I say about Vanessa Williams - she is beautiful, and she played the perfect bitch! If you are heading to NYC anytime soon, I would highly recommend this show...
Our final choice was Motown for a Sunday afternoon matinee at the Lunt-Fontanne theatre. Motown is the story of Berry Gordy and his journey from featherweight boxer to the music mogul who launched the careers of so many successful musicians - Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Michael Jackson and the Jackson Five, Stevie Wonder and many more. With a cast of more than 40 actors and almost 60 of the most loved Motown hits, this show had the entire audience clapping and singing along. The music was fantastic and the actress (Valisia LeKae) who played Diana Ross was most impressive- she had Diana down pat, you would almost swear it was her onstage. She had the audience in the palm of her hand, and even had people up on stage with her singing along... At the end I turned to the gentleman sitting next to me and said "I could sit through that entire show again, right now!" And he relied "So could I."
Again- one NOT to be missed if you are heading to the Big Apple anytime soon.  Sigh.... wish I was going back soon to cross a few more off my "Want to See" list... Annie, Cinderella and Pippin would be next...

The Gay Pride parade took place the weekend we were there, so there were lots of  "rainbows" flying all over the city.. even the Empire State Building was bathed in a rainbow of color at night. When we saw it Saturday night (nice clear evening) I didn't have my camera with me.. (naturally!) and on Sunday night, fog was moving in - so the top of it is obscured by fog/cloud in this photo, but it's still pretty, don'cha think?















On Sunday, because we were going to a matinee, we only had 4 hours or so to fill so we didn't venture too far. We walked east to Park Avenue to cross a few more buildings off our list. We walked through the Helmsley Building, built in 1929 as the New York Central Building, and designed by the same architects as Grand Central Terminal. Traffic flows right through this building - through two portals - one for uptown traffic and one for downtown. The top of the building is pyramidal, topped with an ornate cupola. The impressive lobby has a definite  sense of grandeur with its marble walls and bronze details. The building has changed hands several times, but when it was sold to Helmsley-Spear, Leona Helmsley ("the Queen of Mean") renamed it the Helmsley Building and in the deal it was stipulated that the name would not be changed again. It has changed hands several times since then, being owned by the Royal family of Dubai (sale price $705 million), and now by Goldman Sachs (sale price over a billion!) If you have seen the movie The Godfather, you have seen the interior boardroom...

Just up Park Avenue is the Waldorf Astoria Hotel with its twin towers- home to the rich and famous.... The hotel is a favourite with royalty  and presidents alike. There were many photos on display in the lobby of those who have stayed there... We walked in just like we belonged! Bold, eh?







The lobby is quite something - Art Deco, marble columns, with lots of mahogany and bronze... A highlight is the 148,000 piece tile mosaic on the "outer lobby" floor, depicting the drama of human existence, by French artist Louis Rigal.

We continued north and over to Fifth Avenue to visit FAO Schwartz , the oldest toy store in the USA! Can't believe I hadn't been there before! They are well known for their high quality merchandise and timeless treasures. You are greeted at the front door by a real life toy soldier and the magic begins as soon as you step in. I was excited to be there- I can just imagine how excited a child would be. We wandered around for about an hour I think, and I could easily have stayed for another hour.... The stuffed animals are strategically placed at the front of the store.. and who doesn't like soft cuddly stuffies? There are large areas dedicated to Barbie, Lego, books, candy, games, baby things, etc.etc. With three floors you could spend hours here. I was fascinated by a young man performing magic - I could have watched him all day he was SOOO good... What a FUN place it would be to work!
Well that about wraps up what I have to tell you about our 2013 NYC adventures... We left on Monday morning to head home as the temps were beginning to soar- when it's already over 80F at 5:30 a.m. you know it's time to head out! We weren't on the road long when the rain began.. then our bus broke down just outside Hartford.. Long story short- we were on 3 busses with 4 drivers to get home... We broke down in a good spot (very near a "rest area" with food and washrooms) and Trius Tours were very speedy at making alternate arrangements to get us home. All we lost was a few hours of shopping time in Portland ME. So it could have been much worse- we could have broken down on our way to NYC rather than on our way home... All in all, a great trip with some great ladies.. I feel very fortunate to have been able to go.

