Aspiration

Here we have the Park Avenue Malls - a central 2.5 mile long median (broken by cross streets) extending from 46th Street (at the Helmsley Building, 230 Park Avenue) to 96th Street, where the Metro North railroad tracks surface to run above ground (they run under Park Avenue from Grand Central to 96th Street). The Fund for Park Avenue, a private organization, is responsible for the plantings and maintenance of the Park Avenue Malls. In the spring, tulips are planted - these flower along with the cherry trees. In the summer, when the tulips have faded, wax begonias are planted. According to Margaret Ternes, chairman of the Fund for Park Avenue, wax begonias are chosen for their hardiness - their waxy leaves retard pollution and begonias can stand the hot sun - they do not require the type of watering many flowers do, such as impatiens (there is no automatic watering system for the Malls). I was surprised to see a homeless person on the Mall - a rather uncommon and unexpected occurrence. More surprising was to see him cleaning his nails. Many aspire to live on the highly coveted Park Avenue. Some find unconventional ways of getting there, like Joe Ades, gentleman peeler - click here. But,there are necessary conditions for living here, such as wealth and many personal habits which would be highly recommended if one were to associate with high society. I would guess that good grooming is one of them ...

Book Country

New York is book country - this is not only an accurate metaphor, it was the name of a major street fair which was held annually for several years along Fifth Avenue. New York City is widely perceived as the center of publishing in the United States, home to numerous major publishers of books, newspapers, magazines and electronic media, with all the service providers - editors, literary agents, graphics, advertising etc. We also have a huge number of bookstores with many renowned independents such as The Strand, Gotham Book Mart, Shakespeare & Company, St. Mark's Bookshop, Three Lives & Company, Labyrinth Books and Bluestockings (the book superstore chains have had a serious impact and the number of independents is fast declining. Time will tell whether this trend threatens the American literary future as many predict). Book signings and readings are also a big part of the NYC literary landscape, although signing tours of major authors mean these events are not so unique to New York itself. Last night at the Barnes and Noble superstore at 17th Street on Union Square, John Updike was doing a reading from a new book (Terrorist) with signed copies available. The event was well attended. Updike is a renowned novelist, poet, literary critic, essayist who has won numerous literary awards: PEN/Faulkner Award, National Book Award, National Book Critics Circle Award (twice) and the Pulitzer Prize (twice). His writing credits are many - read about him here ...

Parasol

In order to make this photo and story work, I wanted to make a case for the resurgence of the parasol. Perhaps a little spin on the facts. Certainly the use of parasols makes the utmost sense since avoidance of the sun is now of paramount importance with ozone depletion, skin cancer, sunburn, freckling. Plus, hats don't shield enough and can lead to the dreaded hat hair. And then there is the sun-shunning goth crowd. So in a way, I'm surprised that parasols aren't HUGE, since they can also be a fashion statement. I did uncover an article in 2005 from the Village Voice that proclaimed the parasol's emergence from the 1920s, citing two shops in the city that are a seeing a renewed interest: Rain or Shine and Brella Bar. The collapsible umbrella/parasol is of Chinese origin, dating back nearly 2000 years. They are still produced in large numbers with a variety of colors, patterns and materials, so Asian product stores like Pearl River are great places to go for selection and pricing. I do occasionally see more women with parasols on sunny, hot or hazy days. (BTW, the dog in the photo is a Wheaten Terrier). In 2001 there was a photo that rocked the world - personal assistant Fonzworth Bentley holding an umbrella over P. Diddy's head in Saint Tropez. Perhaps the male parasol is not too far away ...

