Category Archives: Exploring New York City by foot

Day One Hundred and Fifty Three: Here’s Halloween Again October 31st, 2019

November 19, 2019"A Local Journey: Exploring the outskirts of New York City, Dedication to Warren Watrel, Exploring Croton-on-the-Hudson, NY, Exploring Historic Dutchess County NY, Exploring Historic Towns of Upstate New York, Exploring Hyde Park NY, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring New York State, Exploring Red Hook NY, Exploring Rhinebeck NY, Exploring Sleepy Hollow NY, Exploring Tarrytown NY, Exploring the Historic Hudson River Valley in New York State, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the State of New Jersey, Hasbrouck Heights Men's Association, Historic New Jersey Towns and Neighborhoods, Historic New York City neighborhoods, Historic New York State neighborhoods, Historical Towns of New Jersey, My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), MywalkinManhattan at the Halloween Holidays, MywalkinManhattan Experiences, Uncategorized, Visiting a Museum in New Jersey, Visiting a Museum in New York State, Walking Downtown Hasbrouck HeightsAddthistoyourgrocerylist@Wordpress.com, Author Justin Watral, Author Justin Watrel, BergenCountyCaregiver.com, DiningonaShoeString@Wordpress.com, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring Tarrytown at Halloween, Exploring the Hudson River Valley, Exploring the Hudson River Valley at Halloween, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Halloween, Halloween in Manhattan, Halloween in New York City, Halloween Night, Halloween Parade, Halloween Tea at the Mills Mansion, Hudson River Valley, Justin Watral, Justin Watrel, LittleShoponMainStreet, MywalkinManhattan.com, Pumpkin Blaze Croton on Hudson, Staatsburgh Manor/Mills Mansion, Sunnyside Washington Irving, Van Cortlandt Manor, Village Halloween Parade, VisitingaMuseum.com, Warren George Watrel, Warren Watreljwatrel

I can’t believe that Halloween is over again! It comes and goes so quickly and I can already see the traces of Christmas on its way. There are times that I can’t believe that July and August go by so fast and then there are the holidays.

Halloween, as you can see by the last few years of this blog, have become more than just handing out Halloween treats to kids at my house. In fact, even when I have been home I rarely see trick or treaters, the most being 14 kids about ten years ago. Kids today at least in my part of the neighborhood have little interest in doing this anymore.

Halloween started for me on the first weekend of October with the ‘Pumpkin Blaze’ at the Van Cortlandt Manor (See my reviews on TripAdvisor and VisitingaMuseum.com). Last year I saw the Blaze on the last weekend it was open on the first weekend of November and the temperature had dropped to 32 degrees and I said never again. I wanted to see it when it was warm out and I could take my time to really see the displays.

So I asked my Aunt Deloris to attend with me as a delayed birthday present to her and on October 7th we headed up to Croton-on-the-Hudson to see the Annual Pumpkin Blaze. It was unusually warm that night at 62 degrees but there was the threat of rain later that evening. Still for the entire time we were at the Van Cortlandt Manor, it was mild and pleasant. Since we attended on a Monday night long before Halloween, the crowds were not as large.

Entering the Blaze event

It was a spectacular display this year with many new displays to ohh and ahh at while walking the paths around the manor. To let you all know, the Pumpkin Blaze is a volunteer event and major fundraiser for the Hudson Valley Historical Society. Thousands of hand-carved pumpkins are illuminated all over the grounds of the estate and the light makes it quite intriguing.

The pumpkin carving starts in late August and early September

As you enter the path into the estate, they are lined completely with lit pumpkins. That lead to the Circus train display and the Tappan Scream Bridge, both made from a combination of real and plastic pumpkins, The train had gotten longer and more detailed over the years with detailed ghostly animals arriving at their destination.

The spooky Circus train

Another display that was amazing was the Museum of Modern Art display that had with copies of famous works in pumpkins. It was in honor of the renovation and extension of the museum.

The Andy Warhol Soup Can

The Headless Horseman Scream

As we exited the ghostly museum, you pass the musical carousel and the Albany Post Road that was lined pumpkins. There were pumpkin jack in the boxes, pumpkin dinosaurs and pumpkin mummies. The displays were bigger, more detailed and more elaborate then years past.

Pumpkin Dinosaurs

The pumpkin carousel

The paths leading to the Van Cortlandt Manor were lined with a pumpkin cemetery and then the dinosaur displays. This lead to the light show at the Van Cortlandt Manor that was lined with pumpkins and a light show that illuminated the house. The house was surrounded by pumpkins of all faces and expressions along the path around the house. This lead to another cemetery that had the Van Cortlandt family names as you exited the property.

Van Cortland Manor at Croton-on-the-Hudson

As we exited the property it lead to a series of tents that carried all sorts of gifts and Halloween items, two different food concessions with hot dogs, cider, homemade doughnuts and popcorn. It was very active after everyone had walked the show.

Then my aunt and I came across this giant pumpkin that was craved out of wood that everyone was taking pictures at and we pose for our own Halloween portrait. That was a lot of fun dodging the other families to take the shot.

My Aunt Deloris and I at the end of the Annual Pumpkin Blaze

Just as we were leaving the site and heading to the car, the heavens opened up and it started to rain. We just made it to the car as it started to pour. As we headed back to New Jersey and crossed over the Tappan Zee Bridge, the rain started to let up to a light drizzle. When we reached Paramus, it was just a light mist.

We stopped for dinner at the Suburban Diner at 172 Route 17 North in Paramus, NJ ( see review on TripAdvisor) for a snack. The snack ended up being a large Turkey Club Sandwich with a side of fries, Cole slaw and a pickle. This thing was huge! My aunt ordered a BLT that was just as large and for two people who just wanted a ‘snack’ we devoured everything. I guess it was all that walking.

I love Turkey Club sandwiches

What a sandwich!

I continued my Halloween activities to where it all took place, Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown, NY, where the months of September, October and early November are very busy. Historic Hudson Valley has lots of events this time of the year, one of them being the Pumpkin Blaze.

Another event I attended was the “Home of the ‘Legend'”, a tour of Washington Irving’s home, ‘Sunnyside’, which is located at 3 West Sunnyside Lane in Irvington, NY (See review on TripAdvisor and VisitingaMuseum.com). I had visited the house years ago but they now had a Halloween tour of the house.

‘Sunnyside’ was the home of Washington Irving from 1835 until his death in the house in 1859. The house was originally a small two room stone house had been built around 1690 for a tenant farmer and had once been part of the Philipse Manor estate grounds. When Washington Irving bought the house in 1835, eyeing the home when visiting his son Oscar who lived in the area.

Washington Irving’s Sunnyside at 3 West Sunnyside Lane

With his friend, George Harvey, a painter, they created the home in the Romantic style with almost a fairy tale appearance. The ‘storybook’ home is covered in wisteria and has the most beautiful views of the widest area of the Hudson River. The author wrote some of his most famous stories from this house. He lived here with his brother, Ebenezer and his five daughters after his business failed so the house was a busy one.

Washington Irving’s study

The house was sold to John D. Rockefeller for the State by Washington Irving’s great grandson, Louis Irving in 1945 preservation. The house tour is really interesting as the old Victorian wing was torn down to preserve it to the time of Washington Irving so it has the original kitchen, ice house and barn. These ten acres were a working estate.

I got to see Washington Irving’s study and bedroom with the original furnishings which I thought was interesting. It does have a small kitchen for all those people and the bedrooms the rest of the family had were almost the size of today’s contemporary homes. So it must have been tight for the family.

When you exit the kitchen from the back to end the house tour, you head to the back lawn where the ice house is located, the gardens and the barn. There are ten acres to roam around with ponds and streams and again that amazing view of the Hudson River. This tour should not be missed when it opens back up in the Spring.

The last event I went to in Tarrytown was ‘The Unsilent Picture, which took place at the Tarrytown auditorium. The program was a movie based on a story line mystery that takes place one evening and the local actors play out the characters to scare a family member. I was so tired from the cold and it was so boring that I think I fell asleep for five minutes and missed a section of it. I just didn’t get the interest in the whole thing. I would bypass this in the future.

The Unsilent Movie

Here is the trailer for the movie:

One Halloween event you should look into is the Victorian Halloween Tea lecture at the Staatsburg Historical Site/Mills Mansion in Staatsburg, NY. These lecture teas are very interesting and the food is wonderful.

The Staatsburg Historical Site/Mills Mansion at 75 Mills Mansion Drive

The Mills Mansion estate during the Fall

The back of the estate during the Fall event

I have been a Friend of the Mills Mansion now for about four years finding that I was going to a lot of their events it just made it easier to join and get priority on their special events which are enjoyable. The Halloween Tea was one of them the opened the holiday season.

The slide show as we were about to begin the lecture

The table set for the Halloween Tea

The guests arriving for the Halloween Afternoon Tea

The friendly witches getting ready to greet guests

This event was a tea and lecture of how the Victorians recreated Halloween from a dark more countryside evening wrapped in mystery to an engaging urban event with costumes, specialty foods and traditional events like apple bobbing that guests then made their own. Local Historian Carol Kohan discussed how the event went from a dark rural event to fun and engaging holiday.

The celebration was spooky and fun

From the old traditions to new ones

The Victorian’s made everything elaborate and overdone and the Halloween celebrations were ‘taken up a notch’ with elaborate costumes, parties, bonfires and desserts and candies that were to be served. There were special invitations and cards that were to sent and rules of etiquette.

The Ghosts and Ghouls of the holidays

Following the Civil War and at a time when disease was not understood the way it is now, there was an interest in spiritualism and seances were in vague as people want to reach out to their loved ones. So having a medium at a party was part of the activity. The Victorians knew how to transform a holiday.

The Menu for the afternoon

Our tables numbers on the table

During the discussion, we enjoyed an afternoon tea of the specialty Staatsburg Tea blend, a variety of finger sandwiches, pumpkin and cranberry scones and many types of pastries including mini pumpkin cheesecakes, tiny devil’s food cupcakes and assorted sweet cookies. The caterer always does a nice job with the food and service here.

The food at these function are excellent and plentiful. These were the current and raison scones

The Assorted delicious Tea Sandwiches

Sweets and cakes

Pumpkin Cheesecake bites and Apple Tarts with Marshmallow Cupcakes represent the holiday

The start of the lecture after tea was finished

After the tea and lecture, we took a detailed tour of the Mill’s Mansion which I had taken many times but this was with another tour guide and he gave us another perspective to the house. He mentioned stories of the Mills family that I had not heard before and we also got to see how the renovations of the house were going. It looks like the dining room and entrance hall will be finished in time for the holiday party.

The foyer of the Mills Mansion as they prepare for the holidays

All of these activities lead to the big event in my Halloween every year, the NY Greenwich Village Halloween Parade which I have been marshaling now for five years. Participating in the event this year, I got an invitation to go to Rokeby, the estate of the Aldrich/Livingston family to see the puppet rehearsals. This year’s theme to the parade was “Wild Things” and the puppets and costumes were to reflect this.

Because I had the above Afternoon tea at the Mill’s Mansion the next day, I stayed at an Airbnb for the night and that was interesting. I had a feeling that the host really did not want to meet me as she scrambled out the door that night. The room was in a small private home near downtown Kingston and the nice part was that I could enjoy all the restaurants, museums and historical sites (See VisitingaMuseum.com for the sites I visited) and go back to the room to sleep.

After I checked into the Airbnb, it was off to The Rokeby Estate which is a 400 acre property in Red Hook, NY. Most of the artists for the Halloween Parade and the Sinterklass Parade in December (see my blogs on this as well) live on the Rokeby Estate in the homes that surround the old mansion.

The Rokeby Estate in Red Hook, NY

By the time I got up there, it was just starting to get dark and trust me, the roads are not paved going up to the house and it gets dark up there. I parked by the barn where all the magic happens and they create and assemble all the puppets. This was interesting because I got to see all the designs and all the construction areas of the barn.

The rehearsal went by well and they even created music for the puppets to dance to when performing. Then the participants holding the puppets lead everyone to the Rokeby Mansion and we all assembled on the porch which was lit with Christmas lights and watched the performance from there.

The Wild Things at the Puppet Rehearsals at Rokeby

Halloween Parade Puppet Rehearsals 2019 II

The Max’s of the Wild Things

Watching from the porch of Rokeby was a lot of fun and what a place to view everything. Before it got dark, I got to talk to Tracey and Wilt Aldrich and introduce myself (we are like 12th cousins by marriage) and we got to chat before the performance. I got to see the sun set over the Hudson River from there and it was spectacular. The colors over the mountains was amazing and you can understand why people moved up here.

After rehearsals, it was off to Rhinebeck for dinner at Pete’s Famous, a diner concept downtown that I highly recommend. I had a much needed Hot Turkey sandwich with mashed potatoes ($10.95) and a Coke (see review on TripAdvisor). The main meal was loaded with that thick turkey gravy that diners are known for when serving this dish. The meal started with a Chicken and Rice soup that really warmed me up. It was nice to warm up in the restaurant and chat with the waitstaff.

Pete’s Famous at 34 East Main Street in Rhinebeck, NY has wonderful food

After dinner, I just walked around downtown Rhinebeck, NY knowing that Sinterklaas was only four and a half weeks later. I could see that the Christmas lights were being put on the trees already. Then it was off to bed and back to the Mills Mansion for the tea. The parade would be four days later.

The Chicken Rice Soup is amazing

The ultimate comfort food a Hot Turkey Platter with Mashed Potatoes

Halloween Night was really unusual again this year. The weather was threatening rain all day and it was weirdly warm being 71 degrees and humid that night. Somehow we never saw the rain that night and as it got dark didn’t even notice the clouds.

Getting ready for the parade

I got the parade early this year arriving at 3:00pm to meet with the Head Marshal at the gate (and my distant cousin by marriage), Marc Schuyler. I had lucked out and had been invited to the Marshaling meeting the week before which made me better prepared for the parade. By the time I got there, most of the marshals had arrived and I got to work with the locations of people and where everyone was supposed to go.

My ‘cousin’ Marc Schuyler and myself at the parade entrance

With the exception with one pain who lived near by and snuck into the parade route, we did not have one problem this year and getting people into the parade was easy. We had no hassles this year and because it was not raining as expected, the parade route got really busy. People came out for the parade in droves and the costumes were more creative than in previous years.

We got all the bands in, all the ‘Thriller” dancers checked in and all the float people into the park on time and kept the tourists out. By the time we closed the gate at 8:00pm, there was no one left and the parade was in progress. By the time I got to Sixth Avenue and Spring Street, most of the parade was uptown.

The parade during set up

I got to see about four floats go up Sixth Avenue and one band before the rest of the parade was people in costume. There was everything from Superhero’s to cheerleaders in that parade. People dressed as horses, birds and trees. Lots of Jason’s and Freddie Kruger’s and spirits of death. People were dressed like little kids and cartoon characters the list goes on.

Preparing for the parade

There was a small get together after the parade but that was not until 10:00pm so it gave me about an hour to walk around the Village and watch people in action. I swear I walked all over the Village and Soho and every street and restaurant was mobbed! Because it was so warm outside all the outdoor cafes were open. All the outside tables were taken and it seemed that every restaurant was packed with people with more waiting. Even the McDonald’s and littlest pizzerias were busy. With no rain and warm weather, people were in the mood to be outside one last time.

The Floats in the parade

A group of us had light dinner that night at Da Umberto on 107 West 17th Street in the Village and the food and service were wonderful. They had a nice buffet set up for us and we had a choice of a Risotto Bolognese, Penne with a Pesto Cream sauce, Rigatoni with Vodka sauce, or Eggplant Parmesan as the main dish, a wonderful salad with house dressing and a Tiramisu for dessert. The food and the service was excellent and we had a nice evening just sitting around and talking about the parade.

