Category Archives: Exploring NYC Parks

Day Three Hundred and Twenty-Four Exploring the Streets of Gramercy Park from East 22nd Street to East 15th Streets from Park Avenue South to First Avenue September 8th-October 11th, 2024

The school year has started and that means that classes at the college have resumed for the Fall semester and it back to work time. Coming into New York becomes less and less as I am starting to grade papers and put together lectures.

I was able to sneak in on Sunday, September 8th for the monthly Sunday Supper at Holy Apostles Church where I volunteer. I find the church service before the supper very inspiring and I enjoy listening to Reverend Ann as the talks are less preachy and more uplifting about the issues of life and what is going on in the world.

After the service is over, then it is time to set the tables and eat. It is always a nice meal and you have some interesting conversations while you are at the table. We always have a nice crowd of the people and it is perfect time for me to meet up with other volunteers that i have not seen in a while.

Everyone breaks bread with each other after the service

Sunday Supper at Holy Apostles Church

It was a nice dinner with Chicken Fried Steak with gravy, Baked Ziti, Mixed Salad, Broccoli and cauliflower and Fresh rolls. For dessert, there was Bread Pudding and assorted cookies for dessert. It was quite the feast. After lunch was over, it was time to walk around the streets of Gramercy Park.

I started my walk on the border of the neighborhood at Park Avenue South and East 22nd Street. Like most of the neighborhood, the most beautiful architecture was around Gramercy Park itself. The first building I passed was the Sage Building. I had not noticed the beauty of this building by just looking at the front of it.

The side of the Sage Building

Across the street from CUNY campus, the Sage House at Four Lexington Avenue. Sage House was built in 1913 for the Russell Sage Foundation, a social welfare nonprofit that was an early advocate of social work and urban planning (Streeteasy.com).

The details of The Sage Building

The grill work on the building was so beautiful

The historic Sage House at Four Lexington Avenue

https://www.corcoran.com/building/gramercy-park/3917

https://streeteasy.com/building/the-sage-house

The building is a pre-war office building designed by Grosvenor Atterbury in the Italian Renaissance palazzo style. It has a rusticated red sandstone façade, vaulted ceilings, and carved decorative shields (Wiki). The building was converted to Coop apartments in 1986. The building next to it was the Hotel Gramercy Park which is currently closed and under renovation. Even though the hotel is closed, you can still peek through the scaffolding and see its elegance.

The core of Gramercy Park surrounds the park itself with most of its classic older buildings surrounding the park. Some of the streets were tree lined and looked like classic old New York.

The tree lined streets of Gramercy Park

The end of East 22nd Street is the Peter Cooper complex. Every thing is in bloom and the complex is so nicely landscaped.

Peter Cooper Village in the Summer of 2024

On the way back down East 22nd Street. I passed the Church of the Epiphany at 375 Second Avenue and passed an interesting sculpture dedicated to the victims of 9/11. If you do not walk on the side streets, you will miss this beautiful park with this interesting sculpture in the garden. It looks like a burst of sun.

The sculpture in the Peace Garden, ‘Light Overcomes Darkness’

The plaque for the sculpture ‘Light Overcomes Darkness’

The sculpture was designed by artist Witkor Szostalo

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

https://www.hillstream.com/artist/wiktor-szostalo

Artist Witkor Szostalo

Artist Witkor Szostalo is a Polish born artist who graduated with MFA from the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow. He is known for his works in stainless steel, wood and bronze. Mr. Szostalo works in both Poland and St. Louis, MO (Artist Bio/Wiki).

The sculpture was part of the larger Peace Garden that landscaped this side of the church.

The Epiphany Peace Garden by the Church

The plaque for the church’s Peace Garden

I made my way back down through the neighborhood and never noticed the Gramercy House private gardens behind a fence. Some of the residents were outside enjoying the afternoon and having a nice conversation as I was snapping pictures of this private garden.

The private garden of the Gramercy House

This is what always amazes me about New York City is the tiny pockets of green that you come across when you walk the streets. It was so beautiful to look at that I envied the residents. It was such a fantastic sunny day.

I made the turn at Park Avenue South and made my way down East 21st Street and passed the Baruch College campus again, with its beautiful architecture and interesting artwork.

The beauty of the Admission Building of Baruch College

The building on the Baruch Campus that I admired was the was the Baruch College Administration Center whose entrance is at 135 East 22nd Street. I loved the Art Deco details on the building. These seemed to represent all aspects of business.

The beauty of the College seal

The front of the Baruch College Administration Center at 135 East 22nd Street

https://plexuss.com/u/cuny-bernard-m-baruch-college/history

The elaborate details on the building give it its Art Deco appearance. The Art Deco Administrative Center at 135 East 22nd Street was built in 1937–1939 as the Domestic Relations Court Building, and was connected to the Children’s Court next door (Baruch College Website).

The Art Deco side of the building

Each of the panels represents a part of the business world.

The Art Deco details of the building

The buildings on the Baruch Campus are interesting in their details. Some of the buildings were being renovated at the time I was exploring the neighborhood but has the scaffolding came down on later walks, you really could see the beauty of this Art Deco Buildings.

As I walked down East 21st Street, I came across The Parish of Calvary-St. Georges. The elegant Episcopalian church was founded in 1832 and moved to Gramercy Park in 1846.

