Cruising

Depending on where one lives and where and how one travels and commutes, one can experience Manhattan as a maritime community or simply as one of the most exciting and culturally rich cities in the world. In a city like San Francisco or Portland, Maine, with hills and vistas, one is constantly reminded of the sea. In Manhattan, it is easy to become immersed in all that is here without a hint of its island nature. In recent years, the city's waterfront has become progressively more and more reconstructed and utilized - in ways that are sometimes very surprising even to residents. I have posted on a number waterfront establishments, residences and activities (click on any of the following links): Manhattan Island, kayaking in the Hudson River, the Water Club, the River Cafe (Brooklyn), Bargemusic (Brooklyn), the Frying Pan, the 79th Street Boat Basin, Christopher Street Pier, Battery Park City & promenade, art fest in DUMBO, Meier World, Coney Island and The Shore (with the Iceberg Athletic Club and the Coney Island Polar Bear Club) and the wonderful Mermaid Parade (and here). NYC also has a very active cruise ship business at the New York Passenger Ship Terminal (on the Hudson River at Piers 88, 90, 92, 94 at 46-54th street). The city sees 1,000,000 passengers yearly. The cruise ship terminal is currently undergoing a $150 million renovation. In 2006, the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal opened at Pier 12 in the Red Hook area in Brooklyn.
Notes about the photo: the glass building at the far left is the Time Warner Center (click here). The articulated building in the center with triangular windows is the Hearst Tower (click here).

Sardi's

Unfortunately, the story of Sardi's, like many others of NYC, is best told in past tense. They have not gone out of business, but that which brought the restaurant its notoriety has gone. What's left is more of a cliche for tourists. Sardi's, located at 234 West 44th Street, is in the heart of the theater district and was an integral part of the fabric of that world since Vincent Sardi, Sr. opened the Little Restaurant at 246 W. 44th Street in 1921 - patrons referred to it as Sardi's and so the name stuck. In 1927, they moved to the current location. In 1947, management was taken over by Vincent Sardi, Jr. The restaurant is known for the hundreds of caricatures of show-business celebrities on its walls, inspired by Joe Zelli’s, a Parisian restaurant and jazz club. The Sardi's caricatures were done by Alex Gard, a Russian refugee. The stories surrounding Vincent Sardi, Jr. are legendary and speak of old New York. Sardi's became a Broadway landmark - an institution central to the theater world with actors, agents and critics utilizing it as a meeting place. Vincent loved theater and has been referred to as the "Mayor of Broadway." He was totally supportive of the theater world and was known to carry the tabs of out of work actors. Read his obituary in the New York Times (Sardi died on 1/4/07). Broadway has changed. Stephen Sondheim spoke of a dumbing down of theater and that there is no longer a Broadway community - ''There's none whatsoever. The writers write one show every two or three years. Who congregates at Sardi's? What is there to congregate about? Shows just sit in theaters and last.''

Ellis Island

It has been estimated that nearly half of all Americans can trace their family history to at least one person who passed through Ellis Island. This island, at the mouth of the Hudson River in New York Harbor, was the point of entry for over 12 million immigrants entering the United States from January 1, 1892 until November 12, 1954. There are many fascinating stories about the island, the immigrants and the immigration process at Ellis Island: the six-second physical examination, the 29 questions which were asked of newcomers, the long transatlantic journey many had to the US as third class cargo, the tragic fate of the 2% who were rejected from admission and returned to their countries of origin and the complex dispute between New York and New Jersey over the island's jurisdiction. This is an enormous subject on which much has been written - for more information try any of the following sites: the overview at Wikipedia, Ellis Island National Monument official site and an Ellis Island web site. The building itself underwent a major $160 million renovation starting in 1984. the island was reopened to the public in 1990. To visit Ellis Island is something everyone should try to do ...