Peace,
Linda

“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.”  ~ A.A. Milne,  Winnie-the-Pooh

NYC 2013 Part 3

It's been a busy few days and I haven't had time to be in blogland much! I've been "running the roads" as they say - for four days straight - two trips upriver and two weekend visits to friend's cottages. It was so darned hot and humid we had to get out of town to try and cool off a bit! I hope it was cooler wherever you are! Laura was home for one day - the last she'll be home for almost a month. We were doing errands and trying to do some trip planning and organizing for Prague. Busy busy...  But now, let me tell you a bit more about my NYC visit...

After the High Line, we strolled up through Chelsea until we reached the Flatiron Building which occupies the triangular "island" where Broadway crosses Fifth Avenue at 23rd Street. I had seen this building before but never up close, and I wanted a closer look to appreciate its facade. Originally it was to be called the Fuller Building (for the Fuller Company that built it) but because of its shape it
quickly became known as the Flatiron and the name stuck. It is only 6.5 feet wide at its "prow"! Completed in 1902, it was the tallest building in NYC at 22 storeys, until it was dwarfed by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. building several months later. Many at the time thought high winds would blow it over. Because of its shape and the open expanse to its north at Madison Square Park, the wind currents around the building could be treacherous, hence the other nickname for the building, "Burnhams Folly." (Burnham was the architect.) Many were critical of its design...
As one of  the iconic New York City buildings, it is still a popular draw for tourist's photos, but it's also a functioning office building, home to several publishing companies. I was fascinated by its detailed terra-cotta facade, with classical ornamentation. Such workmanship!
With your back to the Flatiron, looking up Fifth Avenue, you can easily see the Empire State Building, 10 blocks to the north.

From Madison Square Park we walked south on Park Avenue to Union Square and strolled through the popular Green Market which is held three days a week. Here you can buy fresh vegetables, flowers, cheeses, baked goods, etc. It was filled with interesting sights, including this colorful fellow. How do you like his hairdo? Areas of his head shaved, with red spots painted on his scalp... unfortunately you can't see the lovely green stripe he was sporting on his scraggly beard.
I bought some fresh green peas in the pod from a vendor, they were so sweet and good. I love fresh peas in the summer - such a good snack...
From there we wandered east along 14th St. and ended up at Stuyvesant Square. I recall the name Stuyvesant from Edward Rutherfurd's novel - Petrus (Peter) Stuyvesant came to NYC in 1647 as the  Director-General of the New Netherland colony for the Dutch West India Company. At that time, NYC was called New Amsterdam. After wandering a bit more our feet were telling us it was time to call it a day so we jumped in a taxi to get us back to our hotel at Times Square. Warning: Some nudity ahead, stop reading now if you are easily offended...

Times Square! Now there's an interesting area! You never know what you will see. From the Naked Cowboy and Naked Cowgirl (who both should have retired "a few" years back, IMHO!!) to buskers, mimes, "painted ladies", artists who will sketch your portrait or caricature in minutes or do a cityscape with spray paint, and just about every "character" you can think of.. We saw Mickey and Minnie, Elmo, Puss in Boots, Hello Kitty, Smurfs, Batman, Spiderman, Woody, Lady Liberty, Elvis and many more.. Passing through Times Square cannot help but be entertaining, so to speak. Day or night, it's exciting and you can  always feel the pulse of the city there.

That's all for now. I will do one more post on NYC covering the Broadway Shows we saw and the rest of our trip. I am a little behind, and so busy these days. I worked on this post for several hours last night and just as I was about ready to hit "publish", I hit the wrong key and lost the whole thing.. Grrrrr...
I hope to do a Wildflower Wednesday post later today. Stay tuned...

Peace,
Linda

New York.. the city that never sleeps...