St. Bart's

One of the unique features about St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church at 50th Street and Park Avenue, with its signature dome and cross, is the contrast with the surrounding architecture. Click here for more photos. Although this could be said of many churches, urban and rural, the dramatic difference in scale between this landmark limestone and brick structure and the surrounding monolithic buildings on Park Ave. (such as the 570 foot GE/RCA building behind it and the Waldorf Astoria Hotel to its right) draws attention immediately. This is actually the third location for the congregation - it started in 1835 in a plain church in the then-fashionable Bowery area; in 1872 their growth and funds permitted them to build a new church at Madison and 44th. Designed by James Renwick, the architect of St. Patrick's Cathedral, the building was later embellished with a triple portal by Stanford White. In 1918, they moved to the current location at 50th Street and Park Avenue. A new structure was designed by Bertram Goodhue and designed to harmonize with the Romanesque Revival triple portal entrance, which was relocated from the Madison Avenue church. Over time, the interior was decorated in the Byzantine style with major mosaics in the narthex and over the high altar. In 1981 a real estate developer offered a plan to build an office tower on the site of the adjacent community house, ensuring a financial endowment for the church. Conflict developed within the parish and between the church and the city over air rights and the landmark status of the building; the case went to the Supreme Court. In 1991, the landmark law was upheld. The church is renowned for its pipe organ, one of the largest in the world, and played by the famous conductor Leopold Stokowski. The popular and successful Café St. Bart's with its outdoor terrace can be seen here. The church provides many community services, including a public music series and summer festival, a homeless shelter and a soup kitchen ...

Babbo at Last

In one of my earliest posts on March 23, 2006, I wrote of Babbo (click here) - the restaurant of celebrity chef Mario Batali and my pending reservation for April 22 of that year for myself and family (who were coming in from out of state). Unfortunately, that and two other reservations were canceled for a variety of unavoidable circumstances including a hurricane and a blizzard. So it was with great anticipation that last night my family, a friend and I finally did get to eat at the famed establishment. One of the hallmarks of a good restaurant is service of course and our waiter immediately put us at ease by anticipating questions regarding menu structure and options regarding antipasti, primi and secondi. He translated any problematic menu item words and proposed a number of sharing ideas along with specific recommendations. We found Babbo a fun place, not stuffy in the least, which can frequently be the case with restaurants of this caliber. The place was packed, even at 6PM - normally a quiet time at such an early hour for NYC weekend dining. The food was excellent with many exotic touches - you can see their menu here. In addition to the waiter, our table was serviced by a large crew of individuals who made serving and busing a very quick and painless process. We give the food and service a very high rating - click here for a New York Times review. And, no, we did not see Mario. However, I have met him twice before - sitting on the steps of a townhouse across the street on a summer evening, taking a break from the kitchen with a glass of wine, chatting ...

Wild Crash

On Thursday night while strolling near Washington Square Park in the Village, I observed rerouting of traffic and a helicopter hovering overhead - not typical at all. Suspecting a serious crime scene I walked towards Eighth Street and University Place to find a taped off intersection with a badly crumpled bicycle, smashed cars, police vehicles, ambulances and television equipment and crew. A stolen van had lost control while being pursued by police (driving an undercover car disguised as a taxi). The van made a hard right at the intersection, hitting a vehicle, a bicyclist, parked cars and nearly careening into a glass-enclosed dining area in the front of the Dallas BBQ restaurant. Apparently the scene in the restaurant was pandemonium - people seeing the oncoming van, afraid it was going to collide, began running with plates and food flying, the restaurant shaking. There was flying glass from the collision, injuring one pedestrian. The good news - a bystander, Sherwin Caton, chased and tackled the driver as he was trying to escape. And amazingly, there were only minor injuries ...

Etched in Stone

One of the great things in the city is to happen upon a juxtaposition of architecturally and/or historically important structures. It is surprising that we can still be awed and not jaded, even when exposed daily to vistas and landmarks. I think most New Yorkers still really do appreciate the things they see daily - crossing a bridge by car or subway. I always enjoy being in a part of town I do not frequent; it gives me that sense of newness one has as a visitor. This photo was taken on Fifth Avenue. In the background we have, of course, the Empire State Building, clad in Indiana limestone and granite. In the foreground, at 29th Street and Fifth, you have the Marble Collegiate Church, a Romanesque/Gothic building constructed from white marble, a contemporary of Grace and Trinity churches (the term collegiate refers to the practice of churches sharing ministers as colleagues). Apart from having such a prime address with photo op potential, this church has a very interesting history. Marble Collegiate Church is the oldest Protestant organization in North America - the congregation was founded as the Collegiate Reformed Protestant Dutch Church in 1628; the building dates to 1854. Read about it here. The church is perhaps best known for pastor of 52 years, Norman Vincent Peale, the highly influential author of 46 books including the bestseller The Power of Positive Thinking. Granite, limestone, marble - I love stone. And some things are just etched in it ...