Da Umberto is an excellent restaurant! Make sure to try the pastas

The food at Da Umberto’s is excellent

When I left the party around 11:30pm, it was still going strong as was the street party after the parade. People were still eating outside, house parties could be seen from the windows and people were still parading around in their costumes.

When I got home just past Midnight, I felt the first drops of the storm and when I got inside around 12:15am, the heaven’s opened up and did it rain! It pounded the roof. God had really spared us all of that. It was the last night that I slept with the air conditioner on and the heat off because when I woke up it must have dropped 25 degrees and the heat went right back on.

Another Halloween over and here come the Winter and Christmas!

A glimpse of the parade on YouTube:

Places to Eat:

Suburban Diner

172 Route 17 North

Paramus, NJ 07450

(201) 261-2605

https://www.suburbandiner17.com/

https://www.suburbandiner17.com/menu

Open: Sunday-Wednesday 6:00am-2:00am/Thursday 6:00am-12:00am

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g46712-d4474628-Reviews-Suburban_Diner-Paramus_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

Dominick’s

34 North Front Street

Uptown Kingston, NY 12401

(845) 338-4552

Open: Sunday 9:00am-4:00pm/Monday-Saturday 7:30am-7:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g48003-d1187760-Reviews-Dominick_s_Cafe-Kingston_New_York.html?m=19905side

Pete’s Famous

34 East Market Street

Rhinebeck, NY 12572

(845) 876-7271

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Petes-Famous-Restaurant/113374415362954

Open: Sunday & Saturday 6:00am-3:00pm/Monday-Friday 6:00am-4:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g48486-d823142-Reviews-Pete_s_Famous_Restaurant-Rhinebeck_New_York.html?m=19905

Da Umberto

107 West 17th Street

New York, NY 10011

(212) 989-0303

Open: Sunday Closed/Monday-Thursday 12:00pm-3:00pm/5:30pm-11:00pm/Friday 12:00pm-3:00pm/11:30pm/Saturday 5:30pm-11:30pm

https://daumbertonyc.com/

http://daumbertonyc.com/menus/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d423279-Reviews-Da_Umberto-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Places to visit:

Van Cortlandt Manor

525 Riverside Drive

Croton-on-the-Hudson, NY 10520

(914) 336-6900

Van Cortlandt Manor

https://hudsonvalley.org/school-programs/van-cortlandt-manor-school-programs

Open: The house is closed for the season. The house is open in July and August for select tours. Please check their website.

Fee: See website

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g47560-d116391-Reviews-Van_Cortlandt_Manor-Croton_on_Hudson_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/3677

Washington Irving’s Sunnyside

3 West Sunnyside Lane

Irvington, NY 10533

(914)-336-6900

Washington Irving’s Sunnyside

Open: Sunnyside will be closed until May 2020 and then reopens for Spring Hours.

Fee: Visit the above website

My review on TripAdvisor;

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g47953-d104379-Reviews-Washington_Irving_s_Sunnyside_House-Irvington_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VistingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/3673

Staatsburg State Historic Site/Mills Mansion

75 Mills Mansion Drive, US Route 1

Staatsburg, NY 12580

(845) 889-8851

Fee: Adults $8.00/Groups and Seniors $6.00/Children under 12 free

Open: Monday-Wednesday Closed/Thursday-Sunday 11:00am-4:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g48676-d107418-Reviews-Staatsburgh_State_Historic_Site_Mills_Mansion-Staatsburg_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/2137

The Halloween Parade

Every October 31st-Halloween Night in Greenwich Village NYC

Start time 7:00pm

The Halloween Parade get better every year!

Day One Hundred and Forty-Nine Visiting the Hudson River Valley for Fall Events and to see the foliage September and October 2019 (and in October 2021, October 2022, October 2024 and October 2025)

November 15, 2019"A Local Journey: Exploring the outskirts of New York City, Dedication to Warren Watrel, Dining on a Shoe String in New York State, Exploring Beacon, NY, Exploring Catskill, NY, Exploring Farms and Farm Stands, Exploring Fishkill NY, Exploring Historic Dutchess County NY, Exploring Historic Towns of Upstate New York, Exploring Historic Ulster County NY, Exploring Kingston NY, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring New York State, Exploring Poughkeepsie, Exploring Red Hook NY, Exploring Rhinebeck NY, Exploring the Historic Hudson River Valley in New York State, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Historic New York State neighborhoods, Hot Dog, Hamburger & Fries for the budget minded., Kearney House, Little Shop on Main Street in New York State, My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), MywalkinManhattan at the Halloween Holidays, MywalkinManhattan Experiences, Pizzeria's and Italian Restaurants for the budget-minded, Sandwich and Deli's for the budget minded, Uncategorized, Visiting a Museum in New York State, Visiting Farms and Farm Stands in New YorkAddthistoyourgrocerylist@Wordpress.com, Author Justin Watral, Author Justin Watrel, Bannerman Castle, BergenCountyCaregiver.com, Christmas in the Hudson River Valley, Cornell University Football, DiningonaShoeString@Wordpress.com, Dutchess County Fair, Dutchess County Fair Grounds, Exploring Downtown Beacon NY, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring the Dutchess County Fair, Exploring the Hudson River Valley, Hessel Museum, Hudson River Valley, Hudson River Valley Fall Events, Justin Watral, Justin Watrel, Kearney House, LittleShoponMainStreet, Montgomery Place, MywalkinManhattan.com, NY, Sheep & Wool Festival, Trip to the Hudson River Valley, VisitingaMuseum.com, Warren George Watrel, Warren Watreljwatrel

I have been travelling up to the Hudson River Valley much more than usual this Fall. There has been so much going on between the events up at the Dutchess County Fair Grounds since the Fair in August and all the of the ‘Mansion Hopping’ and visiting to historical sites for my blog, “VisitingaMuseum.com”, which I have been concentrating on building over the Summer and Fall. I have been visiting on most weekends between September and the end of October.

The Hudson River Valley in the fall.

Travelling up to the Hudson River Valley in the fall is an amazing time. Because of the lack of rain over the summer, the foliage turned much earlier than it usually does and the trees starting turning yellow and red in the end of September and beginning of October as opposed to last year and the year before where it was more the end of October and middle of November.

The views of the Hudson River are always so amazing

I started my journey up to Dutchess County right after the Dutchess County Fair at the end of August and continued through the end of October for Halloween events. I had bought a small Santa from a woodcarver for a small Mother’s Day present for my mom and she absolutely loved it so I had to seek him out again at events through the next three months. He was tough to find.

My mother loves the Santas at the fair

My first trip Upstate was for the Cornell-Marist Football game on September 21st. Because I have to teach college on Saturday mornings I left for the game later in the afternoon and I got to Marist College during the beginning of the second quarter.

The Marist College campus off Route 9 in Poughkeepsie is one of the nicest college campuses I have been to in a while. The campus sits right on the Hudson River and the nice part is that the football stadium is located right off the highway so as I was driving in I could see what was going.

Big Red Football

Long story short it was not the greatest football game I had ever been to and we won 21-7. Cornell University has not invested in its football team the way it should and it was like watching two high school teams play. The funny part was that Marist College and Cornell University have the same school colors so it was hard to see who was rooting for who in the stadium.

Watching the game

The one nice thing about the stadium is that on the other side of the stands of the stadium that Marist has lawn sitting and that is the best way to watch the game. It was also about 85 degrees that afternoon so it was the perfect football weather and I got tan while watching the game.

Sitting on the lawn side of the field is the best place to sit

After the game was over, I decided to explore the campus. God, the Marist College campus is gorgeous. The campus has expanded over the years since I went to school at the Culinary Institute of America and our campus was beautiful as well. Marist College has rolling hills, lush green lawns and the most amazing view of the Hudson River. People should just visit the campus to walk around. The foliage was just starting to turn so the view of the river and the hills that surround it was spectacular.

Homecoming and Reunion Weekend at Marist College

https://www.marist.edu/

The next weekend I was back Upstate again to the fairgrounds in Rhinebeck for Oktoberfest. This interesting event was the smaller of the two events that I attended at the Dutchess County Fair Grounds after the Annual Fair in August. This was a smaller craft event that took up one section of the fairgrounds mostly where the craft exhibition space had been during the fair and the rides were located. I had gotten this event and the Sheep & Wool event later in the month mixed up and the wood carver was not there (later when I did meet up with him at the Sheep & Wool Festival he said that he was not invited). Still I stayed and explored the fairgrounds on this warm sunny day.

Along the main path, there were all sorts of arts and crafts vendors and gourmet food vendors selling their wares and there were a few food vendors towards the back of the event but the lines were so long that I decided to eat outside the fairgrounds. So I took a trip up to Red Hook, NY which is located just north of the fair grounds and had lunch at Village Pizza III at 7594 North Broadway (see reviews on TripAdvisor and DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com) for some lunch.

The food at this Village Pizza is just excellent and so reasonable as well! I had the most delicious Calzone ($6.95) that was just loaded with mozzarella, Parmesan and Ricotta cheese and was a gooey delight with every bite. Their red sauce that I have mentioned in my of my Upstate New York blogs, is just excellent. Well spiced and loaded with flavor.

Village Pizza III at 7594 Broadway in Red Hook, NY is just excellent for lunch and dinner

https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=113437418688745

I came back two weeks later for the Sheep and Wool Festival which was a whole different experience in both 2019 and 2021 (the festival like everything else was cancelled in 2020 because of COVID).

The entrance to the Dutchess County Fairgrounds

The Sheep and Wool Festival which takes place the third week of October was a much bigger festival, larger than Oktoberfest but just a little smaller than the Fair. In the back by the animal pens there were displays from people in the 4 H with their sheep, alpaca and goats showing off these amazing animals. So many of the them were friendly and let you pet them. Most looked bored and tired of people taking their picture.

The sheep at the Sheep & Wool Festival

It was a lot of fun walking through the rows of yarn, specialty crocheted and knitted hats, blankets and baby items plus all the handcrafted items for the upcoming holidays. These took up most of the display pens that during the Dutchess County Fair are used for the animals. There are a lot of talented crafters and artisans that come to the Fairgrounds.

The Sheep and Wool Festival in 2019

The Sheep and Wool Festival in 2022

I did find the woodcarver, Joe Gleeson, on this trip and was able to buy to small Santa’s that he had in stock. It seemed that he had a good sell through at the Dutchess County Fair and there was not much left and he was just trying to keep up. I love Mr. Gleeson’s surrealist designed Santa’s. Another creative carver was Bill Kypreos from Bill-Lin Woodcarving, who I bought another Santa from in 2021.

kypreos8@me.com

After making that purchase, I walked all over the fairgrounds looking over the displays and all the crafts people. There were a lot of interesting vendors offering the most beautiful and interesting items.

Carapace Farm Puppetry by Susannah White

Mr. Gleeson has the most beautiful wooden carvings of Santa’s, Elf’s and Snowman. Bonnie’s Beast’s offered the most creative felt and knit play animals from felt wool. Artist Patricia McGarth created homemade all natural doggie treats that tasted like an all natural cracker. They were not bad to eat for a human. Utopia Bath Ltd. has an interesting bath line and lotions.

Bonny’s Beasts

Artist Susannah White builds and creates puppets through her Carapace Farm Puppetry. She carries the most interesting hand and finger puppets and masks. She works with her mother, artist Amelia McIsaac who also does felt art and works on the “Star Babies” sculptures and other children’s art.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/FloweringHeart

https://www.facebook.com/CarapaceFarmPuppetry/

Artist JoAnn Clark is a fiber artist who specializes in Needle felted folk art. She created the most interesting animal art and figurines. Amelia McIsaac created flowering art through her Flowering Art Homestead company.

https://www.facebook.com/floweringhearthomestead/

Going Gnome was another artist’s work making small felt gnomes that were colorful and whimsical.

https://www.goinggnome.com/

Foodie Kristin Nelson created the most delicious caramels with her small artisan candy business Cara-Sel. These sweets have such a rich flavor.

https://www.ardenthomesteader.com/

The sheep were surprisingly friendly even after they were given a hair cut

For lunch, I discovered that Janek’s, the Food Truck vendor I had eaten lunch at during the Fair was at this festival as well and I made the ‘B-Line’ to have lunch there.

For $15.00, I got their special again. This was a half pound freshly ground beef patty that was juicy in the center and caramelized on the outside. Then they top it with Cheddar Cheese, Smoked Glazed Ham, Pulled Pork and homemade pickles with a side of freshly made potato-cheese perogies cooked in butter and sweet onions with a side of sour cream.

Don’t miss Janek’s Food Truck at all Dutchess County events

Okay, yes it is not for the cholesterol minded person but I eat this twice a year and do I enjoy it. I walked the Fairgrounds twice just to work it off. I had the exact same thing in 2021 and it was just as good but the price went up to $18.00.

Do not miss the Cheeseburger with pulled pork and pierogi special at Janek’s Food Truck

In 2021, I left the Fairgrounds around 2:30pm to visit the Bard Campus to visit two of the cultural sites I wanted to see on my last couple of trips to the Hudson River Valley, Montgomery Place, the home of Janet Livingston Montgomery and the Hessel Museum, Bard College’s on campus museum.

I had been to Montgomery Place at 26 Gardener Way & River Road many times before when the house was owned by the Hudson River Historical Society. They used to run tours of the house and have cocktail parties on the porch outside. The grounds were breathtaking with views down to the Hudson River and the lawns had been freshly cut. The trees were getting that yellow and orange hue to them and it was nice exercise to just walk around the grounds. The house is now closed to tours (by appointment only).

Montgomery Place at 26 Gardener Way

https://www.bard.edu/montgomeryplace/

After a tour of the grounds of the old mansion, I visited the Hessel Museum which is the museum of the Bard College. This interesting museum is specializing in modern and contemporary art.

The Hessel Museum at 33 Garden Road

https://ccs.bard.edu/museum

The Hessel Museum was featuring two different exhibitions: “With Pleasure: Pattern and Decoration in Art 1972-1985”, which was a time of growth in home decorating themed art and “Closer to Life: Drawings on Paper of the Marieluise Hessel Collection”, the founder of the Museum and Co-Founder of the College’s personal collection of works. Both exhibitions displayed the art in its own unique way. What was nice was the museum was free as well as visiting the mansion.

In 2021, I spent the night at the Courtyard by Marriott in Fishkill, NY (see TripAdvisor review below) after the Sheep & Wool Festival so that I could revisit a lot of the businesses and small towns that I had been to in the past to check out the businesses and the status of the towns during COVID. What started as a specular day with a beautiful sunrise over the Catskills from my hotel room ended in a most gloomy cold day of driving around the Hudson River Valley.

The Courtyard by Marriott at Fishkill in Fishkill, NY at 17 Westage Drive

https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/fhkny-courtyard-fishkill/

The view from my room at the Marriott Fishkill

Almost all the businesses in Red Hook, NY were closed on Monday with the exception of Little Pickles, a small toy store that I have featured many times in my blogs (see LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com), The owner and I talked for awhile about the stores being closed on Mondays and how hard that is on customers.

Little Pickles at 7505 North Broadway

Shop

Red Hook was pretty much closed for the day and was rather gloomy in the rain. On a nice day though, it is the most unique and quaint town to shop and visit.

Downtown Red Hook, NY on a nice day in the fall

https://www.redhook.org/

See my Blog on “Exploring Downtown Red Hook, NY:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/14144

I left Red Hook and my next stop was Downtown Wappingers Falls, NY where the Meisner Homestead was located. Everything was closed here and about six or seven stores had closed in its unique downtown. Even the Falls were dripping as there was no water coming down the river. I could not believe how much was empty since my last visit almost a year ago. This was the up and coming downtown.