The Parish of the Calvary of St. Georges at 61 Gramercy Park North

https://www.calvarystgeorges.org/

The church’s design was inspired by parishioner Leopold Eidlitz, who designed the plain interior and the original openwork spires of St. George’s Church. The congregation was so satisfied with the design that they rebuilt the church after a disastrous fire in 1865 following the same design, under Eidlitz’ supervision. By that time the design was also influenced by Dr. Stephen Tyng, a new pastor hired for what had become a changing urban congregation (Church website).

Just before I turned the corner onto East 21st Street, just above the restaurant, Nico, I admired the ceramic details of 102 East 22nd. There is a real beauty in the Art Deco details around the windows and doorways.

The beauty is in the details

A better view above the restaurant awning at the Gramercy Arms Building

https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/gramercy-park/gramercy-arms-102-east-22nd-street/review/5974

Gramercy Arms is a handsome, 10-story Art Deco-style apartment building at 102 East 22nd Street that was designed by Sugarman & Burger and erected in 1928 (City Reality). You have to admire all the ceramic work all over the building and see a peek of the rooftop garden at the top of the building.

The Novita Restaurant at the base of 102 East 22nd Street whose reviews were mixed when I read them on TripAdvisor.

https://novitarestaurant.com/

Review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d424105-Reviews-Novita-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

The unique details of 121 East 21st Street

The ceramic and grill work is beautiful. When you pass this part of the neighborhood you enter the center of Gramercy Park and that is the park itself.

What I always love about Gramercy Park is the interesting combination of beautiful brownstones, elegant mansions and interesting apartment buildings that line all sides of the park. The old Gramercy Park Hotel is currently under renovation so there was not much to see under all the scaffolding.

The homes surrounding Gramercy Park have access to the park with a key

Gramercy Park in the summer of 2024 at Gramercy Park West and East 21st Street

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

https://www.cityneighborhoods.nyc/gramercy

The park is amazing to walk by in any season by the end of the summer on a sunny day there was nothing like it. It almost shined against the sun.

The historic One Lexington Avenue at the corner of Lexington Avenue and Gramercy Park North

The historical apartment building had replaced the home of Cyrus West Field, who helped lay the first Transatlantic cable line across the Atlantic Ocean.

One Lexington Avenue facing Gramercy Park

https://streeteasy.com/building/1-lexington-avenue-new_york/9-d

https://www.corcoran.com/building/gramercy/3916

Built in 1910 by noted architect Herbert Lucas. This twelve-story intimate cooperative features extraordinary design details including a stately limestone and brick façade, timeless-elegant marble lobby and wood-paneled elevator still attended full-time by the elevator operator (Streeteasy.com).

The Cyrus West Field plaque on One Lexington Avenue where his home once stood

Cyrus West Field

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus_W._Field

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/cable-cyrus-field-1819-1892/

One Lexington Avenue was once the home of Cyrus West Field, who was considered the ‘Father of the American Cable” and helped lay the first trans Atlantic cable in 1858. When it broke, it was laid again in 1866 (American Experience).

The original house on the same corner in 1866 (NY Public Library)

Just across One Lexington Avenue was one of the best views facing the southern end of the neighborhood. The gardens just stood out this afternoon and with the clear sunny skies, it looked like a postcard.

Looking South from Gramercy Park down Irving Place

The park was at its peak of blooming and foliage in the beginning of September. I thought this was a beautiful shot of the true elegance of the park.

Looking at Gramercy Park East in the summer of 2024

The beauty of Gramercy Park is that all sides of the park are so pretty to look at. You can admire this park from all sides with the beautiful shrubby, flowers and the elegant architecture of homes and apartment buildings that surround the park.

As I continued to walk around East 21st Street, I passed the outdoor cafe of Grill 21 at 346 East 21st Street. I loved this picture painted outside the restaurant and the menu looked very interesting. I noted it to maybe try it later. The people who were eating outside that afternoon looked like they were enjoying their meal.

Walking past Grill 21 Restaurant at 346 East 21st Street

https://www.instagram.com/grill21_/

Review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d844501-Reviews-Grill_21-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

The seating area of Grill 21

As I passed the NYPD 13th Precinct, I passed this very touching memorial to those on 9/11. Being now twenty years ago, it still seems like yesterday for those of us who lived through it. It means something to us every September but it seems lost to a newer generation who were born after it.

The memorial to the officers that died in the attacks on 9/11 outside the 13th Precinct at 230 East 21st Street

https://www.nyc.gov/site/nypd/bureaus/patrol/precincts/13th-precinct.page

Walking around Gramercy Park West at East 22nd Street

After walking one side of Gramercy Park, I did a semi circle around park admiring the park from all angles. The park stretches from East 22nd to East 21st Streets and is the only private park left in New York City. The park is all that is left of the original Rose Hill Farm estate.

Gramercy Park North at East 22nd Street is all that is left of the corner of the Rose Hill Farm

Gramercy Park East

Gramercy Park East

Gramercy Park East

The plaque at 3 Gramercy Park East to former Mayor James Harper

Mayor James Harper

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Harper_(publisher)

https://a860-collectionguides.nyc.gov/agents/people/42

Mayor James Harper served as Mayor of New York City for one term as a Republican from 1844-1845. Before that he established the publishing firm J & J Harper with his brother which eventually in time became Harper’s Brothers in 1825 (which became Harper & Row in 1962). He was only served as Mayor for one year (Wiki). He lived in Gramercy Park from 1847 to 1869 when he passed away (Wiki).

