My intention was to start a blog of our vacation in New York
City and update it daily. However, our days were so
full of activities that we returned each night exhausted and ready for
bed. There was no time or energy
for recording the daily delights of our excursions in the city. We have now recovered from our vacation
by relaxing at home, and I have some time to review the highlights of our New
York adventures with words and photos. So here it is!
Peter, Matthew and I arrived late on the night of Tuesday,
June 3. LaGuardia was packed with
people. Being unfamiliar with the
airport, it took us a while to locate the car sent to pick us up—a black town
car that looked exactly like dozens of others at the curb. Both the driver and I were stressed,
but the three of relaxed in comfort in the backseat while we were whisked
through Queens into Midtown Manhattan to the apartment we were renting on East
34th Street. One of the
owners, Evan, greeted us when we arrived and provided orientation to the
amenities of the building.
Day 1, June 4, 2014 (Wednesday)
Before leaving home, I had developed a busy schedule of
activities for all eight days of our vacation. Since Janelle Monae was scheduled to perform in the band
shell at Prospect Park in Brooklyn, we (I should say “I”—the guys agreed to be
led around by me for the entire vacation!) decided to spend our first day in
NYC in Brooklyn so that we could easily attend the free outdoor concert. After enjoying the bagels and cream
cheese and muffins that are available in the game room of the apartment building
for free on weekdays, we set out.
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| The Brooklyn Bridge |
We found the people in New York to be very friendly and
eager to offer assistance. We
first took advantage of this while seeking the place to purchase weekly Metro
passes. (This was a great deal!)
We took the subway (only three blocks from the apartment) south to City
Hall in order to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, a highly recommended
activity. It was a lovely, sunny
morning, and we took our time admiring the engineering feat of the bridge and
the views in all directions, stopping to read the bronze plaques describing the
history and construction of the bridge.
Arriving in Brooklyn, we strolled around tree-filled streets in Brooklyn
Heights with well-maintained brownstone and brick houses. The promenade above the waterfront
affords great views of Lower Manhattan and New York Harbor.
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| Peter and Matthew resting in Grand Army Plaza |
Our next destination was Park Slope,
another affluent neighborhood in Brooklyn adjacent to Prospect Park. Emerging from the subway, we found our
way to Grand Army Plaza, with the monumental arch commemorating the Civil
War. Feeling hungry, we found a
small Japanese restaurant and purchased meals to go, which we enjoyed on a
blanket in the park.
Not having a detailed map, we took a roundabout route to the
entrances to the Brooklyn Museum and the Botanical Garden. Unfortunately, we did not have time to
enjoy both of these renowned sites, so we opted for the museum since it had
become warm and humid in the afternoon and I needed air-conditioning! The museum has a fabulous permanent collection
and wonderful temporary exhibitions.
I particularly appreciated Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Table, a tribute to the contributions of women
throughout the ages to culture, and a work of art that filled a entire
rotunda. Entitled Swoop, it is a work that is compelling
with its sweeping grand lines, its use of light, its small details and its
incorporation of recycled materials.
Tired of walking and standing for hours, and wanting to get
to the venue for Janelle Monae when the gates opened at 6 p.m., we took the bus
to the other end of Prospect Park.
There was no doubt about the direction we should go to the band shell;
we just joined the many people obviously headed that way. When we got in the park, there was a
long line—a very long line. It took
us about 20 minutes to find the end of it. The band shell seats about 2000 and has room within the
fence surrounding it for another few thousand people. The likelihood of getting inside was nil. After debating our options for a while,
we took another road back toward the band shell and found a space for ourselves
back from the fence among the tens of thousands of people. Of course, the concert did not start on
time and our view of the stage was limited, but we enjoyed resting, munching on
some snacks and watching the people around us. When the concert finally started, we enjoyed the music even
though the bass overpowered the other ranges. After a few songs, we decided to leave. As we walked away, we found that the
quality of the sound actually improved, but we were ready to head back to the
apartment.