Downtown Wappingers Falls, NY

Homepage

My last stop on my journey was Beacon, NY where a lot more of the stores were open for the day and the weather had gotten nicer. The foliage was a little nicer here but most of the trees were pretty much still green.

Downtown Beacon, NY

http://www.beacononhudson.com/

Downtown Beacon with a view of the mountains

I walked the whole downtown twice visiting stores that had interested me in the past. Colorant at 146 Main Street is such a unique clothing store in which all the clothes are made of all natural fibers and dies (see my review on LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com).

Colorant at 146 Main Street in Beacon, NY

https://www.thisiscolorant.com/pages/contact

The inside of Colorant with clothes and gifts.

A beautifully designed dress in 2023.

Another store that caught my attention was Flora Good Times, a very interesting flower and gift shop at 197 Main Street. They had all sorts of interesting handmade pottery and a nice selection of seasonal flowers beautifully displayed.

Before I left touring all of downtown, I stopped at my ‘go to’ pizzeria, Pizza & Stuff II which has the best pizza. The slices are really large and the sauce is so well spiced and gives it wonderful flavor. The service here is really nice (see my review on TripAdvisor below).

Flora Good Times at 197 Main Street in Beacon, NY

https://www.floragoodtimes.com/

The inside of Flora Good Times.

The unique “Victory” pots at Flora Good Times

After touring all the towns in search of new material, I headed home on a rather chilly night. I ended up having to turn the heat on in the house. The rain really had dropped the temperature.

In 2019, after the time at the Sheep and Wool Festival, it was next to the ‘Pie and Punch Evening” at the Kearney House in the Palisades Interstate Park. I had been to the Kearney House two weeks early on a Sunday but it was closed due to a Square Dance fundraiser they were running so I saw this on the Internet and thought it sounded fun (Please see the reviews on TripAdvisor and VisitingaMuseum.com). The house would all be lit by candles and fireplaces as there is no electricity in the house. What could be nicer?

Kearney House at the Alpine Landing is lit by candlelight

https://www.njpalisades.org/kearney.html

The picture of Mrs. Kearny at the house

Well just to let all you readers know that the Palisades Interstate Park is closed after dusk and does not reopen until it is light out the next day and there are NO lights either on the roads going down the hill to the basin or in the parking lot. When I mean the park is pitch black, it is pitch black. I thought this was dangerous since the road leading to the basin is very steep, not much of a barrier along the cliff side and no lights on the signs. I had some jerk follow me at full speed racing down the hill behind me. Let’s just leave this that there was a small boulder that I did not see and it did not get out of my way. The next hour in the park was not fun!

The warmth of the fire calmed me down

After I calmed down and was an hour late for the event, everyone could not have been nicer to me at the get together. Once I relaxed and had some hot spiced punch and a few pieces of pie and some cheese I calmed down. The boulder aside, it was a very nice event and I had a good time.

The games in the Living Room at the Kearny House

The Kearney House is an old Revolutionary aged home that had been used by the Kearney family as Inn and resting place for sailors and shippers using the Hudson River back when it was bustling with trade. The family ended up selling it before WWI and it was bought by the parks system. The division that runs the Kearney House and fundraisers for its upkeep run these themed events.

The entrance of the Dining Room

The house was all lit up by candlelight in both rooms and both fireplaces were roaring when I got in the room. It was the pies that calmed me down. They offered three different pies, Strawberry Rhubarb, Apple and Pumpkin that were from a bakery in Closter, NJ and were ‘out of this world’ delicious. The apple pie had the sweetest filling and tasted like pears were baked into it along with the apples. The strawberry rhubarb had a tangy-tart sweet filling to it and the pumpkin had a nicely baked creamy almost custard like filling all with this amazingly buttery crust. This is the type of pie that can make you forget all of your problems.

Kearney House story telling

On the table as well were wedges of sharp cheese and accompanying breads, roasted peanuts, ice cold water and served to you by volunteers in period costume. If I had not been so shaken when I entered the house (and of course the couple who helped me with the car told everyone at the party what happened so everyone was extra nice to me) and all the volunteers who helped with the event had not been so nice, it could have been a bad night.

The house lit by candle light and by the fireplace

Still there was a tour of the house both upstairs and into the attic, a musician playing songs and then a half hour of story telling all by the glow of candle and fire light that made the evening special. I ended up having a nice time talking to the other guests and getting to eat the endless slices of pie.

The upstairs bedroom of the Kearny House

I left a little better than I arrived but I will tell you two things: I am NEVER going into this park again after dark, so matter what the event is and that was the last time I set foot in the Kearny House. It was so dark in the parking lot when I left I almost tripped on the barrier on side the of it.

The Attic Tour of the Kearny House

The Kearny House second floor bedroom

My next trip up to the Hudson River in 2019 that next Sunday lead me to Beacon, NY to visit Pollepel Island/Bannerman Castle Island and to visit the mysterious castle in the middle of the Hudson River (see my reviews on TripAdvisor and VisitingaMuseum.com). I had talked about visiting Beacon, NY in my other blogs for the Third Thursday Shopping nights during the holidays and my visit to the DIA-Beacon in VisitingaMuseum.com.

Bannerman Island

Arriving at the island

When visiting Bannerman Island please remember that it is open seasonally and opens in later April and closes at the end of October so you have to plan your trip there accordingly. I got there the last Sunday it was open and please note that you do need advanced reservations to go to the island. I lucked out as there was two trips out to the island that day and there had been a cancellation that afternoon and I was able to make the boat trip.

Ready to leave for the island

The park and dock by the mainland in Beacon, NY

The Video on the Trip:

img_9593 (1)Download

The island in the distance on the Hudson River

The trip was on somewhat rough waters as it was a gloomy day with the sun peaking out only at the end of the tour. When we got to the island, we landed at the small dock and then had to walk up over 70 steps to the landing at the top of the hill. It wasn’t hard but hardly ADA compliant. We had excellent tour guide who knew the whole history of the island from when the family bought the island in 1900 to when the sons sold the island in the 1950’s.

The Bannerman Castle on Bannerman Island

https://www.facebook.com/BannermanIsland/

The Bannerman Castle was actually an armory for munitions for the Bannerman company. Francis Bannerman IV bought the island to store his inventory of his military supply business and the items were stored there awaiting shipping to all over the world.

The gardens by the dock

The castle itself had partially blown up in the 1920’s when the munitions caught fire and then in turn burned in 1969 and the interiors were destroyed. Recently part of the wall to the castle collapsed so the building is now being held up by metal rods to prevent further collapse.

The ruins of the castle

The tour took us up the path toward the former arsenal so we could take a better look which is pretty dramatic sitting by the water with the vegetative growth around it. Mrs. Bannerman had once had the whole area landscaped with an exotic garden. Now that part is all growth and weeds.

The gardens on the island

Travelling up the path from the ‘castle’, we walked up the path that had been landscaped by the local garden clubs who have been put in charge of landscaping the old paths and gardens leading to the family mansion at the top of the hill. The mansion is going through a renovation so there is not much to see but there is a small gift shop inside and the history in the building. The outside of the mansion is being landscaped and used for theater show, movie nights and concerts. The views of the river are spectacular.

The view from the mansion on top of the hill the Washington’s Headquarters in Newburgh, NY

We exited down the back path and saw more interesting views of the Hudson River. There are more gardens on the way down and we heard more of the history of the island in that it was closed off until recently and was only visited by kayakers and adventurers. The island is now open for all sorts of activities.

The views of the river

On our way back, the tour guides gave us their own take on visiting the island which was pretty funny. They run these tours and can’t believe how mesmerized people are by buildings that were falling apart.

The path by the main house and gardens

The Main House on Bannerman Island

As we took the boat ride back to the dock in Beacon, I noticed that the foliage had an unusual line to it up on the hill. It was dead towards the top of the hill and the rest of the trees were combination of yellow and green. The tour guide said that an unusual early frost hit the trees and the ones at the top of the hill had already gone dormant.

Walking along the Red Trail back to the dock

Back to the Dock to leave the island

For the rest of the afternoon, I explored downtown Beacon and all the innovative stores and trendy restaurants. I ended up though eating at a Pizza and Stuff II Pizzeria at 339 Main Street. The pizza there is delicious. Those trendy restaurants prices are ridiculous and I am not too sure how the locals afford some of these places. Still it is a beautiful and quaint downtown with nice businesses set in the distance of the Hudson River mountains. The foliage around the town sets the tone.

Downtown Beacon, NY in the Summer of 2024

The falls in Downtown Beacon by the Hotel Beacon

As Halloween approaches, there will be more to do and see. Check out my blog on Halloween Again 2019.

Places to eat:

Village Pizza III

7514 North Broadway

New York, NY 12571

(845) 758-5808

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Village-Pizza-III/113437418688745

Open: Sunday 1:00pm-9:00pm/Monday-Thursday 11:00am-11:00pm/Friday & Saturday 11:00am-12:00am

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g48473-d819096-Reviews-Village_Pizza_III-Red_Hook_New_York.html?m=19905

DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/diningonashoestringinnyc.wordpress.com/886

Janek’s Food Truck

They are at the Fairgrounds during events. They are out of Milford, PA

Pizza and Stuff II

339 Main Street

Beacon, NY 12508

(845) 838-2222

https://www.facebook.com/beaconsbestpizza/

Open: Sunday-Saturday 10:30am-8:30pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g47291-d5510044-Reviews-Pizza_and_Stuff_II-Beacon_New_York.html?m=19905

Places to Visit:

Dutchess County Fairgrounds

6636 Route 9

Rhinebeck, NY 12572

(845) 876-4000

http://dutchessfair.com/dutchess-fair/general-info/

(Open for Seasonal Events)

Marist College Campus Football Field

3399 North Road

Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

(845) 575-3000

Open: Check the website for game days

https://www.marist.edu/

The Kearney House/Alpine Landing

Palisade Interstate Park

Alpine, NJ 07624

(201) 768-1360 ext. 108

Open: Check the website for the days it is open

https://www.njpalisades.org/kearney.html

Open: The Kearney House is open seasonally usually weekend from 1:00pm-4:00pm; closed for the season except for special events. Please visit their website.

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g29743-d19332567-Reviews-Kearny_House-Alpine_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/3519

Bannerman Island

Pollepel Island

Newburg, NY/Beacon, NY

(845) 237-2326

https://www.facebook.com/BannermanIsland/

Open: Check the website for days open

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g47508-d2252346-Reviews-Bannerman_Castle-Cold_Spring_New_York.html?m=19905

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g48254-d2091254-Reviews-Bannerman_Cruise_Walking_Tour-Newburgh_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/3554

Hessel Museum of Art-Bard College Campus

33 Garden Road

Annandale-On-Hudson, NY 12504

https://ccs.bard.edu/museum

Open: Sunday 11:00am-5:00pm/Monday-Tuesday Closed/Wednesday-Saturday 11:00am-5:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g29820-d1069234-Reviews-Hessel_Museum_of_Art_at_Bard_College-Annandale_on_Hudson_New_York.html

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/6179

Montgomery Place-Bard College

26 Gardener Way & River Road

Red Hook, NY 12571

https://www.bard.edu/montgomeryplace/

Open: Sunday-Saturday From Dawn to Dusk/Mansion is closed

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g29820-d209648-Reviews-Montgomery_Place-Annandale_on_Hudson_New_York.html

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/6184

Places to Shop:

Little Pickles-The Children’s General Store

7505 North Broadway

Red Hook, NY 12571

(845) 835-8086

http://www.littlepickles.shop/

Open: Monday-Saturday 10:30am-5:30pm/Sunday 11:00am-4:00pm

My Review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g48473-d7954016-Reviews-Little_Pickles-Red_Hook_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/littleshoponmainstreet.wordpress.com/169

Colorant

146 Main Street

Beacon, NY 12508

https://www.facebook.com/colorantofficial/

https://www.thisiscolorant.com/

Open: Thursday-Sunday 11:00am-6:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

My review on LittleShoponMainStreet.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/littleshoponmainstreet.wordpress.com/427

Flora Good Times

197 Main Street

Beacon, NY 12508

https://www.floragoodtimes.com/

Open: Sunday-Monday 11:00am-6:00pm/Tuesday-Wednesday Closed/Thursday-Saturday 11:00am-6:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

My review on LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/littleshoponmainstreet.wordpress.com/1318

Places to stay:

Courtyard by Marriott Fishkill

17 Westage Drive at Route 9 at Route 84

Fishkill, NY 12524

(845) 897-2400

https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/fhkny-courtyard-fishkill/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g47724-d99184-r815116570-Courtyard_by_Marriott_Fishkill-Fishkill_New_York.html?m=19905

Vendors to seek out at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds:

JoAnn Clark, Fiber Artist Needle Felted Folk Art

woolwoman4U@embarqmail.com

(724) 735-4637

Joe Gleeson, Woodcarver

Gleesa@optonline.net

(845) 229-8458

Susannah White, Carapace Farm Puppetry

carapacefarm.com/carapacefarm@gmail.com

(716) 464-0931

Bonny’s Beasts & Birds

http://www.bonnysbeasts.com

Utopia Bath Ltd.

http://www.utopiabathltd.com/www.utopiabathltd.etsy.com

Amelia McIsaac, Flowering heart Homestead

(518) 821-4769

Ameliafloweringheart@gmail.com

Patricia McGrath, Laughing Paw Farm

http://www.laughingpawfarm.com/info@laughingpawfarm.com

Going Gnome

https://www.goinggnome.com/

Kristin Nelson The Ardent Homesteader-Cara-Sel

https://www.ardenthomesteader.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ardenthomesteader/

Highlights of the Marist-Cornell Football Game:

Hacklebarney Farm Cider Mill 104 State Park Road Chester, NJ 07930

November 11, 2019"A Local Journey: Exploring the outskirts of New York City, Bakeries for the budget minded, Candy and Ice Cream stores for the budget minded, Dedication to Warren Watrel, Dining on a Shoe String Restaurants in New Jersey, Exploring Chester NJ, Exploring Farms and Farm Stands, Exploring Historic Morris County, NJ, Exploring Historic Towns in New Jersey, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring the Farms of Morris County, NJ, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the State of New Jersey, Historic New Jersey Towns and Neighborhoods, Historical Towns of New Jersey, Hot Dog, Hamburger & Fries for the budget minded., Interesting Bakeries, Little Shop on Main Street in New Jersey, My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), MywalkinManhattan at the Halloween Holidays, Uncategorized, Visiting Farms and Farm Stands of New JerseyAddthistoyourgrocerylist@Wordpress.com, Author Justin Watral, Author Justin Watrel, BergenCountyCaregiver.com, DiningonaShoeString@Wordpress.com, Exploring Chester NJ, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring the Farms of Morris County, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Hacklebarney Farm Cider Mill, Justin Watral, Justin Watrel, LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com, MywalkinManhattan.com, Visiting Chester NJ, VisitingaMuseum.com, Warren George Watrel, Warren Watreljwatrel

Hacklebarney Farm Cider Mill is a unique and family run farm stand that I have been coming to since I was four years old. They have the best baked goods, apple cider poached hot dogs and homemade apple cider.

The farm is fun to visit!

The Farm was really busy on a recent visit in the Fall of 2024

The wonderful gourmet products on sale at the farm store

The baked goods and gourmet products on sale at the farm store

The cider doughnuts are excellent

The farm in the Fall of 2024

Walking through the farm in the Fall of 2024

Dining on a Shoestring in the New York City area and beyond.