Walking around 4 Gramercy Park East

https://www.elliman.com/newyorkcity/buildings-communities/detail/527-c-725-41984/4-gramercy-park-west-gramercy-park-new-york-ny

The historic buildings of Gramercy Park West

https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/market-insight/features/goldilocks-blocks/the-keys-gramercy-park-history-full-list-buildings-park-access/38081

The park side of Gramercy Park West

The former Stuyvesant-Fish Mansion at Gramercy Park South

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/19_Gramercy_Park_South

I love passing the old Stuyvesant Fish Mansion. I have always thought this was an apartment building but I just read that it is still a private home. This home was originally built in 1854 by William Samuel Johnson and it was expanded by architect Stamford White for the Fish family in 1887. When the family moved uptown to the more fashionable Fifth Avenue, the house was broken up into apartments. Many incarnations later it was sold as a private residence in the past few years (Wiki).

The beautiful brownstones and brick buildings at Gramercy Park South

This delightful little embellishment at East 20th Street

Street art on East 20th Street near Second Avenue

Street art on East 20th Street

Street art on East 20th Street-I thought this was so profound and so true!

Street art on East 20th Street

Just outside the edge of the neighborhood is the extension of East 20th Street is the border of Gramercy Park, Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village. The middle class enclave is beautifully landscaped and East 20th Street to the even nicer landscaped Stuyvesant Cove.

https://www.stuytown.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuyvesant_Town%E2%80%93Peter_Cooper_Village

The shade trees on East 20th Street

The street art at the entrance to Stuyvesant Cove

Stuyvesant Cove in the Summer of 2024

Stuyvesant Cove in the Summer of 2024

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

https://www.nyc.gov/site/ddc/about/press-releases/2023/pr-053123-Stuyvesant-Cove-Park.page

The view of the East River from Stuyvesant Cove

https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/3756/stuyvesant-cove-park/

It was a brilliant sunny afternoon in the late summer. The temperatures had reached in the mid 80’s and it was clear and slightly cloudy when I visited the park. Everything was in late bloom including the sunflowers which were brilliant. I could not believe what a spectacular day it was that afternoon. I just relaxed for a bit and enjoyed the beautiful views.

The beautiful sunflowers in the Stuyvesant Cove Gardens

The sign welcoming you to Stuyvesant Cove Park

Walking back down East 20th Street into Gramercy Park South

The beautiful gardens of East 19th Street

Easy 19th Street at the end of the summer of 2024

The side of the apartment building at Irving Place

The old Carriage Houses at West 19th Street

The beauty of urban gardens on East 19th Street

I thought this was just gorgeous on a sunny afternoon

The building itself at East 19th Street was rather plain but I thought the archway was beautiful

I loved the creative Halloween decorations at 318 East 19th street

The decorations at 318 East 19th Street

The decorations at 318 East 19th Street

Halloween seemed to come early to parts of the neighborhood.

As I walked along the blocks along East 19th Street, I came across interesting street art around the neighborhood. Here and there things popped up that I thought were interesting to see.

Street art along East 19th Street

Street art along East 19th Street. The was right near a restaurant at 358 East 19th Street

The historic home of George Bellows

The plants surrounding the front of the home at East 19th Street

The George Bellows House

Artist George Bellows

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

https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2012/bellows

Artist George Bellows was an American artist who was self taught and left college to move to New York to pursue the life of a painter. He works were well known in art circles for their social and political themes (Wiki).

I thought this series of brownstones were just classic New York

Walking down East 18th Street has its charming blocks of brownstones with gardens and potted plants

The charming urban gardens of Gramercy Park

The elegant Halloween decorations in the neighborhood

The Stuyvesant Houses on 18th Street

The Stuyvesant Houses on 18th Street

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=151071

What was interesting about passing the Stuyvesant Houses on East 18th Street is how old these homes are and that they are still part of the fabric of the neighborhood in the 21st Century. They were built by Cornelia Stuyvesant Ten Broeck in 1852 on land that was part of the original Stuyvesant Farm. This could be considered part of the development of ‘suburban housing’ in New York City. This was built beyond the core of Manhattan which was located below Wall Street (Historic Market of the New York Community Trust).

The sign for the designated historic part of the neighborhood

A smaller version of a Flatiron building at 141 East 17th Street

https://streeteasy.com/building/141-east-17-street-new_york

https://www.cushmanwakefield.com/en/united-states/properties/for-sale/apartment-buildings/ny/new-york/141-east-17th-street-new-york-new-york-10003/k26408k26408-s

This triplex apartment was originally designed and configured as a mid-century artist’s studio by New York architect Bernard Rothzeid, who was commissioned to modernize the space by the painter and print-maker Al Blaustein (Streeteasy.com). It looked like a smaller version of the Flatiron Building and stands out in a neighborhood of brownstones and apartment buildings.

I was impressed by this series of flower boxes along East 17th Street

Here and there along all the streets of this part of Gramercy Park were pocket gardens and decorations outside buildings all over the neighborhood.

327 East 17th Street is home to the Robert Mapplethorpe Treatment Center and the home of composer Antonin Dvorak on this site. This is the home of the Mapplethorpe Foundation.

https://www.mapplethorpe.org/

The home for the Mapplethorpe House

Artist Robert Mapplethorpe

https://www.mapplethorpe.org/

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

Robert Mapplethorpe was an American Artist known for his black and white photography and his study of celebrity, gay life and self portraits. He had attended Pratt Institute in his early education. Before he died, he founded the Mapplethorpe Institute, which handled his estate to help promote his work and has been instrumental in raising millions of dollars for AIDS research (Wiki/Mapplethorpe Foundation website).