NYC Day 2 - The High Line

I find each time I visit Manhattan I become more and more interested in the history and the architecture of the city. I must re-read Edward Rutherford's novel New York. It is SO good and tells so much of the city's history and how it was built. Manhattan has so many "neighbourhoods," each with its own distinct flavour. Saturday dawned clear and sunny so we decided it was the perfect day to head to Chelsea and the High Line. This was number one on our list if we got a sunny day - to explore Chelsea and Greenwich Village. The High Line is a public park built on a historic freight rail line, elevated above the streets on Manhattan's West Side.

The High Line is currently about 1.5 miles long (still one more section to be added), and includes a variety of "spaces" - woodlands, grasslands, meadows, sundecks, seating areas, lawns, and continuous plantings of more than 300 species of perennials,  grasses, shrubs and trees. More than 4 million people visit each year, making it one of the city's most visited public parks per acre. You can view a Blooms List for each month of the year on the Friends of the High Line website here; it features a list for each section of the High Line of what you'll see blooming that month, complete with photos so you can easily identify the plants you aren't familiar with.

Being a gardener I thoroughly enjoyed our leisurely stroll along the full length - in fact when we got to the end, we both agreed we'd walk all the way back. Along with the beautiful plantings all along the way, there is interesting architecture, sculpture and art to view. A current sculpture installation is titled Busted and includes figurative sculptures, portraits and commemorative monuments.

If you enjoy history and stories of "how things happen,"  I hope you'll enjoy reading the story below of how the High Line came to be. I have taken this info from a display board at the south end. The photos throughout this post were all taken as we walked the length of the High Line.

So... "walk with me" and enjoy the scenery...

General Theological Seminary

In the 1840's the west side of Manhattan was the country's busiest industrial waterfront, with docks, factories and warehouses lining the Hudson River.  In 1847, the City of New York authorized street-level railroad tracks down 10th and 11th Avenues. Trains served the industrial buildings along the river and avenues of the west side. By the early 1850's, street-level railroad traffic was causing so many accidents that the West Side's freight corridor became known as "Death Avenue". The New York Central Railroad hired men on horseback, called the West Side Cowboys, to ride in front of trains, waving pedestrians out of the way with red flags.

Wall sculpture of tin and mirrors

After decades of debate about the dangerous conditions on "Death Avenue", in 1929 the City of New York and the New York Central Railroad began the West Side Improvement, a massive infrastructure project to eliminate street-level rail corridors. This project transformed the west side of the city, eliminating 105 street-level railroad crossings and included an elevated section of track below West 34th Street, now known as the High Line.

Lawn area for sunbathing/picnicing

Five years later the High Line opened as an active freight rail line, running from West 34th where it connects to an underground network of tracks to St. John's Park Terminal  at Spring Street. Thirty feet above the street, the High Line was designed to connect directly to the upper-floor loading docks of factories and warehouses, allowing trains to roll through buildings with deliveries of milk, meat, produce and other goods. For three decades after it was built, the High Line delivered so much of the city's fresh food, it was nicknamed the "Lifeline of New York."

By the 1960's, industrial use began to decline on Manhattan's west side. The advance of the Interstate highway system and the growth of the trucking industry lead to a slowing of rail traffic on the High Line and at other railroads across the United States. In the 1960's the southernmost section of the High Line was demolished and by the 90's another section would be demolished.
In the 1970's a group of local property owners lobbied for the High Line's demolition, calling the structure a blight on the neighbourhood. Chelsea resident, activist and railroad buff Peter Obletz challenged the demolition efforts in court and tried to re-establish rail service on the High Line. Obletz eventually purchased the High Line for $10 from the railroad company, a transaction which was later overturned in court.
In 1980, the last freight train rolled down the High Line, carrying three carloads of frozen turkeys. Then the rail tracks sat unused and plants began to sprout. As grass and wildflower seeds were carried by the wind, insects and birds, a new soil layer formed. Gradually a wild landscape took the place of the freight trains.