Hacklebarney Farm Cider Mill, Bakery & Farm Store

104 State Park Road

Chester, NJ 07930

(908) 879-6593

http://www.njcidermill.com

Open: Thursday-Sunday-10:00am-5:00pm/Closed Tuesday-Wednesday

Review on TripAdvisor and link to their site:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g46355-d3512231-Reviews-Hacklebarney_Farm_Cider_Mill-Chester_Morris_County_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

Don’t miss this New Jersey institution tucked in the corner near the entrance of Hacklebarney State Park, one of the most beautiful and underrated parks in New Jersey. Just driving down State Park Road brings me back in time to the mid-1970’s when we used to stop at the farm for apple cider. My mom always liked to have it in the house to serve with dinner when we were growing up. The best part is that they still press their own.

Coming to Hacklebarney Cider Mill Farm is a step back into the rural era of New Jersey and the family that runs the farm respects its history and does not treat it like a theme park like the…

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Day One Hundred and Fifty-One Attending the 7th Annual Barnacle Parade in Red Hook, Brooklyn October 29th, 2019

October 30, 2019Dedication to Warren Watrel, Exploring Brooklyn, Exploring Brooklyn Block by Block, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the New York City Subway System, Historic New York City neighborhoods, My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), MywalkinManhattan at the Halloween Holidays, MywalkinManhattan Experiences, Pizzeria's and Italian Restaurants for the budget-minded, Uncategorized, Walking around Brooklyn, Walking in BrooklynAddthistoyourgrocerylist@Wordpress.com, Author Justin Watral, Author Justin Watrel, Barnacle Parade, BergenCountyCaregiver.com, Brooklyn, DiningonaShoeString@Wordpress.com, Exploring Brooklyn, Exploring Brooklyn Block by Block, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring Red Hook Brooklyn, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Justin Watral, Justin Watrel, LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com, MywalkinManhattan.com, Red Hook Brooklyn, The Barnacle Parade, Van Brunt Street Red Hook, VisitingaMuseum.com, Walking Red Hook Brooklyn, Warren George Watrel, Warren Watreljwatrel

While I was staying in Kingston, NY for the puppet rehearsals for the Halloween Parade at the Rokeby Estate, I came across an article in the Red Hook Star Review newspaper for a parade in Red Hook, Brooklyn (I thought it was for a parade in Red Hook, NY where Rokeby was located). It seems that the Red Hook neighborhood on the coastline of Brooklyn off New York Harbor was having a small celebration in honor of the neighborhood surviving Hurricane Sandy’s wrath especially when the power went out in the neighborhood on October 29, 2012.

So on a somewhat gloomy afternoon that was grey, cloudy and misty I took the bus and subway out to Red Hook for the parade. It was an interesting and engaging afternoon and evening. I read later that the neighborhood had wanted to create a parade and the year after the storm rocked the neighborhood, business owners decided that a parade was just what the neighborhood needed to boost the morale and spirit of the residents.

The neighborhood had been hit with power outages, massive flooding and twelve-foot storm surges. Neighbors looked out for neighbors and the people in the Red Hook Public Housing were especially hard hit with power out for weeks. Owner of the restaurant, Good Fork at Van Brunt Street, Ben Schneider said, “We thought it would be a fun way to shake off the hardships of that first year and have a good time together.” (Red Hook Star Revue 2019).

Red Hook Brooklyn after Hurricane Sandy 2012

Red Hook, Brooklyn is an interesting neighborhood because of its maritime past and that most of the neighborhood was former marshes and creeks, some of which still flow underneath the streets and homes of the neighborhood. The area was also loaded with manufacturing so there are large swaths of industrial buildings now filled with light manufacturing and/or loft spaces. The artists still dominate this part of the neighborhood, but I could tell as I walked the parade route that is quickly changing as the lots of coastline buildings are in the process of being knocked down and new luxury ‘buildings on the Bay’ are being constructed on this flat flood plain (nobody learns anything from these storms).

This had only been the second time I had been to Red Hook, Brooklyn. The other time had been on a walking tour of the neighborhood with the Fashion Institute of Technology back in the summer of 2017. There we walked the entire neighborhood and got to see manufacturing and shopping as well. (See Day Eighty Walking Red Hook Brooklyn with the FIT Tours July 22nd, 2017)

I found the parade to be an interesting mix of artists, musicians, business owners, residents and then the people like me who just discovered it having a wonderful time together. The parade started at 4:00pm on the corner of Van Brunt and Pioneer Streets in the heart of the downtown area of Red Hook with a concert with a small band and residents who looked like they were preparing for Halloween. Some were dressed like fish, some like sea captains, ladies like mermaids and parents pulling their kids through the parade in little ‘ship carts’ (trust me that adults were more dressed up than the kids). One group of people used a blue tarp to represent waves (I am not sure of the symbolize to that) throughout the parade.

The Band plays on

We followed the Squid in the MTA Bus that was ‘out of service’ throughout the parade route. Bubbles were flowing everywhere. The parade route took us all over the neighborhood as we walked the coastline of the area with the parade at its starting point and walking down Pioneer Street to Conover Street then crossed King Street and then down Ferris Street which is lined with former shipping yards that are in the process of being knocked down. We stopped in front of Louis Valentino Jr. Park and Pier and the parade participants visited Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pies at 185 Van Dyke Street #1011 for a sample of a small key lime pie.

Steve’s Key Lime Pies at 185 Van Dyke Street #1011 were given out complimentary

God was that delicious! I had not had one of those since the walking tour with FIT and it was so sweet and buttery. It was four small bites, but I thought that was so generous of them. Talk about good public relations. While stopping there, many people were able to walk through the park and even on this gloomy day where the visibility was not great you could see out to Liberty Island and watch the boats flow by. This was also the site of Fort Defiance, a fort that had been built to protect New York Harbor from the British during the Revolutionary War.

Louis Valentino Park & Pier

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/valentino-pier

As the parade started up again, more people started to join the parade and more children who were dressed in costume who were chasing one another around. We made our way down Van Dyke Street turned the corner back onto Conover Street and then down Reed Street to the front of Hometown Bar-B-Que at 454 Van Brunt Street on the corner of Van Brunt and Reed Streets. There we stopped for a complimentary beverage break, but I was not really into the light flavored beers, so I skipped that one.

The restaurant though is an old warehouse where the guts were pulled out and the place has exposed walls and ceilings and flooded with Christmas lights. The rich smells of barbecue filled the restaurant and later at the block party I was able to try some of the food that they donated. Their pulled pork, fresh pickles and mac and cheese were delicious.

The inside of Hometown Bar-B-Que at 454 Van Brunt Street

https://hometownbbq.com/

The parade continued up Van Brunt Street, the heart of the neighborhood with more rousing nautical songs such as “By the Beautiful Sea” and “I’d like to be under the Sea” as we all marched up the street following the Squid Float which was now blowing blue smoke and more bubbles. We stopped again in front of The Good Fork at 391 Van Brunt Street where they were ladling out hot vegetarian chili (not one of my favorite things). It was nicely spiced and would have tasted better with a little meat in it. Everyone else though was devouring it as the night grew cooler.

The Good Fork at 391 Van Brunt Street (Closed June 2020)

https://www.goodfork.com/

Our next culinary stop on the parade route was Fort Defiance, a bar and restaurant at 365 Van Brunt Street for a cup of their Butternut Squash Soup. God was that delicious! I asked the owner how they made it and he said that it was a combination of pumpkin and butternut squash with just a little heavy cream in it. It tasted so thick and creamy, and you could taste the hint of sweetness of the pumpkin. As it got cooler that night, that soup hit the spot.

Fort Defiance Bar & Grill at 365 Van Brunt Street

http://www.fortdefiancebrooklyn.com/

Our last stop before heading back up to Pioneer Street was at the local VFW on Van Brunt Street for a shot (that seriously warmed me up). I stopped in to look around and the place was decorated for Halloween with all sorts of decorations and colored lights. The guys were really cool about looking around and I swear I felt so much better.

The parade ended back at the corner of Pioneer and Van Brunt Streets with a musical band playing all sorts of rock songs and some dancing under all the gloom and mist. There was a tent set up with free food from Hometown Bar-B-Que with their pulled pork sandwiches, Southern Fried Chicken with seasonings, creamy mac & cheese, corn bread and someone donated some corn dogs which I never got to sample. There was also another tent where Pizza Moto was making homemade pizza with fresh mozzarella and basil and that really warmed me up as well.

What was nice was the food was free and they asked for a donation for the relief fund for the Bahamas, which I thought was a nice touch. I gave the $5.00 donation for the meal which I thought was well worth it. I thought it was nice of the restaurants to be so generous and thoughtful to the parade participants as well as great PR and introducing their food to the neighborhood (these are smart restaurateurs).

The pulled pork was delicious and was served with a hot horseradish sauce which we could top with fresh pickles and homemade Cole slaw. It was rich and decadent. The mac & cheese which was served on the side was creamy and loaded with Cheddar cheese. The fried chicken was meaty and nicely fried and spiced with Old Bay seasonings. What a nice and generous meal. The pizza was also excellent on a cool night.

The pulled pork sliders and mac & cheese were worth the wait in line

I stayed for another half hour enjoying the music and watching a group of kids run each other around in a shopping cart in a club that was open for sitting and using the bathrooms. These kids really carried on but in a fun way. I could see the other adults were worn out by it but I just saw myself and the fun I used to have as a kid.

I told one artist who was in a mermaid costume eating a slice of pizza that I would rather see these kids carrying on like this yelling and screaming and having a good time than playing with a cellphone not talking to each other. She smiled and agreed with me.

Before I left the neighborhood, I stopped at the new Ample Hills Creamery & Museum at 421 Van Brunt Street to see the new factory and store that they had built. I swear that this company has grown in leaps and bounds in just seven years and they now have eight stores plus this factory. It was very impressive and shows how their product is made. They also make all their add ins like cake batter, brownies and candy. Very impressive!

The Ample Hills Factory at 421 Van Brunt Street

https://amplehills.com/location/red-hook-factory

Red Hook to me is more than just a neighborhood in Brooklyn. It was like a small town where people know their neighbors and people talked and greeted each other and engaged in conversation. Some may not be best friends or agree with one another, but you can tell they are a neighborhood. This little parade will be something bigger in the future I know but for now it showed me the true spirit of a small-town community in the heart of New York City.

The Barnacle Parade is every October 29th to mark the Anniversary of the devastation of Hurricane Sandy in 2012. What a way to show the spirit of resilience of a community!

See my entry in MywalkinManhattan.com: “Day Eighty Walking Red Hook Brooklyn with the FIT Tours July 2017” for more insights on Red Hook, Brooklyn:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/5737

Here are some interesting videos on the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy on Red Hook Brooklyn:

Another Great insight on Hurricane Sandy:

Watch a neighborhood come together after the storm:

The Barnacle Parade in 2020:

I missed the Barnacle Parade in 2020 because there was a major downpour that afternoon and the thought of walking around for the afternoon in the rain did not appeal to me. I saw by the YouTube videos only about 30 people showed up which was WAY less then last year.

It did not look like anyone stayed that long as it was pouring in Red Hook Brooklyn too. It was too bad as this was a fun event the year before. I felt bad for the people getting soaked.

This year’s theme was a Climate Justice March.

Places to Eat:

Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pies

185 Van Dyke Street #1011

Brooklyn, NY 11231

(718) 858-5333

keylime.com

Home

Open: 11:00am-7:00pm/Monday-Thursday 12:00pm-6:00pm/Friday 12:00pm-7:00pm/ Saturday 11:00am-7:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60827-d1599956-Reviews-Steve_s_Authentic_Key_Lime_Pies-Brooklyn_New_York.html?m=19905

Hometown Bar-B-Que

454 Van Brunt Street

Brooklyn, NY 11231

(347) 294-4644

hometownbarbque.com

https://hometownbbq.com/

Open: Sunday 12:00pm-10:00pm/Monday Closed/Tuesday-Thursday 12:00pm-10:00pm/Friday & Saturday 12:00pm-11:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60827-d5081197-Reviews-Hometown_Bar_B_Que-Brooklyn_New_York.html?m=19905

The Good Fork (Closed June 2020)

391 Van Brunt Street

Brooklyn, NY 11231

(718) 643-6636

goodfork.com

https://www.goodfork.com/

Open: Sunday 5:00pm-9:30pm/Monday Closed/Tuesday-Saturday 5:30pm-10:30pm (10:00am-3:00pm)

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60827-d619947-Reviews-The_Good_Fork-Brooklyn_New_York.html?m=19905

Fort Defiance

365 Van Brunt Street

Brooklyn, NY 11231

(347) 453-6672

fortdefiancebrooklyn.com

http://www.fortdefiancebrooklyn.com/

Open: Sunday & Saturday 9:00am-12:00am/Monday-Friday 10:00am-12:00am

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60827-d4245688-Reviews-Fort_Defiance-Brooklyn_New_York.html?m=19905

Places to Visit:

Louis Valentino Park and Pier

Ferris and Coffey Street

Brooklyn, NY 11231

(212) 639-9675

nycgovparks.org

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/valentino-pier/history

Ample Hills Creamery Factory & Museum

421 Van Brunt Street

Brooklyn, NY 11231

(718) 875-1273

amplehills.com

https://www.amplehills.com/location/red-hook-factory

Open: Sunday-Thursday 12:00pm-10:00pm/Friday & Saturday 12:00pm-10:30pmreview

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g48473-d14978931-Reviews-Ample_Hills_Creamery-Red_Hook_New_York.html?m=19905

Day One Hundred and Forty-Seven Cruising around Manhattan on the Circle Line October 11th, 2019

October 19, 2019Bakeries for the budget minded, Cruising by Boat around Manhattan, Dedication to Warren Watrel, Dining on a Shoe String Restaurants in New York City, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring the Entire Length of the Island of Manhattan/Broadway Walk, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the Rim of the Island of Manhattan, Historic New York City neighborhoods, My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), MywalkinManhattan Experiences, Uncategorized, Walking around ManhattanAddthistoyourgrocerylist@Wordpress.com, Author Justin Watral, Author Justin Watrel, Circle Line Cruise, Cruising by Boat around Manhattan, DiningonaShoeString@Wordpress.com, Eclair Bakery, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Justin Watral, Justin Watrel, Little Red Lighthouse, littleshoponmainstreet.com, LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com, MywalkinManhattan.com, The Juicy Seafood, Touring Manhattan by water, VisitingaMuseum.com, Walk Around Manhattan, Walk Manhattan, Walking around Manhattan, Walking in Manhattan, Walking Manhattan, Warren George Watrel, Warren Watreljwatrel

I am not usually into the ‘touristy things’ in New York City but this was a special day and I wanted to experience something different. All this walking around the Island of Manhattan to explore what was there lead me to think “what about riding around it?” What does it look like from the rivers and what do the neighborhoods look like that I visited so many months or years ago? What can this modern day Henry Hudson see from the water view? This lead me to take the “Best of NYC Cruise”, the full Circle around the Island of Manhattan. It was a nice afternoon where someone else did the driving.

Unfortunately, the weather was cloudy and a little gloomy but still warm with no chance of rain when I got to Pier 83 on West 42nd Street and 12th Street at 12:30pm and bought my ticket. There was a chance of clearing later in the day, so I figured ‘let’s go!’ I was surprised that on a early October afternoon in the middle of the week that the boat would be so crowded. There was loads of people from different countries who had the same idea that I had that day.

The entrance to the Circle Line at Pier 83 in Manhattan

I took the last cruise of the day at 1:30pm hoping it would warm up and it ended up being in the low 70’s that afternoon, nice enough to sit outside and enjoy the sites. The Circle Line is really nice in that you can either sit in the middle of the ship and up above inside and on the top of the outside and no matter where you sit (depending on the number of people taking pictures) you will have a great view of everything. My recommendation is to sit where I sat, on the top deck, outside in the front where the isle is located. Here when you are tall you can stretch your legs especially when you are tall like me.