The historic sign for the once home of composer Antonin Dvorak

https://www.antonin-dvorak.cz/en/life/biography/

There was an interesting statue dedicated to the composer inside of Stuyvesant Park. All along East 17th Street I came across more interesting street art.

Street art along East 17th Street

Street art along East 17th Street

Stuyvesant Square at East 17th Street

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/stuyvesant-square

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

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d218637-Reviews-Stuyvesant_Square-New_York_City_New_York.html

The beautiful flowers in Stuyvesant Square in the very late Summer of 2024

The brilliance of Stuyvesant Park in the late summer. The park was in full bloom with summer flowers showing off their beauty and colors. The park still could use some work on the beds and lawns though.

The famous statue of Composer Antonin Dvorak inside Stuyvesant Square at the corner of the park at East 17th Street

Composer Antonin Dvorak

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton%C3%ADn_Dvo%C5%99%C3%A1k

https://www.antonin-dvorak.cz/en/life/biography/

Composer Antonin Dvorak was born just outside of Prague and came from a long line of business people who were innkeepers and butchers. His father recognized that when he was young the talent he had with music and encouraged this. While in Prague, he was sent off to a music school that started his career. The Institute for Church Music, as the school was officially known, was located in Konviktská street in the Old Town and provided instruction in organ playing, harmony and counterpoint. This was the beginning of his career (Dvorak website/Wiki).

The historic plaque in the park in Stuyvesant Square

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/stuyvesant-square/monuments/1784

Artist Ivan Mestrovic

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Me%C5%A1trovi%C4%87

https://www.ivanmestrovic.com/

Artist Ivan Mestrovic was a Croatian born American artist who was a known sculptor, writer and architect. He is a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. He was known for his romantic and classical style sculptures (Wiki).

In 1963, this bronze portrait bust was given by the Czechoslovak National Council of America to the Philharmonic, but never put on public display. It is believed to be the last work of the noted sculptor Mestrovic, a student of Rodin and the first living artist to receive a one-person exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYCParks.org).

The beautiful brownstones along the northern part of Stuyvesant Square at East 17th Street

I rounded Stuyvesant Square on both sides, exploring all the historical buildings from all angles of the park. While I was in the park, I admired all the flowers in the gardens and the statuary.

I saw this sculpture by Lee Tal was also in the park

Artist Lee Tal

https://www.leetalart.com/

Artist Lee Tal is an Israeli born artist now based in New York City. He received a BA in History and an additional BA in Art and Photography from Open University in Tel Aviv. He received a B.F.A studies at the Royal College of Art, London, England. In his early works, Tal draws inspiration from everyday objects found in our daily lives, seeking to transcend their original purpose (Artist’s bio website). This interesting work was commissioned by the Stuyvesant Park.

The sculpture by Lee Tal ‘Blooming Reflections- Yellow Trout Lily’

I walked through the gardens from all sides and walked out to Rutherford Place and admired the old churches along the street. On the northern side of Rutherford Place was the historic St. George’s Church.

St. George’s Church at 209 East 16th Street

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St.George%27s_Episcopal_Church(Manhattan)

https://www.calvarystgeorges.org/

St. George’s Church at 209 East 16th Street

St. George’s Church was founded in 1752 and the church moved around several times until 1846 when this new church was started and finished in 1854. The church was designed in the Romanesque Revival style by architects Charles Blesch and Leopold Eidlitz. Mr. Belsch designed the interior and was influenced by the Rundbigenstil, the round arch style. The church has been altered and rebuilt over the years after a devastating fire in 1865 (Wiki).

The historic plaque of the church

The church‘s official sign

Next to St. George’s Church is the Quaker Friends building that has been part of the neighborhood since the 1700’s. This historical building is part of a full complex of modern buildings that stretch down East 16th Street from the park.

The historical Friends Meeting House at 15 Rutherford Place

This building was built in the Restrained Greek Revival Design in 1861 and has been in use since that time for the annual meetings (New York Landmark Preservation).

The historic Friends Meeting House at 15 Rutherford Place

https://quaker.org/legacy/15stfriends/

https://www.americanlandmarks.org/post/friends-meeting-house

The front of the Friends Meeting House at 15 Rutherford Place

The Friends Meeting House at 15 Rutherford Place on the west side of Stuyvesant Square.

The views of Stuyvesant Square Park in the late Summer months

I walked around the park before exploring East 16th and 15th Streets and just like Gramercy Park there is a true beauty in the architecture that surrounds this green space.

The historic beauty of East 15th Street on the southern eastern side of the park.

Somehow this tree just stuck out at the entrance of 146 East 16th Street

Another view of this tiny garden in front of 146 East 16th Street

The historical buildings that are part of the church seminary along East 16th Street

This is classic Old New York with brownstones covered in ivy is part of the church’s housing

I cross-crossed so much through Stuyvesant Square that the homeless guys and the delivery drivers thought I was an undercover cop watching them.

The park is still so colorful in the late summer

The beautiful stained glass windows in from of the East 15th side of St. Mary’s Church at East 15th Street

St. John The Baptist Greek Orthodox Church at 143 East 17th Street

https://www.stjohn.ny.goarch.org/

https://www.facebook.com/StJohnBaptistNYC/

Built in 1885, designed by Schwartzmann & Buchman, with a baroque façade that was altered in 1957 by Kyriacos A. Kalfas (Wiki).

Finishing my walk along East 15th Street with the elegant townhouses that line the southern half of Stuyvesant Square

For dinner that evening, I had Chinese food at Mee’s Noodle House at First Avenue. I had eaten at their branch years ago at their uptown branch near Sutton Place and ordered the same meal as a comparison, the Seafood Steamed Dumplings and the Shrimp Lo Mein. It’s nice to know that nothing changes. The food was excellent.