In 1999, two local residents met at a board meeting where local leaders were discussing plans for demolition of the High Line. They formed a non-profit group "Friends of the High Line" to advocate for its preservation and transformation into public open space.
The rest is history- research, planning studies, a competition for design proposals, and lots of the usual "red tape." Construction finally began in the spring of 2006 and section one opened to the public in June 2009 and the second section opened two years later. The third and final section at the Rail Yards is currently underway with the first phase projected to open in 2014.

Huge apartment building

You can view the High Line Design plan here. Hover your mouse over the red circles for photos. You can also view the video and slideshow (upper right corner) for a better understanding of the whole project and its construction. The Ask a Gardener and FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) features are also interesting to read...
Our time on the High Line was such a refreshing break from the hot concrete that is Manhattan in  July! It was reasonably quiet (well, quieter than Times Square for sure!), uncrowded, relaxing and green! I would definitely walk the High Line again if I had the opportunity. It's certainly a pleasant and "different" experience for NYC! Two thumbs up from me...

Empire State Building in the distance

All windows on left side of this bldg. were installed at angles - not sure why?

 

Sundeck with chaises, and view of the Hudson River and New Jersey

Peace,
Linda

"Gardens always mean something else, man absolutely uses one thing to say another."
~ Robert Harbison

Back from The Big Apple!

I'm back! With tired feet and wearybones...  One has to have great stamina and feet that are used to pounding the pavement to really enjoy all that NYC has to offer!! I always come home with feet that feel like they will never recover (but they always do). My new walking shoes (sandals actually) from Naturalizer sure worked well, so they passed the test - they will be my shoe of choice for Prague! Yikes- that's only two weeks away!! Time to get busy with planning and more reading of guidebooks and

"Patience" outside the NYPL

websites... But for now, back to a few tales of our time in NYC.

This was my sixth visit to The Big Apple and my roommate had also been there more than a few times, so between us we have already crossed off many of the  usual "sights to see". The weather forecast at departure time was for rain, including thunderstorms and possible flash flooding, so we were not too hopeful of good weather for exploring. But we were very lucky and saw almost no rain at all, only a very brief shower on Sunday afternoon. It was hot and humid, but not uncomfortably hot so we felt very fortunate.

NYPL Lobby

Upon arrival on Friday afternoon, since our rooms would not be ready for a few hours, we decided to walk over to Fifth Avenue, through Bryant Park, to the NYC Public Library. I have walked past it a number of times but had never gone in. Known as one of the world's great cultural institutions, the library grew out of the consolidation of two private libraries, those of millionaire John Jacob Astor and real estate heir James Lenox. It took 14 years to build, and opened in 1911.

The front entrance is guarded by two stone lions, made of Tennessee marble. In the1930's Mayor LaGuardia nicknamed them "Patience" and "Fortitude", feeling that the citizens of New York would need these qualities to survive the Great Depression. The building, built of white Dorset marble and brick (the marble being about 3 feet thick), is two blocks long (40th to 42nd Streets). Its grand exterior entrance, flanked by Corinthian columns faces Fifth Avenue, and like the Met, its front steps are a popular gathering spot.

The Rose Main Reading Room

What we were most anxious to see was the Rose Main Reading Room which is on the top floor- atop 7 floors of bookstacks. This room is truly something to see - it runs the entire 2 block length of the building, (almost 300 feet) and has magnificent wood paneled 52 foot high ceilings. It is lit by massive windows and grand chandeliers, and is lined with thousands of reference books on two levels of open shelves. The large wooden tables are lit by brass lamps and hold many computers for accessing the library's collections.
Over the decades the research collections grew and it became clear they would soon outgrow their existing  

Look at those ceilings!

space. Eventually it was decided that there would have to be an expansion. In the 1980's,  miles of shelf space was added to accomodate growing collections, by excavating neighbouring Bryant Park and building  new storage facilities below ground level.
The behind-the-scenes system for moving its more than 9 million books is state of the art, (any book requested can be obtained within minutes)

Looking east on 41st St. from inside NYPL

and the library's other 21 million items include priceless manuscripts, historical maps, recordings, periodicals and photographs. The holdings are impressive and include the Gutenburg Bible, the manuscript copy of Jefferson's document that would become known as the Declaration of Independence, and a 1493 letter written by Christopher Columbus describing how  "in thirty-three days I passed from the Canary Islands to the Indies".