Circle Line boats ready to go

The tour starts out at Pier 83 on the far West Side and be prepared for a long line that goes very quickly. I have to admit that the tourists that I travelled with were a very orderly and polite bunch until we got to Liberty Island and toured around the Statue of Liberty. Even on a gloomy day it is an impressive site that I never get tired of looking at. It still to me means America and a promise of better things to come. It still amazes me after all of these years and I have been coming to the island since I was eight. You have to think that my family saw this site when they came here over a hundred years ago.

Liberty Island

We did a two time tour around the island so that everyone could take pictures and I swear that I thought the boat would tilt with all of those people taking pictures on that side of the rail. It really was a great site to see.

The views of Lower Manhattan are still breathtaking and even after the Towers fell still and the area rebuilt it still has an air of money and power and the extent of the influence of Wall Street to the rest of the world. I don’t think there is any other city on earth that has this type of powerful image than Manhattan. There were many group shots here as well. To the other side of the boat, I could see the forts and lawns of Governours Island, which I had visited last summer.

Lower Manhattan and Governors Island

Once we were past those two photo shots, people sat and relaxed for the rest of the trip. Our next stop was South Street Seaport and the view of the Brooklyn Bridge. I think this is just as iconic as the Statue of Liberty and the view of Lower Manhattan but it did not garner that same attention. I thought it was impressive to go under the bridge and see the under workings of the it.

After going under the Brooklyn Bridge, what really impressed me was the view of the Brooklyn side of the East River. I can not believe how much the coast line had changed and the beauty of Brooklyn Bridge Park and all the buildings that have been built around it. I even saw that they have a Domino Sugar sign from the old factory building that used to be located there (Our family’s claim to fame is that it was my Great-Grandfather William Rochibowski, who used to be the man running the boilers at the factory in the early 1900’s).

Brooklyn Bridge

Brooklyn Bridge Park is an impressive park and shows the extent of reclaimed land on the Brooklyn coastline that is being used for parks. It is impressive between the Brooklyn shoreline and Long Island City in Queens how much construction of office buildings and apartments is changing the way we look the East River. We have reclaimed the land so that everyone can use the parks and we can look at green again instead of manufacturing.

Brooklyn Bridge Park

As we crossed over East 43rd Street, I could see from the boat all the neighborhoods that I had recently visited over the summer including Turtle Bay, Sutton Place, Beekman Place and the recently visited Midtown East. I recognized all the apartment buildings and small parks that line the Manhattan side of the East River. It was interesting to see what they look like from the river side.

We passed by Roosevelt Island and I got to see the new Cornell Tech campus and the old hospital that is falling apart next to the new Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park that sits impressively on the southern tip of Roosevelt Island. It was equally impressive to see Lighthouse Park on the northern part of the island as well.

Roosevelt Island

We passed the dreaded East River Houses that dominate the low 100’s along First Avenue and the bridge that will take you to Ward-Randall’s Island. Here you can see the walking paths, playing fields and the old stadium on the island. You could even see the people walking their dogs around the island and how busy it was during a work week. On the other side is High Bridge Park that lines the area from about 163rd Street to Dyckman Avenue. This park is rarely on the richter scale with tourists but it does have some of the most interesting rock formations even from the river view. It still reminds us of the Ice Age’s role in the formation of the island.

Ward-Randall’s Island

As we rounded the top half of Manhattan Island, I could see the commercial side of Inwood and Washington Heights where the Sanitation Department, Verizon and 207 Street Train Yard Facility are located. Visiting this part of the Island can be seen on this blog from Days One-Seven. It is hardly the Manhattan that most people know and you can see this even more from the river view how industrialized the area is from the deck.

When you finally cross under the Broadway Bridge under the tip of Manhattan, we crossed over to the west side of the island. We had to stop at the Amtrak bridge for them to move it for us to pass through and here you can see the giant “C” of Columbia University who has their rowing team facility in this area and their football stadium on top of the hill.

The Columbia ‘C’

It is a nice place to stop and relax as you can see the Spuyten Duyvil Creek, the Muscato Marsh (see my review on VisitingaMuseum.com) and the beginnings of Inwood Park with its large hills and virgin forest. Then you enter the Hudson River Basin and the beautiful extensive views of cliffs of the Palisades Parkway Park side of New Jersey. These areas were protected by the Rockefeller family when the area was bought for the construction of the Palisades Parkway in New Jersey and New York.

Muscato Marsh

On the Manhattan side, we were treated to the woods and parks of Inwood and Riverside Parks with their wooded paths, barbecue areas and boat basins. It may not be the view Henry Hudson saw when he travelled the river but it close to it with the wooded hills. You could see the Cloisters Museum (see my reviews on TripAdvisor and VisitingaMuseum.com) from the hill in Fort Tyron Park and travelling down to where West 155th Street is located you can see the Trinity Church Cemetery with its winding hills of tombstones.

The Cloisters Museum

Going under the busy George Washington Bridge was interesting in that the bridge never slows down. It always seems to have traffic. Under the bridge you can see the historic site of the “Little Red Lighthouse” the inspiration for the children’s book “The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge” (se my review on VisitingaMuseum.com).

Little Red Lighthouse

Below that is RiverBank Park on top of the Water Treatment plant. This interesting park I talked about visiting when blogging about Hamilton Heights. It has everything from ice skating to track to tennis. A fair trade off to clean our waters.

Below that it was the start of Riverside Park and seeing Grant’s Tomb where President Grant and his wife are interred (See my review on VisitingaMuseum.com) at the top of the park. In the background you can see the tops of the buildings at Columbia University.

Grant’s Tomb

From there we could see the beginnings of the Upper West Side and the sliver of Riverside Park that hugged the shoreline of this neighborhood. The one part that stands out is the new construction of Riverside Park South and the new park below it. These shiny towers give the West Side a contemporary modern look and show the optimism of building on this part of the Hudson River.

Riverside Park

As we headed down the last stretch of the tour of the Hudson River on the way back to Pier 83, we passed the various piers of this part of the island showing its maritime and industrial history of the island.

Back at Pier 83

The Circle Line cruise to me was revisiting the neighborhoods I had already walked from a different perspective. When you walk the streets and parks of the island, you get to see the detail work of the buildings and the landscaped structure of the parks but from the rivers, you see it from the natural standpoint from the beauty of the parks to the dynamic of the buildings and the statements they make. It is one thing to see Grant’s Tomb or the Cloisters by visiting them and going inside of them but it is another to cruise past them and them becoming part of the landscape.

Sometimes being a tourist in New York City is fun!

My birthday Dinner:

For my birthday dinner that night, I ate at The Juicy Seafood Restaurant (Closed in 2020) that I had passed when walking Turtle Bay for this blog. The Juicy Seafood at 1047A Second Avenue (see my review on TripAdvisor) is an interesting little seafood restaurant with a lively bar scene and an interesting music soundtrack playing.

The Juicy Seafood Restaurant

The food is wonderful. I had the Fried Shrimp basket ($13.00) was delicious. Eight well breaded and fried shrimp sat on top of a bed of French Fries. The shrimp were sweet and fresh and had a nice crunch to them.

The Fried Shrimp Basket

For dessert, I wanted a small birthday cake and went to Eclair Bakery at 305 East 53rd Street (see my reviews on TripAdvisor and DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com) to see what they had that night. I settled on a Lemon Cake ($4.00) that had a nice caramelized color to it and a layer of icing. This sweet dense cake perked me up immediately and was a nice way to complete my birthday evening. The simple things in life are the best!

It does not take much to please this Libra!

Things to do:

The Circle Line Cruise

Midtown

Pier 83

West 42nd Street and 12th Street

New York, NY

(212) 563-3200

1https://www.circleline.com/0036

Tour of the “Best of New York Cruise” times:

10:00am, 12:00pm and 1:30pm cruises daily

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d276253-Reviews-Circle_Line_Cruises-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Places to Eat:

The menu on the Circle Line is not that exciting so eat a good breakfast before you go and save lunch or dinner to after you exit the cruise.

The Juicy Seafood (now closed)

1047A Second Avenue

New York, NY 10022

(646) 850-4080

http://www.thejuicyseafoodny.com/

My review on TripAdvisor:

The Eclair Bakery

305 East 53rd Street

New York, NY 10022

(212) 371-3459

https://www.eclairbakery-nyc.com/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d6438250-Reviews-Eclair_Bakery-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/diningonashoestringinnyc.wordpress.com/1068

Day One Hundred and Forty-Six: Walking the Streets of Midtown East from Lexington to Fifth Avenues from East 43rd to East 59th Streets September 20th-October 4th, 2019 (Again December 21st, 2024 and December 15th, 2025)

October 16, 2019Dedication to Warren Watrel, Dining on a Shoe String Restaurants in New York City, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring Midtown East in Manhattan, Exploring Midtown Manhattan, Exploring New York City, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring NYC Parks, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Historic New York City neighborhoods, Interesting Bakeries, Interesting Bakeries in Manhattan, Interesting Bakeries in New York City, Little Shop on Main Street in New York City (LittleShoponMainStreet), My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), Uncategorized, Visiting a Museum in New York City, Walking around ManhattanAddthistoyourgrocerylist@Wordpress.com, Author Justin Watral, Author Justin Watrel, BergenCountyCaregiver.com, Bon Vivant, DiningonaShoeString@Wordpress.com, Dough, Exploring Central Park South, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring Midtown East, Exploring Midtown East Manhattan, Exploring New York City, Exploring New York City at Christmas, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Fifth Avenue Manhattan, Joe's Shanghai, JoJu Restaurant, Justin Watral, Justin Watrel, LittleShoponMainStreet, LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com, Midtown Architecture Tour, Midtown East Manhattan, Midtown Street Art, MywalkinManhattan.com, Suprema Empanada, Tri Dim Shanghai Restaurant, Urbanspace Vanderbilt, VisitingaMuseum.com, Walk Around Manhattan, Walk Manhattan, Walking around Manhattan, Walking in Manhattan, Walking Manhattan, Warren George Watreljwatrel

Walking the streets of Midtown East is very different from all the other neighborhoods that I have walked so far. The character of the neighborhood differs so much in that it is mostly commercial with hotels, specialty shops, office buildings and more residential on the upper parts of the neighborhood than any other part of the City. When you walk down the side streets of Midtown East, you are usually passing a building that stretches from one block to the other with nothing much in between but a loading dock or garage for the employees. Most of the smaller buildings and brownstones have been long knocked down and replaced with large office buildings some of which the character lacks in these giant ‘glass boxes’.

I know in the past few years that New York City has allowed more innovation in building design and there has been more original designs then the original 1980’s ‘glass boxes’ but even now there are a lot of makeovers that are happening all over the neighborhood and you will be dodging scaffolding that I have not seen since my days walking Harlem. From block to block especially as you get closer to Grand Central Station, there are many closed sidewalks and you can only walk on one side of the street.

Grand Central Station sits at the head of this neighborhood

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Central_Terminal

With that said, there are still many hidden treasures to find if you just look up and across and they just jump out on you. It is surprising in this ever-changing neighborhood of soaring towers and busy hotels that tucked here and there are public atriums with places to sit and tiny cafes inside them that cater to the busy lunch crowd. Small brownstones here and there around the neighborhood have survived the wrecking ball and now house small cottage businesses and some upscale boutiques. I even found a few waterfalls along the way. I started my walk on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 59th Street, which is becoming like an old friend. East 59th Street with its luxury shops and hotels is going through a transition itself since the domination of the internet.

Many of the luxury stores from Steuben Glass to the old FAO Schwarz Fifth Avenue have either disappeared or have moved to other parts of Midtown. Even the Barney’s New York on Madison Avenue on the edge of the Upper East Side neighborhood has filed for bankruptcy sighting changing tastes (people just don’t dress like that anymore) and the cost of doing business in a Brick & Mortar store which such high rents. I really don’t think honestly that people can afford these places anymore and if they can, will order it online not having to deal with the sometimes-indifferent service you get now in stores (I experienced this feeling in Paul Stuart when I walked in twice with shorts). The result is a lot of empty retail space.

This is changing though with the remodeling of the older office buildings with new facelifts and newer foreign stores coming into the neighborhood. Even so, look again for the open-air museum of artwork all over the streets and in the lobbies of these soaring office buildings. When walking down East 58th Street, I came across the sculpture “Rondo” by artist Tony Rosenthal in 1969 in front of 127 East 58th Street. This interesting circular sculpture is made of welded bronze.

‘Rondo’ by artist Tony Rosenthal

Tony Rosenthal was known for his large ‘Monumental Public Art Sculptures’ that appeared in cities all over the United States. Mr. Rosenthal had studied at the Chicago Institute of Art and in the 1960’s concentrated on large Abstract Geometric Sculptures. With his “Rondo” series in the 1960’s, it is noted that “Tony Rosenthal finds, discovers and reports to us what we might not have seen without him” (Tony Rosenthal biography).

Artist Tony Rosenthal in New York City

Home

Take a look at the detail work of 480 Park Avenue on the corner of Park Avenue and East 58th Street. Designed by architect Emery Roth in 1929, notice the terracotta detail work all over the building. It is one of the great residential buildings where each apartment had working fireplaces and high ceilings.

Look at the detail work at 480 Park Avenue

https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/midtown-east/the-antoinettes-480-park-avenue/7734

The details of 480 Park Avenue

Look for the faces in the design of the building.

One building that stands out on the corner of Lexington Avenue and East 57th Street is the Cohen Building at 135 East 57th Street with its soaring floors and interesting entrance with a ringed pavilion. This 31-story commercial office building has a unique circular path for vehicles up from and pillared terrace entrance. The architect is Kohn Pederson Fox Associates and was built in 1987 in the ‘Post-Modern’ design with a plaza in the front of a concave tower. The building is right across the street from Bloomingdale’s Department Store (NewYorkitecture).

135 East 57th Street The Cohen Building

The entrance of the Cohen Building.

https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/135-E-57th-St-New-York-NY/13000228/

Walking past the IBM Building again, it was nice to finally discover that the sculpture outside the building was an Alexander Calder, the famous “Saurien”, that he created to emulate a reptile. This interesting and unusual sculpture deserved a second look. Other buildings that stand out in the neighborhood have been mentioned in Day One Hundred and Forty of MywalkinManhattan.com are the Fuller Building at 41 East 57th Street and 465 Park Avenue. Look up and notice their detail and artworks that line the outside of these buildings.

Saurien by Alexander Calder

Alexander Calder artist

http://www.calder.org/

*This sculpture has been replaced by a sculpture by Joel Shapiro

The new Joel Shapiro work “Untitled”

The sculpture during the day.

The sign for “Untitled”

Artist Joel Shapiro

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Shapiro

https://www.pacegallery.com/artists/joel-shapiro

Mr. Shapiro is an American born artist from New York City who graduated both with a BA and MA from New York University. He is best known for his sculptures of abstract human forms (Wiki).

When walking around East 57th to East 56th Streets, please be careful of the security around Trump Tower. They watch everything you do and it is best to just walk around this part of the neighborhood between Fifth and Madison Avenues. Most of the buildings on this block stretch from one block to the next.

Trump Building at 725 Fifth Avenue is where the security is tight

https://www.trump.com/residential-real-estate-portfolio/trump-tower-new-york

When walking down East 55th Street from Fifth Avenue back to Lexington Avenue, stop and notice the building at 116 East 55th Street, home to the SUNY Global Center. The building was the former mansion to the Zeigler family and was built between 1926-1927. The house was designed by architect William L. Bottomley in the ‘Neo-Georgian style’ and features Flemish blond brickwork on the outside. William Zeigler Jr., who owned the house with his wife, Helen was a businessman, sportsman and philanthropist (Wiki).