The sign inside of Mee’s Noodle House at 922 Second Avenue

https://www.seamless.com/menu/the-original-mee-noodle-shop–grill-223-1st-ave-new-york/287771

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d502666-Reviews-Mee_Noodle_Shop_Grill-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

The Steamed Seafood Dumplings

These dumplings were as light as air and perfectly cooked. The dumplings were plump and filled with a mixture of Shrimp and other seasonings. They tasted perfect with just a touch of soy sauce.

The delicious Shrimp Lo Mein

The Shrimp Lo Mein was studded with lots of perfectly cooked shrimp, vegetables and freshly made noodles that are made inhouse. The only problem with the dish was the button mushrooms that I had to pick out. I do not know why they use these since they are not used in dishes in China. I discovered that the restaurant is quite the neighborhood hang out for people living at Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village. Everyone was talking neighborhood gossip.

The front of Tipsy Scoop Barlour at 217 East 26th Street

https://tipsyscoop.com/pages/manhattan-location?srsltid=AfmBOopr75Tvfffnfo_tWMcxMMpFSQGkQafCkqMpUkBe_sfH3nAmlhDV

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d12194385-Reviews-Tipsy_Scoop-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

On my way home, I stopped at Tipsy Scoop Ice Cream store for dessert. I wanted to have one of their infused ice cream sandwiches. So I ordered the Sprinkle Cookie Cake Batter Vodka Martini ice cream sandwiches. Talk about a dessert that takes the edge off after a long day.

The inside of Tipsy Scoop at night

The neon lights of this popular ice cream shop where all the ice cream is infused with liquor

The ice cream sandwiches here are fantastic. The alcohol in the ice cream is so subtle and sweet you don’t notice until you finish it. Then it hits you and relaxes you. This is the best dessert after a long day.

The Sprinkle Cookie Cake Batter Vodka Martini infused ice cream sandwich

The Sprinkle Cookie Cake Batter Vodka Martini infused ice cream sandwich

Yum!

I took the long walk through Madison Square park on the way back to the Port Authority at night. The pictures I get from that park are just breathtaking at night and I never get tired of the views.

The views of Manhattan at night are quite spectacular from Madison Square Park

I finished walking the streets of Gramercy Park in the early evening while watching the lights turn on in all the buildings surrounding the area. It is quite a site seeing all the homes lit while watching the office buildings all over the neighborhood work their magic. It is quite the place both day and night and in all seasons. Gramercy Park is a true Manhattan neighborhood.

I never tire of the views of Manhattan at night.

Please read my other blogs on Gramercy Park:

Day Three Hundred and Twenty Walking the Borders of Gramercy Park:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/51647

Day Three Hundred and Twenty One Walking the Avenues of Gramercy Park:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/53432

Day Three Hundred and Twenty Four Walking the Streets of Gramercy Park:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/53788

Places to Visit:

Stuyvesant Square Park

9 Rutherford Place

New York, NY 10003

(212) 639-9675

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/stuyvesant-square

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

Open: Sunday-Saturday 7:00am-11:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d218637-Reviews-Stuyvesant_Square-New_York_City_New_York.html

Gramercy Park

Private Park that you need a key to get into.

Stuyvesant Cove

24-20 FDR Drive

New York, NY 10010

(646) 576-5664

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

https://www.nyc.gov/site/ddc/about/press-releases/2023/pr-053123-Stuyvesant-Cove-Park.page

Open: Sunday-Saturday 7:00am-10:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

Places to Eat:

Mee’s Noodle House

922 Second Avenue

New York, NY

(212) 888-0027

https://menupages.com/mee-noodle-shop/795-9th-ave-new-york

Open: Sunday-Saturday 11:00am-11:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d502666-Reviews-Mee_Noodle_Shop_Grill-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Tipsy Scoop Ice Cream Shop

217 East 26th Street

New York, NY 10010

(917) 388-2862

https://tipsyscoop.com/pages/manhattan-location?srsltid=AfmBOoq3P7RwM_mpTYZSd-uFo5d0wnAO07zRpeBAgxD25EALYbmFi1kT

Open: Sunday 2:00pm-10:00pm/Monday 4:00pm-9:00pm/Tuesday 4:00pm-7:00pm/Wednesday-Thursday 4:00pm-9:00pm/Friday-Saturday 2:00pm-11:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d12194385-Reviews-Tipsy_Scoop-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Day Three Hundred and Twenty-One Walking the Avenues of Gramercy Park Irving Place, Lexington, Third and Second Avenues August 27th, 2024

It has been one busy summer. In between walking the neighborhoods of Manhattan, I have been revisiting neighborhoods, attending events that I had in the past like the Coney Island Sand Castle Building contest and the Dutchess and Ulster County Fairs. I wanted to spend more time at them and I needed new pictures at all of these events (see my full blog, MywalkinManhattan.com for all these interesting blogs). That and I have been exploring the Jersey Shore towns like Point Pleasant and Seaside Park and Heights to really see what is beyond their Boardwalks. It has been a productive summer since graduation running back and forth between the Hudson River Valley and the Jersey Shore.

As I get ready for the school year to begin in a week and a half, I have more places to see and experience. Still in between all this I want to volunteer time at the Soup Kitchen and planning trips outside the City too experience more of New Jersey. Each day of the Month of August is like planning “D Day”.