Of course, this is only ONE library in NYC- there are many branches throughout the 3 boroughs served (Manhattan, Bronx and Staten Island)-  82 branches with collections totalling over 53 million items!! I guess an avid reader could manage to find a good book or two to read...

















After leaving the NYPL we walked along 42nd St. to Grand Central Terminal- another building I wanted to see more of.  Grand Central Terminal is called "the gateway to the city", used by over 150,000 commuters per day plus thousands of pedestrians. The terminal opened in 1913. The beaux arts facade faces south on 42nd; above the entrance is a clock surrounded by a sculpture of Minerva, Hercules and Mercury.












The immense Main Concourse space is 120 feet wide by 275 feet long with arched windows soaring 75 feet high on either end. The building is celebrating its 100th birthday this year, hence the number 100 in its windows. The Main Concourse floor is Tennessee marble and the 125 foot high vaulted ceiling is painted to resemble the constellations.

 Although not on this trip, I have been in GCT at rush hour.. the people scurrying in all directions is dizzying.. GCT is the largest train station in the world, by number of platforms - 44 with 67 tracks along them. They are on two levels, both below ground. The terminal covers 48 acres and has over 21 million visitors per year! We strolled around the lower level Food Concourse and saw the famous Oyster Bar restaurant, and then treated ourselves to a fresh chocolate chip cookie from one of the very popular bakeries. We rationalized this by saying we needed energy to fight the crowds to get safely out of the building... That's our story and we're stickin' to it!

Outside, looking east across Lexington Avenue you can see the top of the Chrysler Building peeking above a more modern skyscraper, its stainless steel vertex easily recognizable. This Art Deco building is the favourite skyscraper of many New Yorkers and visitors alike. It was built for automobile magnate Walter Chrysler who wanted a corporate headquarters that reflected the glory of the American automobile industry. Its facade is adorned with symbols such as wheels and radiator caps, and features gargoyles that resemble Chrysler hood ornaments. The vertex is an Art Deco version of a radiator grill. Lit at night, it is a distinctive presence on Manhattan's skyline.







Built in the late 20's, this building was "in competition" with the Bank of Manhattan being constructed at  the same time down on Wall Street for which would be the tallest. After each architect added more floors to "top" the other, the Chrysler Building finally "won" when the 185 foot steel spire that had been constructed secretly was added. Opened in 1930, it was also briefly the world's tallest building, until the Empire State Building opened several months later.
So we managed to cross off these three iconic buildings in a few hours. Now it was back to the hotel to get checked in, have a short rest, clean up and change, then head off for a nice dinner at Hurleys before our Show. Hurleys is a great Irish bar and restaurant and it's literally steps from our hotel - just around the corner on 48th. I can recommend the Chicken Berry Hill- a chicken breast with asparagus, mushrooms and champagne sauce - it was sooo good... Our Show that first night was Newsies, the record-breaking Tony-award-wining Disney Musical. Based on the

real-life Newsboy strike of 1899, Newsies tells the story of Jack Kelly, a rebellious newsboy who dreams of a better life away from the big city. After publishing giant Joseph Pulitzer raises newspaper prices at the newsboys' expense, Kelly and his fellow newsies take action. It's fast-paced with lots of great music and amazing choreography. What a great way to finish off our first day in The Big Apple! Stay tuned for our Saturday adventures in NYC...
Happy 4th of July to all my American friends!!

Peace,
Linda

"I go to Paris, I go to London, I go to Rome, and I always say There is no place like New York. It's the most exciting city in the world now. That's the way it is. That's it." ~ Robert DeNiro