We arrived by subway back in Midtown tired and hungry and
just a bit too late for the local restaurants. If we even ate, I can’t remember it.
Day 2, June 5, 2014 (Thursday)
Thursday, June 5, became another museum day since it was
raining. Luckily, the Metropolitan
Museum of Art does not open until 10 a.m., so the only reason we had to get up
early was to get the bagels and muffins before they ran out. I went down at 7:30 to find there were
still plenty.
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| The Met's American Wing Courtyard |
The Met is legendary, so any attempts by me to describe the
range of the exhibits, the size of the place, the experience of being there are
unnecessary. We split up once
inside to pursue on our own interests.
I tried to see as much as possible while taking the time to appreciate
what was before my eyes—the Greek and Roman statues and pottery and jewelry;
the European paintings; the artifacts of the Pacific, particularly the
collections begun by Margaret Meade; the glass work of Tiffany and his
contemporaries; the statues in the grand and lovely courtyard of the American
Wing; the period rooms; the walls, mosaics and statues from Egyptian temples
and tombs. It was
overwhelming. We got together for
a brief lunch in the cafeteria of the ground floor, which offered a wonderful
selection of food. (I enjoyed the
salad bar.)
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| View of the Upper West Side above the trees in Central Park |
A couple hours before the museum closed, the skies cleared,
and we emerged from the building to be greeted by a blue sky in which fluffy
white clouds floated about the refreshed greenery of Central Park. We strolled through the park, stopping
at the Reservoir, Turtle Pond, and Belvedere Castle before exiting on the west
side. We did not have time to sit
down for a meal before the concert we were scheduled to attend that evening, so
we opted for bakery goods from (yes, I am ashamed to say) Starbucks.
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| View of the buildings facing the south side of Central Park and Columbus Circle from inside Columbus Circle Mall |
We caught a bus to Lincoln Center and picked up our tickets
for that evening’s performance of works by Duke Ellington performed by the
Wynton Marsalis band in the Rose Theater.
We had center front seats in the balcony from which we could enjoy
watching the musicians as they performed.
The acoustics, of course, were fantastic.
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| The Apple Store, looking up through the glass cube from the showroom level |
After the wonderful concert, we walked along the south side
of Central Park, discovering the large Apple Store on the southeast corner
across from the Plaza Hotel.
Sitting in the middle of a plaza, the actual store is below ground. Above it is an empty glass cube with
the Apple logo on each side.
Access to the store is by elevator or a spiral staircase. The store is much larger than the
shopping mall outlets and, like most of New York, blaring music and glaring
light.
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| Grand Central Station |
We meant to catch a bus south, but we ended up walking back
to 34th Street, stopping at Grand Central Station to admire the
interior. We found the last open food
vendor in the lower level, and Peter and Matthew bought huge sandwiches, which
they ate as we continued to the apartment. I snacked on chips and hummus when left over from the
previous evening’s picnic in the park when we finally made it back.
Day 3, June 6, 2014 (Friday)
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| The Woolworth Building and Freedom Tower in Lower Manhattan |
After breakfast, we set off for Lower Manhattan. Once again, we exited the subway at
City Hall. This historic edifice,
we found, was being renovated, so its architecture was not visible. We walked on, viewing the Woolworth
Building. One of the first
skyscrapers, it soars above the buildings immediately surrounding it, graceful
in its Neo-Gothic style. (It is
still one of the 20 highest buildings in NYC.)
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| St. Paul's Chapel |
Our next stop was St. Paul’s Chapel, which I was interested
in visiting because of its colonial and early American history. (George Washington walked there to his
pew to pray after his first inauguration.) It now has another historical context of which I was not
aware. Only a few blocks from the
World Trade Center, it became a place for firefighters and others to sleep, eat
and be comforted between shifts as they continued to work for weeks after the
September 11, 2001, attacks on the two tallest buildings. Amazingly, neither the edifice nor the
adjoining cemetery suffered any significant damage, and it became a center of
volunteer efforts. Today, it still houses a vibrant congregation as well as an
exhibit and memorial to its use as for volunteer activities in the fall of
2001.