Zeigler House SUNY at 116 East 55th Street

The historical marker of 116 East 55th Street

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_and_Helen_Ziegler_House

I finished the first day of the neighborhood at East 55th Street and had dinner at Tri Dim Shanghai Restaurant at 1378 Third Avenue (see review on TripAdvisor). Their food is excellent and you have to try their Soup Dumplings that they are noted for.

Tri Dim’s Soup Dumplings are excellent

They burst in your mouth with each bite and their Classic Chicken, which is cooked in what I figure is a honey, soy and plum sauce is just excellent.

Tri Dim’s Classic Chicken is excellent

Tri Dim Shanghai Restaurant at 1378 Third Avenue

Home

For dessert, it was time to revisit Bon Vivant Bakery at 231 East 58th Street for dessert (See reviews on TripAdvisor and DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com). I had one of their Rose Petit Fours ($4.00) and it was just excellent. A subtle sweetness with the accent of the rose extract that is used in the filling and the icing. These delightful cakes can be eaten in the two tier bakery and it is fun to watch the world go by.

Bon Vivant at 231 East 58th Street is wonderful for desserts (Closed January 2021-Moved to Jersey City, NJ)

https://bonvivantnewyork.com

On my second day of walking the Streets of Midtown East I had just finished a busy day at Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen working in the busy Bread Station and was exhausted by the time I got to East 55th Street. I stopped along the way for a Chicken Empanada at Empanada Suprema (see reviews on TripAdvisor and DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com) at the corner of East 38th Street and Broadway for a quick lunch. This little stand is open only during the week and had the most delicious chicken, beef and cheese empanadas for $2.00! I love his sign with the Caped Empanada.

Empanada Suprema at the corner of West 38th Street & Broadway

In 2024.

The empanada’s are delicious

The Chicken Empanadas are wonderful with a little hot sauce

Don’t miss admiring the famous Friar’s Club at 57 East 57th Street. This beautiful building was built for Investment Banker Martin Erdman in 1908 by architect Alfredo S.G. Taylor and was designed in the ‘English Renaissance’ style.

The Friars Club at 57 East 55th Street

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Friars_Club

When walking the bottom of East 55th Street from Lexington Avenue, take time again to admire the former AT&T Building at 550 Madison Avenue and IBM Building at 590 Madison Avenue in the distance. These iconic buildings show the resilience and creativity of their corporate owners. They are such interesting designs (see Day One Hundred and Forty Walking the Borders of Midtown East).

Madison Avenue in the 50’s both during the day and at night

One of the most interesting little pocket parks in the neighborhood I found when I rounded the corner at East 54th Street. It was right in front of the Christie’s at 535 Madison Avenue is the Christie’s Sculpture Garden with its small tables and chairs, trees covered with white lights and interesting public art. The artist Jonathan Prince is showing his work, “Shattered I, II and III’ in the garden courtyard.

Christie’s Sculpture Garden in front of 535 Madison Avenue with “Shattered Sculptures”

https://www.christies.com/privatesales/christies-sculpture-garden-shatter-by-jonathan-prince

The park in the early Spring of 2024.

The park in the Spring of 2024

The park in the Spring of 202( from the opposite direction

Artist Jonathan Prince is New York born and raised and holds degrees from Columbia University and the University of Southern California. Over the past twenty years, the artist has had a passion for form and material with the use of chaos in his works. His use of steel and CorTen is used in the ‘Shattered’ pieces and they have a reflective element against the white lights of the park (Artist website).

Jonathan Prince in front of his “Shattered Sculptures”

http://www.jonathanprince.com/

This public garden is one of the nicest I have seen in many blocks and it is nice that Christie’s gives us an opportunity to view Public Art on sale while sitting back on the chairs on a nice day and just admire the park and people passing by.

During Christmas of 2025, I revisited the park and noticed it has being used as a sort of revolving outside art gallery featuring new works by arts both inside the building and outside in the gardens. These are some of the works that were being displayed. I had gotten there just as the sun was beginning to set and the lights were coming on.

The park in the winter

New artworks are being featured seasonal. These new artworks were in the park in the Fall of 2025.

The ‘Untitled’ work by Artist Joel Shapiro

The sign

‘Walla Walla’ by Artist Deborah Butterfield

The sign

‘Golem’ by Artist Julian Schnabel

The sign

Walking through the park in the Winter time

Walking through the park at night when the lights are on gives the park a very elegant look to it. I love the way the park stands out at night.

The park with the white lights on

The park lit at night in the early Spring of 2026

The Kiton Store at 4 East 54th Street is the former home William Earle Dodge Stokes and his former wife, Rita. Mr. Stokes bought the land and leveled the houses that were there and had architects McKim, Mead and White design the marble mansion in 1896. The couple never lived in the house and filed for divorce soon after. The house was then bought by William H. Moore, the founder of Nabisco and his wife, Ada who movements in New York Society were well known. After Mrs. Moore’s death in 1955, the mansion was used for retail purposes (Daytonion in Manhattan).

The Kiton Store Stokes/Moore House at 4 East 54th Store

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_H._Moore_House

The detail work of the building.

http://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2010/10/1900-stokes-moore-mansion-4-east-54th.html

The ironic part of the former Stokes/Moore house is that right behind it when rounding the corner to East 54th Street is the Paley Garden, another small public garden with a waterfall as its centerpiece at 3 East 54th Street. The park was designed by architects Zion Breen Richardson Associates and opened in 1967. CBS Head William Paley financed the park in honor of his father, Samuel Paley (Wiki). This pristine little park is also nice to just sit and relax and listen to the waterfall and drown out the sounds of the City. The rest of East 54th Street is lined with large office buildings and the rush of people walking from one block to the next.

Paley Garden Park at East 53rd Street

https://tclf.org/landscapes/paley-park

The park under renovation in 2024

When it is open ‘in season’ don’t miss the Refreshment stand here. The food is pretty good

Rounding East 53rd Street make an effort to stop inside the lobby of 1 East 53rd Street to see the gallery display from the Studio in the School New York City. The works that line the wall of the lobby space of the building is from art students all over New York City.

The Studio in the School is the largest not for profit visual arts education organization in New York City with the mission to “foster the creative and intellectual development of youth through quality visual arts programs, directed by arts professionals. We also collaborate with and develop the ability of those who provide or support arts programming and creative development for youth both in and outside of schools. We fulfill our mission through two divisions; the New York City Schools Program and the Studio Institute” (Studio in the School mission statement).

The Studio in the School Gallery at East 53rd Street

Home Page

Walking the rest of East 53rd and then onto East 52nd and East 51st is lined with large office buildings that stretch from one block to the other. Most of this part of the neighborhood was knocked down in the late 1960’s for commercial use.

This little dragon protects the museum.

The Studio in the School gallery.

When walking down East 50th Street there is a small gem of a public pocket park at the south side of East 50th Street between Madison and Park Avenues. Created by the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority in 2014, this little park called the “50th Street Commons” features a water feature ‘waterfall’ that turns colors from blue to green to yellow to fuchsia. This unique little park surrounded by exotic plants is another nice place to just sit and relax (Murray Hill, Gramercy and Midtown East Paper).

The “50th Street Commons” on East 50th Street

It changes colors in front of you

https://gothamist.com/news/photos-mta-opens-adorable-pocket-park-on-east-50th-street

Across the street from the park and wedged between office buildings is the restaurant, Maloney & Porcelli, which was founded in 1996 and offers “clubby American cuisine” and harks back to an era when lunch time was taken seriously. It stands in contrast to the ever-changing neighborhood.

The restaurant classic, Maloney & Porcelli at 37 East 50th Street

https://www.maloneyandporcelli.com/

When rounding East 49th Street, stop at Tower 49 at 12 East 49th Street, the home of WeWork to see the art exhibition of artist Enrico Isamu Oyama exhibition “Inside Out”. This exhibition located on all side of the lobby. This contemporary and rather unusual exhibition starts with the pillars on both East 49th and 48th Streets to invite you inside (the security at the building is really cool and nice about people looking around). The Tower 49 Gallery offers exhibitions of art free of charge and is open to the public at street level.

Tower 49 Gallery at 12 East 49th Street

http://www.tower49nyc.com/

Artist Enrico Isamu Oyama

https://www.enricoisamuoyama.net/

Mr. Oyama’s work is unique at best with a lot of lines and movement. His work “Quick Turn Structure” consists of interlocking intersections of black and white shapes and the unique style replaces letters with lines, highlighting their dynamic motion through the process of repetition that subsequently creates and abstract form with angular points and three-dimensional depth (Artist Press Release).

Tower 49 Gallery

Mr. Oyama is originally from Tokyo and is now based in New York City and likes to create a visual art in various mediums that features Quick Turn Structure, the motif composed of spontaneous repetition and expansion of free-flowing lines influenced by the aerosol writing of the 1970’s-1980’s New York and beyond (Artist Press Release).

Artist Enrico Isamu Oyama in front of the project

https://www.enricoisamuoyama.net/

Opening in a former upscale Italian restaurant, Joe’s Home of the Soup Dumpling at 7 East 48th Street has been packing them in in 2021. I am not sure if they are part of the former Joe’s Shanghai that used to be located in Chinatown but this restaurant is gaining a reputation for their Soup Dumplings.

Joe’s Home of Soup Dumplings at 7 East 48th Street opened in 2021

https://www.joestower49.com/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d23257370-Reviews-Joe_s_home_Of_Soup_Dumplings-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

The evening I went there I just happened to come across it and decided to have dinner. The Soup Dumplings ($11.95) are amazing. These are larger than most I have had recently and were loaded with fresh ground pork and crab and steamed perfectly. I ate these six little delights quickly and enjoyed my Shanghai Wonton Soup ($5.25) and Beef Scallion Sandwich ($8.95) as well. The food and service were excellent. Another time I was there, I had the Pork and Shrimp Spring rolls ($5.95) that are excellent.

I highly recommend the Soup Dumplings here

Dinner on a recent night of Crab and Pork Soup Dumplings and Pork and Shrimp Spring rolls.

Follow the neon sign to Joe’s.

If you are in need of a public bathroom, try the fourth floor of Saks Fifth Avenue in the Men’s Department. When the store is open, this is one of the most convenient places to go to the bathroom in the area.

When proceeding down East 48th Street, take a stop in front of 4 East 48th Street, The Church of Sweden. This Neo-Gothic Church was built in 1921 for “The Bible House” and was sold to the Church in 1978. There is a library and cafe that are inside and open to the public. For the most part, the rest of East 48th Street is filled with large buildings that stretch from side to side.

Church of Sweden at 4 East 48th Street

https://www.svenskakyrkan.se/newyork/information-about-the-church

The detail work of Church of Sweden.

There is one stand out piece of artwork in the lobby of 280 East 48th Street of four people hunched over in a circle. As hard as I tried though I don’t know who the brilliant artist is of the work (in 2024 when I revisited the building I still could not find the plaque to the artist).

The lobby sculpture at 280 East 48th Street

Rounding East 47th Street, take a trip back in time to Manhattan of the 1970’s inside of Phil’s Stationary at 9 East 47th Street. I was talking to the gentlemen who were running the store and told them I had not seen inventory like this on sale in a long time. Hard to find things like stationary, note pads, typing paper and ribbon and even recommendations to a place to fix the typewriter. This stationary store harks back to the days when people left the office to go shopping for things needed at the last minute. They still sell pens, pencils and even the old accounting ledger books. The nice part is that it still smells like a stationery store.

Phil’s Stationery at 9 East 47th Street

http://philstationery.blogspot.com/

Most of the Streets between East 47th to East 46th Streets are lined with larger office buildings that stretch from block to block with a smattering of small businesses here and there. One standout at 556 Fifth Avenue at the entrance of East 46th Street is the Philippine Consulate General which services Philippine nationals in the Northeast states. This unique building is one of the last holdovers from the Country buildings that used to line this part of Fifth Avenue in the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s. The building was designed by Carrere & Hastings in 1912 for the Knoedler and Company Art Gallery.

The Philippine Consulate at 556 Fifth Avenue

Home Page

On the edge of East 46th Street sits the famous Roosevelt Hotel and the Helmsley Building which sit as the old guards to the neighborhood once known as “Terminal City”. The Helmsley Building at 230 Park Avenue was originally built for the headquarters of the New York Central Building in 1929 by Warren & Wetmore in the Beaux-Arts style. These are also the architects of Grand Central Station behind it that stands guard of the neighborhood from Turtle Bay to Midtown East.

The Helmsley Building at 230 Park Avenue stands guard over this part of Park Avenue

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmsley_Building

The details of the Hemsley Building.

The statues in the front of the building.

The Hemsley Building historical marker

The historical marker for the walkway and drive through.

The decorations in the Helmsley Building walkway.

The Helmsley Building at night

The Roosevelt Hotel at 45 East 46 sits between East 46th and 45th Streets next to Grand Central Terminal. The hotel was designed by architect George C. Post & Son in 1924 and was once part of a series of hotels that made up “Terminal City” that stretched along both sides of Grand Central. The hotel was named for President Teddy Roosevelt and even had a childcare service in ‘The Teddy Room’.

The Roosevelt Hotel at 45 East 46th Street

http://www.theroosevelthotel.com/

The faded Roosevelt Hotel being used as an immigrant intake center in 2024.

The Roosevelt Hotel’s other faded entrance.

These embellishments stare at you when you pass the hotel.

The embellishments also take a glance at you as well.

Take time to walk around these impressive buildings and look at the outside stone carvings and elaborate lobbies. The lobby of the Helmsley Building is impressive with its marble floors and impressive chandeliers.

On the corner of Fifth Avenue and East 46th Street tucked behind the Barnes & Noble bookstore I had lunch at a new branch of Joju at 555 Fifth Avenue, which had just opened that afternoon with a soft opening. I had some of their Vietnamese spring rolls which were filled with ground pork and vegetables and were cooked to perfection.

On another occasion to visit the restaurant, I had the Vietnamese sandwich with Caramel Pork and fish sauce and a side plain double-fried French Fries and a Lemon/Leechee Mojito Lunch did come to almost $22.00 but the sandwich can feed two and it is worth the indulge. The service there is really nice as well.

JoJu is a new addition to the Fifth Avenue restaurants at 555 Fifth Avenue

https://www.jojuny.com/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d19113235-Reviews-JoJu-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

The inside of Joju

My Bahn Mai Sandwich with the Double Cooked Fries and a Leechee Lemon Mojito

The sandwich was delicious and so good!

The fries are excellent and so crispy

The Lemon Leechee Mojito was so refreshing on a hot day and all their drinks are so creative

Tucked into the side of the Helmsley Building at the corner of East 45th Street and Vanderbilt Avenue is Urbanspace Vanderbilt, an indoor food court with some of the most hip and innovative local restaurants in New York City.

The outside of UrbanSpace, the original in Vanderbilt Hall

The inside of the UrbanSpace at Vanderbilt Hall

https://www.urbanspacenyc.com/urbanspace-vanderbilt

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d8726958-Reviews-Urbanspace_Vanderbilt-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

These artisan and chef driven restaurants are outposts of the original neighborhood restaurants including well-known names of Roberta’s Pizza and Dough Doughnuts.

Dough at the UrbanSpace Vanderbilt (this location closed in 2025)

https://www.doughdoughnuts.com/location/dough-urbanspace-vanderbilt/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60763-d17450439-r950268732-Dough-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

The Hibiscus Doughnut at Dough is the best.

The doughnut is incredibly delicious.

The company UrbanSpace has been creating these experiences since 1993 since the company’s establishment in 1972 in Great Britain. Don’t miss the vibrancy of the atmosphere and the smells that waft through the hall at lunch time. I love going to Dough that occasional $4.00 doughnut that is well worth it. UrbanSpace food court in the corner of the Helmsley Building on East 49th Street

https://www.urbanspacenyc.com/w52nd

The rest of East 45th and 44th Streets are lined with small office buildings and stores and along Madison Avenue the headquarters of Brooks Brothers (Closed 2020) and Paul Stuart stores that cater to the City professionals and “preppie class”.