Gramercy Park is such an interesting neighborhood. From the vibrant commercial areas to the historical parks, Gramercy Park has a lot of hidden treasures tucked here and there throughout the neighborhood. It seems though, along the neighborhoods Avenues, I would have been expected to see more classic architecture and beautiful stonework, I experienced experienced a more commercial environment with modern buildings. Still tucked here and there along the Avenues were many gems of the past and some beautiful little parks.

The Gramercy Park Historic District plaque

I started my walk along the Avenues of the neighborhood with a walk up the Irving Place Street and walked around the park to Lexington Avenue on the other side of the park. Irving Place and Lexington Avenue are separated by Gramercy Park’s north and South borders.

Gramercy Park in full bloom in the Summer of 2024

The section of the neighborhood is shared with the Union Square neighborhood as the lines are blurred from street to street between Gramercy Park, Union Square and the Flatiron District. This neighborhood has distinct architecture, beautiful parks including Gramercy Park, part of the old Rose Hill Farm estate and Stuyvesant Square, part of the former estate of Dutch Governor Peter Stuyvesant.

I started my walk on the southern part of Gramercy Park along the historical Irving Place with its historic homes and restaurants. I passed 4 Irving Place which the first couple of floors were under scaffolding. I admired the clocktower on the top of the building, the beautiful embellishments and just the elegance of the building. The building is home to Consolidated Edison (ConEd).

The was designed by architect Henry Janeway Hardenbergh and architectural firm of Warren and Wetmore in the Neo-Classical design. The first phase of the building was started in 1911 and both phases were finished by 1929. The original section of the building is in the picture with the wings of the building to both sides (Wiki).

I passed 4 Irving Place, the Con Ed Building, just as twilight hit the building and you could see the beauty in its shadows.

Its clock told the time of the early evening.

The next morning when I walked past it again, you could see the true beauty of its design.

I also noticed that the roof top held a more intricate design than I noticed the night before. Look up at its intricate details to admire its beauty. This is part of the originally designed building.

Once I turned onto Irving Place, the old core of its industrial past gave way to the bohemian village it would become and stay in the future. This was once ‘THE’ neighborhood to live in and has stayed that way since even through the rough times of Union Square.

The most impressive object you will see in the neighborhood is this bust of Washington Irving that sits outside the Washing Irving Campus on Irving Place.

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

This bust of Washington Irving was created by artist Friedrich Beer

Artist Friedrich Beer

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

https://www.artprice.com/artist/112959/friedrich-beer

Artist Friedrich Beer was a German born artist known for his works on busts of famous individuals.

The neighborhood goes from commercial to more residential as you get further up Irving Place and closer to Gramercy Park. The borders of Union Square overlap with Gramercy Park and the Flatiron District between East 18th and East 20th streets so I revisited buildings that J had seen before. If people went in a Time Machine to Manhattan from 100 years ago they would still see the same buildings but with totally different uses.

The Washington Irving house at 122 East 17th Street and Irving Place (Washington Irving never lived here)

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-irving-house-new-york-new-york

The “Irving House” was built by Peter Voorhis between 1843 and 1844, along with the adjacent two houses at 45 and 47 Irving Place. The original tenants of 49 Irving Place (at that time referred to as 122 East 17th Street) were Charles Jackson Martin, an insurance executive, and his wife, who would reside there from 1844 until 1852. Henry and Ann E. Coggill would live in it in 1853, and in 1854 it would become the home of banker Thomas Phelps and his wife Elizabeth, who would remain until 1863 (Atlasobsucra.com).

The front of the house facing Irving Place

The first mention in print of Irving having lived in the house came in the Sunday Magazine Supplement of the New York Times on April 4, 1897. The article is a human interest story about Elsie de Wolfe and the means and methods she used to decorate “Irving’s house.” In 1905, de Wolfe would become known as the first professional interior decorator and it appears this article is an early attempt at publicity for her. As for the information about Irving, the article takes enormous liberties (actually, it flat-out makes things up), claiming that Irving had conceived of the house himself and was very particular about the architecture and design (Atlasobsucra.com).

The entrance to the house at 122 East 17th street

The plaque on the house dedicated to the writer created by artist Alexander Finta

In 1930, a restaurant called the Washington Irving Tea Room was operating in the basement of the building and in 1934 a plaque sculpted by Rodin-student Alexander Finta was put up on the north facade that would cement the story in the public consciousness. Today, the surrounding area remains covered in references to Irving, from the large art installations in the nearby W Hotel to the Headless Horseman pub on 15th Street(Atlasobsucra.com).

Artist Alexander Finta

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

https://www.askart.com/artist/Alexander_Finta/108330/Alexander_Finta.aspx

Artist Alexander Finta was a Hungarian born artist who moved to the United States in 1923. He had studied mechanical engineering in his own country and had studied with Auguste Rodin. His is known for his elaborate busts. He spent the remainder of his career at 20th Century Fox Studios (Wiki)

All along the Irving Place corridor, the street is lined with interesting and historical buildings many of them turned into restaurants or inns. There are many historic plaques in this neighborhood and some creative architecture. The first building that caught my eye was 53 Irving Place, which is the home of Pierre Loti Wine Bar.

Review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d2136974-Reviews-Pierre_Loti_Wine_Bar-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

The home of Pierre Lotte Mediterranean Restaurant at 53-55 Irving Place was the home of O Henry

When I looked at the side of the building near the entrance, I was this historic plaque that said that this was the home of author William Sidney Porter (O. Henry). The author lived here from 1903-1907 and wrote the “Gift of the Magi” while living here and eating at Pete’s Tavern across the street (Wiki).