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| 9/11 Memorial with Museum behind |
Next, we visited Ground Zero. The two memorial pools, with water cascading into abysses in
their centers, are surrounded by the new museum as well as ongoing construction
of new edifices. Thronged with
visitors, the memorial lacked solemnity; I had a better sense of the tragedy
and the heroism at St. Paul’s.
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| Rotunda of Federal Hall |
We walked a few short blocks to Federal Hall, the site of
Washington’s inauguration. The
previous structure at one time was simultaneously city hall, the capital
building of New York and the capital of the new Federal government. The existing historical structure has a
large rotunda graced with Corinthian columns. At one time, it served as a customs house and then as a
repository for federal funds and gold.
A National Parks ranger provided us with an excellent tour with lots of
historical details and then directed us down the street to a narrow deli where
we purchased excellent sandwiches, which we enjoyed eating on a plaza dedicated
to one of the Rockerfellers.
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| Nave of Trinity Church |
After lunch, we walked west on Wall Street, past the New
York Stock Exchange, once easily visible but now heavily guarded. At the end of Wall Street is Trinity
Church, another Neo-Gothic structure with bright and colorful stained glass
windows. The cemetery around the
church has the tombs of many important historical figures, including Alexander
Hamilton, who was obviously revered by the congregation at his time. In addition to a large memorial within
the church, there is a large marker over his grave that was placed and is still
maintained by the members of the church.
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| Peter and Matthew by the Charging Bull |
Walking toward Bowling Green Park, we passed the Charging
Bull statue by artist Arturo Di Modica.
The world-famous Charging Bull achieved overnight stardom after the
artist dropped it off in front of the New York Stock Exchange in 1989, in
violation of city permits. The sculpture rapidly became an urban legend and is
now an international icon. We had
to adopt the aggressiveness of the bull to get a photo op with the huge bronze
beast as hundreds of tourists jockeyed for space in front of it.
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| Murals in the Alexander Hamilton Custom House |
On the other side of Bowling Green Park is the Alexander
Hamilton Custom House, which now houses the Smithsonian’s American Indian
museum in New York City as well as government offices. My interest was in its history and
architecture. (Gilbert Cass
designed this building, as well as the Woolworth Building.) We ascended the stately outside stairs,
passing by the four limestone female statues representing Asia, Europe, Africa
and America designed by Daniel Chester French, who made the statue of Abraham
Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial. Inside
the Beaux Arts design and the murals depicting New York Harbor in the rotunda
are stunning.
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| Russian Folk Singers |
A short walk got us to the waterfront, where we viewed the
WWII memorial to the Coast Guard and the colonial fort called Castle
Clinton. We then hopped on the
subway to get to the Upper West Side and the American Museum of Folk Art by
5:30 p.m. There, not only did we
delight in a performance of Russian folk music by four performers, attired in
bright peasant costumes, with tremendous voices and a real love of their music,
we enjoyed the artwork on display in this small museum. My favorite pieces were quilts,
including one designed, pieced and sewn by a tailor from leftover pieces of
silk from his trade and presented to his daughter a wedding gift.
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| The Palm Court in the Plaza Hotel |
With the skies still bright and sunny, we walked through
Central Park to the east side, stopped in to see the Palm Court in the Plaza Hotel
and then took the subway to 34th Street. That evening, we dined at a restaurant near the apartment
building that Matthew had spotted.
Tucked into a long and narrow space, the Thai restaurant v{iv}—that’s
its name!—has an elegant décor in soft tones of white, silver and gold with
intimate lighting. The décor does
not reflect the Thai culture, but the food was definitely Thai and definitely
great.