Brooks Brothers at 346 Madison Avenue (Closed 2020)

https://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2023/08/the-1915-brooks-brothers-building-346.html#google_vignette

You can still see the Brooks Brothers emblem on the old store.

Midtown East is now mostly a commercial neighborhood lined with office buildings and retail businesses but as you walk the streets here and there things still pop out and amaze you. It really shows the complexity of the City at its best and how a little creativity and renewal can change a space from one use to another.

That shows the imagination of the people who keep making Manhattan a unique experience.

Check out my other blogs on Walking Midtown East:

Day One Hundred and Forty-Three-Walking the Borders of Midtown East:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/9841

Day One Hundred and Forty-Five-Walking the Avenues of Midtown East:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/10332

Day One Hundred and Forty-Six-Walking the Streets of Midtown East:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/10451

Places to Eat:

Empanada Suprema

A Food Cart on the Corner of West 38th Street & Broadway

Not sure of hours

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d3617697-Reviews-Empanada_Stand-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/diningonashoestringinnyc.wordpress.com/926

JoJu Fifth Avenue

555 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10036

(332) 204-2278

Open: Sunday & Saturday 11:00am-5:00pm/Monday-Friday 11:00am-7:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d19113235-Reviews-JoJu-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Bon Vivant

231 East 58th Street

New York, NY 10022

(646) 481-4044

Open: Sunday-Monday Closed/Tuesday-Friday 9:30am-7:30pm/Saturday 9:30am-6:30pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d12375755-Reviews-Bon_Vivant_New_York-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/littleshoponmainstreet.wordpress.com/253

Tri Dim Shanghai Restaurant

1378 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10075

(212) 585-3388

Open: Monday-Friday 11:45am-10:00pm/Sunday-Saturday 12:00pm-10:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d13322870-Reviews-Tri_Dim_Shanghai-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Urbanspace Vanderbilt

East 45th and Vanderbilt Avenue

New York, NY 10169

(646) 747-0810

Open: Sunday & Saturday 9:00am-5:00pm/Monday-Tuesday 6:30am-9:00pm/Wednesday-Friday 6:30am-10:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d8726958-Reviews-Urbanspace-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Joe’s Home of Soup Dumplings

7 East 48th Street

New York, NY 10017

(212) 333-3868

http://joestower49.com/

Open: Sunday 12:00p,m-8:45pm/Monday-Friday 11:00am-9:00pm/Saturday 12:00pm-8:45pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d23257370-Reviews-Joe_s_home_Of_Soup_Dumplings-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Places to visit:

Christie’s Sculpture Garden

66 East 55th Street

New York, NY 10022

(413) 229-9063

http://www.jonathanprince.com/christies-sculpture-garden-1

Tower 49 Lobby Gallery

12 East 49th Street

New York, NY 10017

https://www.tower49gallery.com/

Studio in the School Gallery

1 East 53rd Street

New York, NY 10022

NYSS Gallery

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/4376

50th Street Commons

48 East 50th Street

New York, NY 10022

http://www.mta.info/news-east-side-access-long-island-rail-road-mta-capital-construction/2014/09/16/50th-street-commons

Paley Garden Park

3 East 53rd Street

New York, NY 10022

Open: Sunday-Saturday 8:00am-8:00pm

(212) 639-9675

https://www.pps.org/places/paley-park

Places to Shop:

Phil’s Stationary

9 East 47th Street

New York, NY 10017

(212) 688-4144

Open: Sunday & Saturday Closed/Monday-Friday 9:00am-6:00pm

http://philstationery.blogspot.com/

Saks Fifth Avenue

611 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10022

(212) 753-4000

Open: Sunday 11:00am-7:00pm/Monday-Saturday 10:00am-8:30pm

https://www.saksfifthavenue.com/Entry.jsp

(Great for their public restrooms during business hours)

All the buildings and street art that is mentioned in this walk is done by address and street to make it easy to find. Please note the buildings and pocket parks that you should not miss.

Éclair Bakery 305 East 53rd Street New York, NY 10022

October 13, 2019Bakeries for the budget minded, Dedication to Warren Watrel, Dining on a Shoe String Restaurants in New York City, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring Sutton Place/Beekman Place, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring Turtle Bay in Manhattan, Historic New York City neighborhoods, Little Shop on Main Street in New York City (LittleShoponMainStreet), My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), Sandwich and Deli's for the budget minded, UncategorizedAddthistoyourgrocerylist@Wordpress.com, Author Justin Watral, Author Justin Watrel, BergenCountyCaregiver.com, Cheap Bakeries, DiningonaShoeString@Wordpress.com, Eclair Bakery, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring Sutton Place/Beekman Place, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring Turtle Bay, Justin Watral, Justin Watrel, LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com, Manhattan Bakeries, MywalkinManhattan.com, Visiting Sutton Place/Beekman Place, Visiting Turtle Bay, VisitingaMuseum.com, Walk Around Manhattan, Walk Manhattan, Walking around Manhattan, Walking in Manhattan, Walking Manhattan, Warren George Watrel, Warren Watreljwatrel

Don’t miss this delightful and delectable bakery on the border of Turtle Bay and Sutton Place. It is worth the trip to this side of the City!

Eclair Bakery at 305 West 53rd Street

Their savory selection of sandwiches and Quiches.

The selection of Eclairs at Eclair Bakery.

The mini Nutella and Strawberry jelly doughnuts are fantastic!

Dining on a Shoestring in the New York City area and beyond.

Éclair Bakery

305 East 53rd Street

New York, NY 10022

(212) 759-2253

eclairbakery-nyc.com

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d6438250-Reviews-Eclair_Bakery-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

I came across the Éclair Bakery when I was walking the Sutton Place neighborhood for my walking project, “MywalkinManhattan.com”. The bakery is on the side street of East 53rd Street close to Second Avenue on the border of the Sutton Place and Turtle Bay neighborhoods in an area some people in the neighborhood call “Sutton East”.

For all the confusion of what neighborhood it is in, Éclair Bakery is a rather large and narrow restaurant with seating in the front and back and the counter with all the baked goods in the middle. All the products here are lined up like colorful jewels in the display case.

Eclair Bakery IV

The bakery selection

The bakery is the brainchild of Stephane Pourrez, a French Pastry chef from Paris. He was trained at Ferrandi and the French…

View original post 1,021 more words

Colorant 146 Main Street Beacon, NY 12508

October 8, 2019"A Local Journey: Exploring the outskirts of New York City, Dedication to Warren Watrel, Exploring Beacon, NY, Exploring Historic Dutchess County NY, Exploring Historic Towns of Upstate New York, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Historic New York State neighborhoods, Little Shop on Main Street in New York State, My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), Uncategorized, Walking Downtown Beacon NYAddthistoyourgrocerylist@Wordpress.com, Author Justin Watral, Author Justin Watrel, Beacon NY, BergenCountyCaregiver.com, Colorant, Colorant Clothing Store, DiningonaShoeString@Wordpress.com, Downtown Beacon NY, Exploring Beacon, NY, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring the Hudson River Valley, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Justin Watral, Justin Watrel, LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com, MywalkinManhattan.com, Visiting Beacon NY, VisitingaMuseum.com, Walking in Downtown Beacon NY, Warren George Watrel, Warren Watreljwatrel

Colorant

146 Main Street

Beacon, NY 12508

https://www.facebook.com/colorantofficial/

https://www.thisiscolorant.com/

Open: Thursday-Sunday 11:00am-6:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

Colorant on Main Street in Beacon, NY

I was visiting downtown Beacon, NY because I had been Upstate to take a tour of Bannerman Island (see VisitingaMuseum.com) and wanted to see if there were any changes in the businesses in the downtown area. It seems like the town is going through a second wave of business ownership.

Colorant at the holidays in 2024

In the middle of Main Street I came across Colorant, a clothing and gift store that prides itself on being environmentally and sustainably friendly. The clothes here are all made by the in house designer and store owner or are from vendors that manufacture the same way. The clothes are lightweight, all dyed by hand by all natural dyes and are hand-printed or hand-brushed making each piece its own work of art and technically one of a kind.

I saw this beautiful hand-print on one of the racks

The beauty of the clothes is their simplicity and form that is carefully well-made by the designer and by her counterparts. The clothes are displayed like art where a few pieces are put out for people to try on and make sure the correct fit is made.

Dying of the clothing

The construction of the clothes is very well-made and you can see it in the stitching and dying of the clothes.

This simple indigo dyed dress can be dressy casual in 2019

The owner’s new line for the Fall of 2019 is now in the store and carries a series of blouses, shirts and dresses that were made for what looked like a petite woman. There were also handmade shirts for men as well. The prices are reflective of the quality of the clothing from its handwork to the dying. It is not cheap when is quality cheap?

An indigo dyed men’s shirt at Colorant in 2019

This new tie die dress really wowed me along with their jean and sweatshirt collection in 2021

This dress by Po eM I thought was really nice

The store also has an assortment of gifts such as planters, soap dishes, mugs and some jewelry and cosmetics. All of the products are environmentally made and have their own artistic touch to them. Please check the above website as the prices do change.

Specialty lines at Colorant

The store’s line of gourmet snacks

The service could not be more personal. The young woman working there explained the way the clothes are made and constructed and a little story about the owner as a designer and how she merchandised the store. The store is designed with exposed walls and piping holding the clothes with creative display cases to showcase the gifts.

Colorant offers something for everyone

It is nice to see American made products displayed in a creative environment with wonderful service. This is something that Amazon can’t replicate.

The new Men’s clothes line in 2024

History of the clothes at Colorant:

Colorant (established in 2012) is a modern line of apparel and accessories that celebrates the use of natural dye plants such as Indigo, Madder Root and Walnut in creating our vibrant palette. Like in nature, botanical colors have unpredictability depending on where and how the material was grown. Sassafras grown in northern regions will not yield the same orange as those from the south, which we here at Colorant embrace as the beauty of the natural dye process. Each season our colors are tested with our chosen fabrications to insure our colors will stand the test of time (Colorant History website).

The back of the store is painted beautifully and the clothing is so nicely displayed.

Each color has a story to tell:

Rich History: Did you know the color purple was the most expensive color in the world? Roman kings were only able to wear it because it took 250,000 Murex Mollusks from the sea to extract enough dye to color a garment.

Earth Benefits: Botanical colors promote the harvesting of dye plants, creating a new agricultural market. Natural dyes are extracted from renewable resources offering a more sustainable option for the textile industry.

Pure Color: Nature provides hundreds of plant which yield vibrant colors. Many have been used for dying since antiquity and Colorant has preserved these tried and true methods.

(Colorant website)

Disclaimer: I credit the Colorant website for the company information and give them full credit for it.

Little Shop on Main Street

Colorant

146 Main Street

Beacon, NY 12508

https://www.facebook.com/colorantofficial/

https://www.thisiscolorant.com/

Open: Thursday-Sunday 11:00am-6:00pm

Colorant on Main Street in Beacon, NY

I was visiting downtown Beacon, NY because I had been Upstate to take a tour of Bannerman Island (see VisitingaMuseum.com) and wanted to see if there were any changes in the businesses in the downtown area. It seems like the town is going through a second wave of business ownership.

In the middle of Main Street I came across Colorant, a clothing and gift store that prides itself on being environmentally and sustainably friendly. The clothes here are all made by the inhouse designer and store owner or are from vendors that manufacture the same way. The clothes are lightweight, all dyed by hand by all natural dyes and are hand-printed or hand-brushed making each piece its own work of art and technically one of a kind.

I saw this beautiful…

View original post 517 more words

Hop Won Chinese Noodle Shop 139 East 45th Street New York, NY 10017

Don’t miss this Midtown East tiny Chinese restaurant for excellent food, generous portions and good service.

Hop Won Express at 139 East 54th Street

Boneless Roast Pork combination meal at Hop Won.

Dining on a Shoestring in the New York City area and beyond.

Hop Won Chinese Noodle Shop

139 East 45th Street

New York, NY 10017

https://hopwonrestaurant.netwaiter.com/

Telephone: (212) 661-4280/867-4996

Fax: (212) 867-0208

Open: Sunday Closed/Monday-Friday 10:00am-8:45pm/Saturday 11:00am-7:30pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d4760804-Reviews-Hop_Won_Restaurant-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

On my travels to the Turtle Bay neighborhood, I came across a little gem of a restaurant tucked into the office buildings that line the border of Turtle Bay and Midtown East. Hop Won Chinese Noodle Shop is located in a series of small mom and pop restaurants in what is left of the brownstone section of the neighborhood. The rest of the street had been leveled for new office towers and this small strip of restaurants is what remains.

Hop Won appears small from the outside but the restaurant is rather large in the back with lots of nice seating to enjoy your meal. The front section of the restaurant is where you do your ordering and during the lunch rush…

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Day One Hundred & Forty-Five: Walking the Avenues of Midtown East Park & Madison Avenues from East 43rd Street to East 59th Streets September 5th, 2019 (again December 21st, 2024)

I have been running in and out of the City since I started teaching classes again at the college and had a ‘bucket list’ of small museums that I wanted to visit for my blog, “VisitingaMuseum.com” and restaurants I wanted to try before the Summer was over. So there was a lot of running around the last several weeks. That’s why the blogs come out a little later than usual.

I got back to finishing my walk around ‘Midtown East’ by walking the only two Avenues inside the neighborhoods borders, Madison and Park Avenues from East 43rd Street (which hugs the Turtle Bay neighborhood) and East 59th Street (which hugs the Upper East Side & Sutton Place). On the Avenues in this part of the neighborhood is mostly residential and commercial spaces with rows glass boxes on some streets and limestone and marble residential buildings one the others. There is a lot of sameness in the architecture here but don’t let that fool you. There are a lot of interesting things to see and places to visit in this very much working modern neighborhood.

My walk started on Madison Avenue’s commercial district at the start of East 43rd Street where a giant new glass box is being created right next to Grand Central Station. Probably not Mr. Vanderbilt’s vision for the area but I think he would have been impressed by the progress the area has experienced in the last 100 years.

My first stop is admiring and walking into the headquarters of Brooks Brothers Clothing store at 346 Madison Avenue, one of the most American and famous clothing stores in the United States. Stepping into Brooks Brothers is like a step back into time when shopping was still experience and customer service actually meant something. Their displays are elegant without being stuffy.

The elegant displays at Brooks Brothers main floor (now closed)

The store was designed by architects La Farge & Morris in 1915 the Italian Renaissance design with prominent arched entrances, wrought iron arches and carved limestone details around the building. You can see the detail work in the cornices that line the top of the building.

The Brooks Brothers headquarters at 346 Madison Avenue (the now closed headquarters)

The detail work on the now closed Brooks Brothers headquarters

https://www.brooksbrothers.com/

The Golden Fleece emblem of Brooks Brothers on the front of the building.

Another great clothing store is Paul Stuart at Madison Avenue and East 45th Street. The store has been in business since 1938 and carries some of the most impressive clothing and accessories for Men and Women.

Paul Stuart Specialty Store at Madison & East 45th Street

https://www.paulstuart.com/

The store was a privately held family business until December of 2012 and then it was sold it’s long time partner, Mitsui. The store has changed a lot since the sale. It once had some of the best customer service in all the specialty stores in Manhattan but when I went to visit on this trip in my shorts and polo, the three sales people on the floor at the time ignored me. It’s not the same store with the orange carpet and older, more mature salespeople.