The historic plaque for author O Henry at 53-55 Irving Place

Author William Henry Porter

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O._Henry

Down the road at is Pete’s Tavern, one of the most famous and the oldest literary restaurants in the City. The restaurant was founded in 1864 as the Portman Hotel and then in 1899 when changed to Healy’s Cafe when it was run by John and Tom Healy. Then in 1899, it was bought by Peter D’ Belles and renamed Pete’s Tavern. The restaurant was a ‘Speakeasy’ during prohibition and the dining rooms have not changed much over the last over hundred years (Pete’s Tavern website).

Pete’s Tavern was busy on the night of my first part of the walk.

Pete’s Tavern at 129 East 18th Street

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete%27s_Tavern

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d527869-Reviews-Pete_s_Tavern-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

The entrance of Pete’s Tavern

The entrance to Pete’s Tavern on Irving Place

The painting outside of Pete’s Tavern of the Speakeasy years

Pete’s Tavern was busy both nights that I passed it. I had not eaten there in over a decade when I had a holiday dinner there with friends by I remember the food and service being excellent. The restaurant is really special during the Christmas holiday season from what I can remember.

My friends Barbara, Lillian and I after dinner at Pete’s Tavern in the early 2000’s

Another restaurant I went to before my friend, Barbara, moved to Florida was a Friend of the a Farmer at 77 Irving Place, a farm to table concept before it became very popular. I remember the food being wonderful but the place being a bit noisy. She lived on the fringe of Gramercy Park and had passed this restaurant many times and had wanted to try it that evening.

Another great restaurant is Friend of a Farmer at 77 Irving Place

https://www.friendofafarmer.com/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d496790-Reviews-Friend_of_a_Farmer-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Across the street, I passed this apartment building at 76 Irving Place. I loved the outside embellishments on the building and the friendly looks you get from the statuary. The building was built in 1897 by architect Lyndon P. Smith (Corcoran Group).

You have to look up to admire the details of 76 Irving Place

https://www.corcoran.com/listing/for-sale/76-irving-place-manhattan-ny-10003/23012133/regionId/1

https://streeteasy.com/building/76-irving-place-new_york

The entrance to 76 Irving Place with its tiny angels

This woman guards the front of Irving Place like guard

This woman greets you at 76 Irving Place

The classic architecture of the block especially as you get closer to Gramercy Park changes from smaller apartment buildings to brownstones lining the parks southern border. Gramercy Park offers some of the most interesting architecture. This ivy covered building that impressed me so much as the sun was going down is at 80 Irving Place.

This building at East 19th street and Irving Place is typical for the buildings that once lined this neighborhood

80 Irving Place is currently under renovation

https://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-1854-house-at-no-80-irving-place.html

https://www.trulia.com/home/80-irving-pl-new-york-ny-10003-31506439

The house was built as a single family mansion between 1853 and 1854 and had been the home of the prominent Wood family and then to actress Agnes Ethel Tracy. Since 1987, it has been a single family home again. What I thought was interesting was that the house was used in the movie “Working Girl” as Sigourney  Weavers character’s home (DaytoninManhattan.com).

Look up at the beautiful details of 81 Irving Place

81 Irving Place in all its glory

https://www.elliman.com/newyorkcity/buildings-communities/detail/527-c-725-2766/81-irving-pl-gramercy-park-new-york-ny

https://streeteasy.com/building/81-irving-place-new_york

https://www.apartments.com/81-irving-pl-new-york-ny-unit-8a/5q6z3mp/

81 Irving Place is one of the most beautiful apartment complexes in the city that I have come across. The embellishments along the building are some of most detailed and elegant I have seen. This prewar Co-Op was built in 1929.

The details along the windows

The embellishments of the building

The dragons and demons that adorn the windows

The embellishments of the building

The unusual creatures at the doorways

The embellishments of the building

The creatures guarding the windows

The embellishments of the building

The rooftop gardens are protected by these griffins

The building has a whimsical almost storybook imagine of creatures protecting their home.

Where I want my future home to be when I retire to the City and can afford it is 19 Gramercy Park South. I have always loved this building since I fell in love with the neighborhood over thirty years ago. I always wanted a home with a key to Gramercy Park. The building has that classic turn of the last century look about it and it has always been my dream to live here when I retire. I need to hurry and win the lottery.

My dream home would be at 19 Gramercy Park South with a key to the park

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/19_Gramercy_Park_South

I had thought this was a apartment building but it is actually a single family mansion with 37 rooms. It was built in 1845 and when the mansion was extended by Stamford White in 1887 was the home of socially prominent Stuyvesant-Fish family. It is currently back to being a single family mansion (Wiki).

I did the walk around the Park and continued along Lexington Avenue from East 20th to East 23rd Street. There is more magnificent architecture along the way. Small details that will surprise you and things that will stare you along the walk.

I walked along Lexington Avenue where the campus of Baruch College, which is part of the CUNY system, starts. One of its stand out buildings is The Lawrence and Eris Field Building, also known as the 23rd Street Building by the college. This building opened in 1929 and the ornamented Italian Renaissance revival style façade on 23rd Street  is constructed of limestone and brick and engraved with “The College of the City Of New York.” (CUNY Website)

17 Lexington Avenue-The Lawrence and Eris Field Building, also known as the 23rd Street Building on the Baruch College Campus.

https://17lexupdate.baruch.cuny.edu/history/

The beautiful details of the building

The Baruch College campus is located on the border of Gramercy Park and Kips Bay showcasing the unique architecture of the campus. Many of the buildings on this side of campus are going through a renovation so watch the scaffolding.