Day 4, June 7, 2014 (Saturday)
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| View looking south from the 86th Floor of the Empire State Building |
We were up bright and early on a lovely Saturday morning to
be among the first to arrive at the Empire State Building, a short walk from
the apartment. Dragging ourselves
out of bed was worth the effort as we avoided the lines and found the views
from the 86th floor unimpeded by other tourists. We spent a bit of time listening to our
headsets and learning about the construction of the building as we looked at
exhibits, but the real highlight is the views.
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| Part of the interior decoration on the second floor of the New York Public Library |
After leaving the Empire State Building, we walked to the
New York Public Library, the entrance flanked by the two lions watching over 5th
Avenue. The interior, as are the
interiors of most public buildings from that era, is spectacular. Unfortunately, the enormous main reading
room was closed to the public that day, but we contended ourselves with the
portraits in the Salomon Room and the beautiful ceiling murals and grand halls
and staircases.
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| South wall of the nave of St. Patrick's Cathedral |
The next stop was St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Although being renovated, some of the
stained glass windows are still visible as well as the niches and chapels
surrounding the nave and apse. We
crossed the street to Rockefeller Center, where we had lunch beside the
courtyard that is transformed in the skating rink in the winter.
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| Art work and reflections in the Sculpture Garden of MoMA |
We then spent a few hours at the Museum of Modern Art. At the time it was created, the museum
was showing art from the previous fifty years or so. This means that its permanent collection includes works by
late 19th century artists such as Van Gogh (including Starry Night), Monet, Cezanne and Seurat
as well as 20th and 21st century artists. I started with the temporary exhibit of
works by Gauguin from his time in the South Pacific, a wonderfully designed
showing. I then visited the
exhibition of works by Brazilian artist Lygia Clark; there were some strange
pieces and her work in art and psychology as revealed by the installations was
very 1970’s. I enjoyed the
permanent collection immensely and found the sculpture garden peaceful and
delightful.
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| The Brooklyn Bridge spanning the East River from Fulton's Ferry Landing |
Music was on the schedule for the evening again. We took the subway to the first stop in
Brooklyn and walked to the waterfront and Fulton’s Ferry Landing. The plaza by the water was a photo op
site for young women and men dressed for weddings or formal affairs. Walt Whitman’s “Crossing Brooklyn
Ferry” is engraved in the railing surrounding the landing. Peter and Matthew enjoyed cones from
the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory and we walked along the waterfront as we waited
for the Bargemusic performance to begin.
The docked and scruffy barge converted into a chamber music venue has
windows behind the stage providing views across the East River of Lower
Manhattan. The rustic interior is
comfortable, but the sparse wooden decor was in high contrast to the supremely
accomplished performances of Mark Peskanov on violin and Jerome Lowenthal on
the piano. We heard pieces by
Beethoven, Mozart and Schubert, performed flawlessly (at least to our ears) by
two men who were obviously enjoying their collaboration.
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| Boats on the East River under the Brooklyn Bridge with the Empire State Building on the horizon |
When the encore was over, we stepped outside to twilight
over Manhattan. After snapping a
few photos, we headed to our next destination, a return visit to the Empire
State Building. Our tickets
allowed us entrance during the day and between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. Not wanting to stay up too late, we
timed our arrival for 10 p.m.—as did several hundred other people. Not wishing to stand in line and hungry
for the dinner we had skipped, we decided to risk the mediocre food so typical
of high-traffic tourist areas and dine at the Heartland Brewery located at
ground level in the Empire State Building at 34th and 5th
Avenue. We were pleasantly
surprised with delicious and reasonably priced food and great service.
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| Fifth Avenue and the Avenue of the Americas glow among the buildings to the south of the Empire State Building |
At 11 p.m., there was not line and we went to 86th
floor of the Empire State Building without delay. The buildings all around glowed and shimmered in the clear
night air. It was worth the wait!
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