The Men’s Department after the renovation

When you get to Madison and 55th Street, watch for the security as this is the back section of Trump Tower and East 55th Street between Madison and Fifth Avenues is blocked off by barriers and armed NYPD detectives and police. Only one side of the street is open here so it is best to keep walking.

Another impressive building on Madison Avenue is at 550 Madison Avenue, the old AT&T Building with its signature ‘Chippendale’ roof. This building was considered radical and innovative at the same time when AT&T built it to house their world headquarters. The 37 story building was designed by famed architect Philip Johnson in 1984 in the postmodern design. Critics called it ‘Chippendale’ after the famed furniture due to the ‘open pediment’ look of the top of the building based on English furniture design (Wiki). The building is currently have some lobby renovations that I passed.

550 Madison Avenue

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/550_Madison_Avenue

Looking up at the building from Madison Avenue.

The entrance of the ATT Building.

The Plaza next to the old ATT Building

The beautiful atrium that you can sit and relax in between the buildings.

Next to the AT&T Building is the IBM Building at 590 Madison Avenue. This 41 story building was built in 1983 by architect Edward Larrabee Barnes & Associates and developed by IBM and designed in the post-modern design (Wiki).

The IBM Building at 590 Madison Avenue & East 57th Street

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/590_Madison_Avenue

Because of the zoning laws established in 1916, there is a beautiful and relaxing open atrium filled with food kiosks and art work for the public to enjoy on the ground level. It is a nice place to relax after a long walk. Take time to admire the art works that line the atrium.

The Atrium at the IBM Building

Artist George Rickey’s work in 2024 in the atrium.

The George Rickey piece inside the atrium “Five Lines Diagonal Jointed II”

Artist George Rickey

https://www.georgerickey.org/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Rickey

Artist George Rickey was an American born artist with multiple degrees and places of study. He holds a MA from B.A. (Modern History), Balliol College, Oxford, U.K. and a M.A. (Modern History), Balliol College, Oxford, U.K. He also did graduate study in Art History, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, New York, NY. George Rickey worked as painter, muralist, and sculptor. Across his diverse body of work from the paintings of the 1920s through the final sculptures of the 2000s, there are four themes that emerge: Movement, Color, Relationships, and Scale (Artist bio).

One piece of art that stands out is the red geometric sculpture on the corner of Madison and East 57th Street is the great artist Alexander Calder “Saurien” (which is a large reptile), that was created by the artist in his studio in 1975. This is an example of Calder’s “Stoic” work and were called ‘stabiles’ because these abstract works, unlike his floating works of art, stand strongly and firmly into the ground (Art Nerd 2018).

The Alexander Calder sculpture, “Saurien” (now replaced by another sculpture by artist Joel Shapiro)

Walk around this wonderful work by Calder and try to take a breath and understand what the artist was trying to say. It is almost like all the ‘legs’ on the sculpture are trying to show stability and contrast.

American Artist Alexander Calder

http://www.calder.org/

*This sculpture has been replaced by a sculpture by Joel Shapiro

The new Joel Shapiro work “Untitled”

The sculpture in the day.

The sign for “Untitled”

Artist Joel Shapiro

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Shapiro

https://www.pacegallery.com/artists/joel-shapiro

Mr. Shapiro is an American born artist from New York City who graduated both with a BA and MA from New York University. He is best known for his sculptures of abstract human forms (Wiki).

Inside the atrium, there are two interesting pieces of artwork that standout. There are two colorful acrylic apples that are done in colorful motifs that you should not miss. The sculptures were created in 2004 for the “Big Apple Fest” to promote the City’s tourism. Companies paid $8,500.00 to sponsor and $12,500 to keep the apples in which artists were allowed to decorate inside or outside.

One of them is entitled “A Day in the Big Apple” by an artist named Billy.

‘A Day in the Big Apple’ by artist Billy

The other is of a colorful face by artist Romero Britto entitled “New York Future”.

“New York Future” by artist Romero Britto

Romero Britto is a Brazilian born American artist whose colorful works elude the optimism the artist has on his view of the world. He uses bold and colorful patterns to enhance his works (Artist Bio).

Brazilian Artist Romero Britto

https://britto.com

When you reach the edge of the neighborhood at East 59th Street, you are greeted by the former GM Building that stretches from Fifth to Madison Avenues. This elegant 50 story building once represented the presence of GM in New York City. It was designed by the architectural firms of Edward Durell Stone & Associates and Emery Roth & Sons in 1968. It was designed in the “International Style” and stands guard at the end of the commercial district of Midtown East and the Upper East Side.

The GM Building stands guard at 767 Fifth Avenue

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_Building_(Manhattan)

As you cross back down Madison Avenue on East 59th Street, you will notice the ever-changing retail landscape and all the empty storefronts on this part of Madison Avenue. Twenty years ago, this would not have existed, but it is a sign of the times.

The details of the Fuller Building at 41 East 57th Street

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuller_Building

The detail work on the Fuller Building.

The Fuller Building at 41 East 57th Street

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuller_Building

Another interesting building to admire is the Fuller Building at 41 East 57th Street on the corner of Madison Avenue. The building was created for the Fuller Construction Company in 1929 by architects Walker & Gillette in the ‘Art Deco Style’. The building’s exterior sculptures were designed by architect Elie Nadelman. Look at the interesting details not just on the outside of the building but walk into the lobby to take a look around (Wiki).

One of the great hotels in New York City stands guard at 455 Madison Avenue and 50th Street, the New York Palace Hotel (formerly the Helmsley Palace Hotel) which is a combination of an old mansion and the modern building behind it. The front of the building facing Madison Avenue is the former Villard Mansion.

New York Palace Hotel at 455 Madison Avenue

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotte_New_York_Palace_Hotel

The front of the hotel is the “Villard Houses” created in 1882 for Henry Villard, a railroad financier, who worked with the architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White to create a series of six brownstone townhouses facing a courtyard in the ‘Italian Neo-Renaissance style’. Developer Harry Hemsley leased the houses and hired Emery Roth & Sons to create the 55 story modern hotel in the back of the houses.

The Villard Houses part of the New York Palace Hotel

The hotel at Christmas 2024

The Villard Houses at the hotel decorated for the Christmas holidays

I passed the hotel again during Christmas of 2025 and the decorations were even more elaborate during the day. The hotel looks amazing at the holidays.

The front of the Palace Hotel at Christmas

The beautiful wreathes that lined the fence

The Christmas tree at the Palace Hotel

The hotel opened in 1981 as the notorious ‘Helmsley Palace Hotel’ with hotelier Leona Helmsley in charge. Considered one of the best hotels at the time, it was a five star/five diamond hotel (with one of the most nervous staffs in New York City). The hotel has been owned by Lotte Hotels & Resorts since 2015.

The inside of the New York Palace Hotel, the Villard Houses

Take time to walk through the hotel from the East 50th Street entrance to the East 49th Street exit and walk around the public rooms and admire the architectural details from the Gilded Age. There are elegant features from staircases to marble fireplaces and the most beautiful views on Madison Avenue.

I found this pardon of the Helmsley Hotel on YouTube. It is very clever.

Another older hotel that stands out is the Roosevelt Hotel at 45 East 45th Street at the corner of Madison Avenue and East 45th Street. It stands guard next to Grand Central Station. The hotel opened in 1924 and was designed by the architectural firm of George P. Post & Son for businessman, Frank A. Dudley and it was ran by United Hotels Company from a leased agreement with the New York Central Railroad. Like the other hotels that line Lexington Avenue, there used to be a separate passageway from the railroad to the hotel (Wiki).

The Roosevelt Hotel at 45 East 45th Street

http://www.theroosevelthotel.com/

The Roosevelt Hotel being used as a immigration center in 2023 and 2024

This is similar hotel to take the time to walk through the lobby and look at the vaulted ceilings and the Gilded Age details of the hotels with its thick carpets and elegant staircases. The hotel has a somewhat dark, more European feel to it. There is a lobby restaurant when open that looks pretty interesting.

The entrance to the lobby at the Roosevelt Hotel in its heyday.

As you walk around Grand Central Terminal and through the archway pedestrian tunnels that lead to Park Avenue from East 45th to East 46th Streets, you will be traveling under the Helmsley Building at 230 Park Avenue that stands guard at the beginning to the business and residential neighborhood of Park Avenue.

The Helmsley Building at 230 Park Avenue

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmsley_Building

The Helmsley Building was built in 1929 as the New York Central Building for the rail company and was designed by architects Warren & Wetmore, who also designed Grand Central Terminal, in the ‘Beaux-Arts style’. Take time to admire the statuary around the clock that dominates its front and the beautiful stone detail work of the exterior of the building.

The beautiful details of the Helmsley Building on Park Avenue

The beautiful statuary.

The historical marker of the Helmsley Building.

The New York Central used the building as its starting point of “Terminal City”, a series of buildings and hotels that the railroad developed on the top of the rail line (Wiki). The true beauty of The Helmsley Building is at night when the owners put on a light show illuminating the building with colorful spotlights.

The Helmsley Building light show after dark

Park Avenue in the East 40’s is quite amazing at night

All along Park Avenue is a series of ‘glass boxes’ for office buildings and residential towers that line the Avenue all the way up to East 96th Street at the exit of the rail line. Along the way, there are some interesting examples of architecture that line Park Avenue.

The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel at 301 Park Avenue is currently closed and under scaffolding awaiting its new life as a small hotel and condo complex. The hotel, as mentioned in previous blogs in ‘MywalkinManhattan.com’, was built and opened in 1931. It was designed by the architectural firm of Schultz & Weaver in the ‘Art Deco style’ and is probably one of the most famous and talked about hotels in New York City outside the Plaza Hotel (Wiki). There have been so many movies and TV shows filmed and written about the hotel to count and the restaurants inside the hotel were some of the better ones in New York City. The building will open sometime in the future.

The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel at 301 Park Avenue (currently under renovation)

https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/nycwawa-waldorf-astoria-new-york/

The only part of the hotel I could photo while under renovation in 2024.

St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church at 325 Park Avenue is one of the older buildings on Park Avenue and stands alone amongst the bigger buildings on this part of Avenue. Though the congregation was started in 1835, this structure was built between 1916-17 and designed by Bertram Goodhue, who had designed the St. Thomas Church on Fifth Avenue (See Walking the Border of Midtown East-MywalkinManhattan). The church was designed in the ‘Byzantine Revival Design’ and he was required by the congregation to retain the old church portal from the former church on Madison Avenue and East 44th Street in the new church design (Wiki).

‘St. Bart’s’ Church at 325 Park Avenue

https://stbarts.org/

The detail work on the front door.

The historical plaque at St. Barts

Look at the details of the old church and the stained-glass windows. In the Summer months, there is a wonderful (yet somewhat over-priced) restaurant in the courtyard of the church and there are art markets during the Summer and Christmas holiday season that you should visit. There is also afternoon music at certain times of the year.

St. Bart’s restaurant and terrace during the summer

One standout, innovative building on Park Avenue sits between East 52nd and 53rd Streets is the Seagram Building at 375 Park Avenue. The building and its exterior designs were created by German American architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe with the interior Four Seasons Restaurant designed by American architect Philip Johnson.

The Seagram Building at 375 Park Avenue

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seagram_Building

Seagram Building Plaza, innovative to its time

The fountains are well known in their own right being used in TV and movies

The building was featured prominently in the first episode of “That Girl” in 1965.

This 38-story building of wonder was innovative in its time. Finished in 1958 as the corporate headquarters of Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, the building was noted for its ‘functional aesthetics’ and a prominent example of ‘corporate modern architecture’. Keeping up with modern building codes, the architect used ‘non-structural bronze I-beams and large glass windows’ to create the cool and well-toned exterior structure of the building (Wiki).

Also utilizing the 1916 building code and the new use of open public spaces, the building was one of the first in New York City to embrace the open-air plaza that was prevalent in the 1980’s and early 90’s design. It was an extremely innovative design at the time and still sets the standard for the modern ‘glass box’.

One of the last stand out buildings that I saw on Park Avenue before my walk back down the Avenue was at 465 Park Avenue, The Ritz Tower, an apartment hotel. This elegant residential building stands out because of its details on the exterior of the building and I later learned it was once home to the famous French restaurant, La Pavilion.

The Ritz Tower at 465 Park Avenue

The details of the Ritz Tower

The beautiful embellishments of the Ritz Tower.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ritz_Tower

This elegant building was designed by architects Emory Roth and Thomas Hastings for journalist Arthur Brisbane, who was the developer. The apartment hotel was managed by the Ritz-Carlton Company. The exterior of the building has many carved stone features so look closely from the other side of Park Avenue to admire the detail work. Don’t stare too long because the doorman gets a suspicious look if you look too long. He kept looking me over as I admired the building and the read the plaques.

Look at the elegant details of the Ritz Tower

The historical plaque of the Ritz Tower.

Up and down the Park Avenue Mall is the work of artist Alex Katz “Park Avenue Departure”, of which it looks like the back of a woman who is walking away from some place. The work is a depiction of the artist’s wife, Ada. Each of the works along the mall is changed slightly to show the sculpture in motion as if it is walking down the mall. This street art exhibition will run through November 2019 (The Fund for Park Avenue).

Alex Katz’s Park Avenue Mall exhibit “Park Avenue Departure” (closed in December 2019)

Alex Katz is an American artist

https://www.alexkatz.com/

American artist Alex Katz who was born in Brooklyn, NY and is a graduate of Cooper Union Art College. His long career has seen many changes in art form and today some of his concentrations are in landscape and portraiture. His work can be seen in museums all over the world.

For lunch and dinner that afternoon, I ate at Hop Won Chinese Noodle Shop at 139 East 45th Street between Lexington and Third Avenues (See reviews on TripAdvisor and DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com). After a long day of walking, I treated myself to a plate of mixed roasted meats, duck and pork, with a side of rice ($9.00) and an egg roll ($1.38). Their roasted meats are a lacquered delight with the rich, crackling skin of the duck worth every bite. The food here is delicious and so reasonable for Midtown East.

Don’t miss Hop Won at 139 East 45th Street

https://hopwonrestaurant.netwaiter.com/

The Roasted Meats here are really good.

By the end of the evening, I got a chance to double back around the Helmsley Building and look at the detail work of that structure as well and then walked up and down the tiny Vanderbilt Avenue between East 45th and 47th Streets that line next to Grand Central Terminal. The most notable building on this block is the Yale Club at 50 Vanderbilt Avenue. The famous clubhouse was designed by Yale Alumnus and architect James Gramble Rodgers, and it opened in 1915.

The Yale Club at 50 Vanderbilt Avenue; notice the plaque to Nathan Hale on the bottom left

https://www.yaleclubnyc.org/

The Nathan Hale marks one of the two spots where the patriot may have been hung.

Nathan Hale

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Hale

https://www.cia.gov/stories/story/nathan-hale-american-patriot-army-ranger-spy/

The most notable item outside the club is the historical mark where supposedly Patriot Nathan Hale was hung. There is a conflict to where it actually took place and there is another site on the Upper East Side (See Walking the Upper East Side Streets in MywalkinManhattan), where that plaque is outside the local Pier One. I personally like that theory better. Where else in American could a Patriot of the Revolutionary War be hung in that two hundred years later would house a retailer that sells Christmas chukkas made in China?

That’s what I love about Manhattan!

Check out my other blogs on Walking Midtown East:

Day One Hundred and Forty-Three-Walking the Borders of Midtown East:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/9841

Day One Hundred and Forty-Five-Walking the Avenues of Midtown East:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/10332

Day One Hundred and Forty-Six-Walking the Streets of Midtown East:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/10451

I have enclosed all the addresses to the interesting buildings you should visit above to make it easier than doing them one by one.

Things to see:

Tour all the famous buildings in the neighborhood

Alex Katz “Park Avenue Departure”