New York Oct 2016-Day 6 (A Concert and Play)

There was little time for sightseeing today, as we did the other obligatory activities of New York: A concert and a play.

On the way over to Broadway, we stopped at The Old Print Shop on Lexington Avenue. Besides selling old prints, they had a timely display: The Art of Politics or Politics in Art. It was fascinating, and being the only ones there, we got a personal guided tour by the owner/collector of the historical prints and artifacts. You could spend all day looking through political posters dating back to George Washington.

Talk about private correspondence, take your time to read this letter from Blaze Starr, a notable (or is it notorious) prostitute from DC in the 60's.

We caught a matinee of "Kinky Boots", which was awesome. I was a little taken aback by the subject matter, but then the title should have warned me. We then met up with Mark and Sandra for dinner and an Allen Toussaint tribute band concert at the City Winery in Tribeca. Toussaint was a New Orleans R&B composer and entertainer. You would recognize many of his songs, as he composed them for a number of notable entertainers, including Irma Thomas, Elvis Costello, and Etta James, among others. Irma Thomas and Paul Shaeffer (Saturday Night Live and David Letterman) made guest appearances last night. Irma is 75, and still puts on a great show.

A collection of New York quilt fabric that Vera picked up in City Quilts, which is going out of business at the end of this month. They will continue to sell via Internet. We are off to visit a high school friend of Vera's, and will then be returning to Washington. This will probably be the last posting. Thanks again to Mark and Sandra for a great time.

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New York Oct 2016-Day 5 (Central Park and Museums)

Another full day of walking. We took the subway uptown to the west side and walked across Central Park to "Museum Mile" on the east side. The weather has been fantastic, although a little chilly in the morning.

The first stop was the Gugggenheim. The modern art, particularly the featured exhibit, was a little strange for me, but the building is worth the visit if nothing else. It is a Frank Lloyd Wright design, and quite impressive. As you wind your way up the spiral runway, the sun lit atrium is to your left and the featured exhibits are along the interior walls to the right.

We did enjoy some of the permanent collection. Lunch in the museum cafe was quite nice as well. I assume it to is a Wright design, or at least Wright inspired.

Next stop was the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum a block away and housed in the the old Andrew Carnegie mansion. Here Vera works on her own design in an interactive electronic exhibit.

It also has an interesting display on recycled textiles.

New Yorkers enjoying a beautiful afternoon in the park as we ambled home. New York pizza tasted really good for dinner!

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New York Oct 2016-Day 4 (A 10 Miler)

We walked the Highline today, probably our favorite walk in Manhattan. Actual we walked all the way across town to start the 2+ mile walk along an abandoned elevated rail trestle that was been converted into a city park. These people are walking about two stories above the streets below.

We have walked the Highline for years, and oh how it has changed. Neighborhoods along the way and at either end are being transformed. The plants and trees have grown tall, and sometimes you forget what it was just a few years before. The construction going on in New York is unreal. Hudson Yards, at the north end of the Highline, is supposedly the largest municipal building project going on in the country right now. The only space available of any size in Manhattan is straight up. Hudson Yards is designed as a cap over the large rail yards, and then extending up into the unused skyline above.

At the southern end of the Highline is the new Whitney Museum. A beautiful building, although the artwork can be a little strange. The wax sleep walker in his underwear is actually on the Highline as you approach the museum.

This is why you don't want a car in Manhattan! After the Whitney we took the subway to Central Park for a short jaunt before heading back to Mark and Sandra's.

That's right: CupcakeATM. Put your money in, and a cupcake pops out. Vera spotted it on the walk back to the subway. By the end of the day, culminating in dinner at a great restaurant Mark and Sandra treated us to, we had walked 10 miles (measured by Vera's Fitbit).

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New York Oct 2016-Day 3 (A Rainy Day)

What do you do in New York on a rainy Sunday. Go to a museum of course. We visited MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) with the help of Mark and Sandra's membership, and battled New Yorkers with the same idea. Taking a picture of "Starry Night" on a day like this is like taking a picture of the Mona Lisa; people everywhere. In spite of the crowds it is a great museum to visit, and they even let you take pictures.

Yes, a 60s vintage Jaguar is considered modern art.

Windows across the street from MOMA.

This picture was also taken from MOMA. Believe it or not, this building is taller than the Empire State Building. Tall and skinny, it is a residential complex, with one or two tenants per floor. Not sure we could afford the price tag, however.

Scenes from the Columbus Day Hispanic parade on Fifth Avenue. This was a treat as we walked back to Mark and Sandra's.

Lunch on the way home with Mark and Sandra.

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New York Oct 2016-Day 2 (9-11 Memorial)

No, this is not the 9-11 Memorial, but it needs to be considered a part. This is the new World Trade Center transit hub, the original having been destroyed in 9-11. The narrow slit of windows is aligned to follow the sun every September 11, and the hub is reported to be the most expensive train/subway station ever build. It was the start of a very memorable and emotional visit to the memorial itself. If you visit New York, you must visit the memorial and this remarkable station. Start your trip early like Mark and Sandra insisted, as the crowds will grow exponentially during then days. No need for Kleenix, as the memorial provides them.

 

One of two fountains at ground zero. The fountains outline the base of the original two towers. Vera and I recognized nothing from the last time we were here. Then it was a hole in the ground, damaged surrounding buildings, and construction everywhere. Now we find new buildings surrounding a beautiful memorial to a terrible event.

Enter the memorial itself and you descend below ground, paralleling the actual steps survivors used to escaped the inferno. Pictures cannot capture it; you descend to the very foundations of the Twin Towers and are directly below and underneath the fountains above.

These are the footings of one of the towers; concrete embedded in bedrock and supporting a steel infrastructure once extending 107 stories above.

Along the way, you view remnants bent into bizarre shapes. Directly under the fountains are displays and artifacts from this terrible day.

And then you come back to the real world to see One World Trade! If you visit New York, don't miss it!

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New York October 2016-Day 1

We're on the road again, this time in New York, visiting Mark and Sandra. From their apartment they have a beautiful view of midtown Manhattan. We will be staying here for the next week, and really appreciate their hospitality.

We took the red-eye from Seattle and arrived early Friday morning. Mark and Sandra had to work, so we wandered around the island, working our way to Madison Square Park where the locals were enjoying the beautiful day.

The construction going on in the city is incredible. NYU Medical Center where Mark and Sandra work is no exception. Pictured above is a new building with more NYU construction reflected in the windows.

In the evening all four of us took the passenger ferry to Brooklyn for some sightseeing and dinner. Here a family is enjoying the beautiful day.

Brooklyn is booming, and a little quirky. Graffiti like this is everywhere. Lots of new restaurants, breweries, and distilleries as well.

Looking back at Manhattan as we waited for our ferry boat.

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