The Beresford

Many find the subject of architecture "boring", but as much as anything else, a great city is defined by its buildings - say the words Paris or London and images of the Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, Louvre and the Tower of London come to mind. Architecture is the crystallization in a point in time of many things - the fashion, folly, trends, inspiration and perspiration of the men and women who shaped it. To walk this city and appreciate its architecture is to live its history. So, I bring you the Beresford (named for the hotel it replaced), one of the world's most prestigious residences, as seen from Central Park. This massive three-towered edifice occupies the corner of 81st Street and Central Park West and sports three lobbies (and addresses - 211 Central Park West, 1 and 7 West 81st Street). It overlooks the Museum of Natural History, the Hayden Planetarium and Central Park. The building is a masterpiece of Emory Roth, the architect with the greatest number of buildings in NYC to his credit (click here for my posting on 17 State Street with links to Roth). It is also one of the three most prestigious apartments on Manhattan's Upper West Side (all on Central Park West) along with The San Remo (also by Roth) and The Dakota. The building was completed a month prior to the stock market crash in 1929, so its early history as a luxury residence started off on rocky footing. Built in a late Italian Renaissance style, it has a rusticated limestone base, brick-clad upper floors and terra cotta trim. There are 175 Apartments on 22 Floors, a courtyard with a fountain and a garden. in design, the Beresford is executed in brick with limestone and terra cotta trim. The three towers have pyramid roofs capped with copper lanterns that are brightly lit at night. Click here for more about the building. Of course the roster of residents read like a who's who list with present and past superstars, celebrities and moguls - Jerry Seinfeld, John McEnroe, Isaac Stern, Tony Randall, Helen Gurley Brown, Beverly Sills ...

Shangri-La

Isn't this amazing? This is the most remarkable garden space I have ever seen in NYC. One image does not do it justice - please click here for six more photos. All the community gardens I have been to (I have featured most of them here on this site) are wonderful spaces - true oases from the urban world. But nothing beats the 9th Street Community Garden on Avenue C for transporting one to another place; or perhaps I should say places, with its varied environments. I recently visited with a friend. Upon entering, we took a pathway through a tunnel of shrubbery which felt like an English country garden. Then we passed through a small cabana (in the photo) - it felt like a tiny country cottage. From there and out into the open much of the garden has a tropical feel, with dense foliage and plantings - I used to travel to the West Indies and this space truly made me feel like I was there again. There was barbecuing and picnicking going on in a tented area. Nearby there was a large cabana with a porch, chairs, benches, tables, a kitchen with appliances and housekeeping accouterments. I spoke with the women relaxing and expressed my awe. They confirmed my feelings that this garden was the best in NYC :) ...

The Frying Pan

There appears to be no end to ingenuity and appropriation in this city, particularly when it comes to business. The Frying Pan was unknown to me until Sunday when I photographed it on a neighborhood boat ride. This historic boat, built in 1929, was used as a lightship at Frying Pan shoals off the coast of Cape Fear in North Carolina - a notoriously hazardous area for ships (lightships or lightvessels are used in place of lighthouses where the water is too deep for a lighthouse). The Frying Pan was finally decommissioned in 1967 - it then served a number of uses at various locations until it capsized and sunk in Chesapeake Bay in 1984. The ship remained underwater until 1987, when she was raised, restored and moved to NYC's Pier 63 and docked to a Lackawanna railcar barge. The pair of ships served a number of maritime functions over the years (Manhattan Kayak Company, New York Outriggers, New York Polo and the Hudson River Paddler’s Guild). Their lease was lost in 2006 and on April 9, 2007 they relocated a few blocks north at Pier 66 (26th-27th Streets). The barge and the Frying Pan are available for rental for functions, parties, etc. Check out their website and learn more about the boat and its uses. Please note: their website is not up to date. I called this morning to confirm their location at Pier 66, which conflicts with their site ...

Lonely Clock

The Colgate Clock is not in NYC but is located in Jersey City, New Jersey on the banks of the Hudson River. Although New Yorkers complain and joke about New Jersey, it plays an important part in the city's economy, services and labor supply. The New Jersey skyline is the dominant view from Manhattan's west side with the Colgate Clock readily visible from lower Manhattan. At 50 feet in diameter, the current clock is claimed to be the largest in the world. It is a replacement for original clock (38 feet in diameter) from 1904, made by the Seth Thomas Company - it has been relocated to a Colgate factory in Clarksville, Indiana. The octagonal design was based on Colgate's Octagon Soap. The toothpaste tube was added in 1983. Read more here. The clock is the last remnant of the site of the former headquarters of the Colgate-Palmolive consumer products conglomerate. In 1985, all the buildings on the site were leveled and the entire operation was moved to Kansas and Indiana, leaving the clock alone, rather drab and dreary looking on an empty lot awaiting development ...

Photo Note: This photograph was taken on a neighborhood boat ride on the Hudson aboard the Queen of Hearts.