The coat of arms on the side of the building

The middle coat of arms on the side of the building

Coat of arms on the side of the building

The building on the Baruch Campus that I admired was the was the Baruch College Administration Center whose entrance is at 135 East 22nd Street. I loved the Art Deco details on the building. These seemed to represent all aspects of business.

The side of the Baruch College with its Art Deco details

Details on the CUNY building-The Baruch College Administration Center Building in its glory

The front of the Baruch College Administration Center at 135 East 22nd Street

https://plexuss.com/u/cuny-bernard-m-baruch-college/history

The elaborate details on the building give it its Art Deco appearance. The Art Deco Administrative Center at 135 East 22nd Street was built in 1937–1939 as the Domestic Relations Court Building, and was connected to the Children’s Court next door (Baruch College Website).

Across the street from CUNY campus, the Sage House at Four Lexington Avenue. Sage House was built in 1913 for the Russell Sage Foundation, a social welfare nonprofit that was an early advocate of social work and urban planning (Streeteasy.com).

The historic Sage House at Four Lexington Avenue

https://www.corcoran.com/building/gramercy-park/3917

https://streeteasy.com/building/the-sage-house

The building is a pre-war office building designed by Grosvenor Atterbury in the Italian Renaissance palazzo style. It has a rusticated red sandstone façade, vaulted ceilings, and carved decorative shields (Wiki). The building was converted to Coop apartments in 1986. The building next to it was the Hotel Gramercy Park which is currently closed and under renovation. Even though the hotel is closed, you can still peek through the scaffolding and see its elegance.

I myself have some wonderful memories of this hotel. I had stayed at the hotel back in 1993 while working at Macy’s Herald Square, when it was a European style old hotel with the large rooms with a view of the park. It had the most amazing bathtubs to sink into the night before I left to assist in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Years later, when Danny Meyers opened the Italian restaurant, Maialino, in the lobby in the early 2000’s, I remember taking my father there for Father’s Day and having the most delicious Roast Pork with potatoes that were cooked in the roast’s juices. It was a fantastic meal and the most perfect Father’s Day. Funny how I still remember that meal almost twenty years later.

The Hotel Gramercy Park at Two Lexington Avenue

The Hotel Gramercy Park was designed by architect Robert T. Lyons and was built by brothers Bing & Bing in 1924 and the hotel opened in 1925. The extension of the hotel along East 21st Street was designed by architects from Thompson & Churchill and built between 1929-1930. The hotel is designed in the Renaissance Revival style (Wiki). Across the street from the hotel is the historic One Lexington Avenue.

One Lexington Avenue facing Gramercy Park

https://streeteasy.com/building/1-lexington-avenue-new_york/9-d

https://www.corcoran.com/building/gramercy/3916

Built in 1910 by noted architect Herbert Lucas. This twelve-story intimate cooperative features extraordinary design details including a stately limestone and brick façade, timeless-elegant marble lobby and wood-paneled elevator still attended full-time by the elevator operator (Streeteasy.com).

The Cyrus West Field plaque on One Lexington Avenue where his home once stood

Cyrus West Field

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus_W._Field

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/cable-cyrus-field-1819-1892/

One Lexington Avenue was once the home of Cyrus West Field, who was considered the ‘Father of the American Cable” and helped lay the first trans Atlantic cable in 1858. When it broke, it was laid again in 1866 (American Experience).

The original house on the same corner in 1866 (NY Public Library)

Looking back up Lexington Avenue in the Summer of 2024, you can see how this neighborhood just keeps changing and still getting better. The old buildings are finding new uses and this part of the neighborhood is still very exclusive.

Looking up Lexington Avenue from Gramercy Park

The views uptown are so beautiful and will look even better when all the scaffolding comes down on all of these buildings. Still this part of the neighborhood is very impressive.

I walked down East 23rd Street to Third Avenue and it is not as impressive. This part of the neighborhood is more commercial the further you go from the park and most of the architecture here and on Second and First Avenue is mostly businesses housed in new buildings. Here and there though, tucked in the corners there is still a glimpse of the neighborhood’s past. You just have to look up to appreciate it.

Walking down Third Avenue from East 23rd Street

It may be all new construction but it is still impressive. Just a different feel and character. Third Avenue is more of a commercial district of larger stores and small restaurants.

Interesting street art on a Third Avenue mailbox. At least someone has some optimism

Tucked in between the modern architecture and some older brick buildings was this elaborate white building that stood out amongst its more plain neighbors and was one of the few older buildings left on Third Avenue.

The beauty of 190 Third Avenue known as Scheffel Hall

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

Scheffel Hall was designed by architects Henry Adams Weber and Hubert Drosser and was built between 1894 to 1895. This part of Gramercy Park was known as ‘Kleindeutschland’, ‘Little Germany”, when it had a large German immigrant population. The building served as a beer hall and restaurant at that time and was modeled after an early 17th Century building in Heidelberg Castle, the “Friedrichsbau” (Wiki). The building stands out for its beauty and elegant details that make this building special. There is nothing like it in the neighborhood and it a testament to its German past.

I finished my walk down Third Avenue and turned the corner at Second Avenue. As I walked down Second Avenue past Church of the Epiphany at 375 Second Avenue, I came across the historical plaque for the marker of the original “Rose Hill Farm” that was once part of this neighborhood and whose borders now make up the ‘Rose Hill’ neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan. All that remains of the farm today is the current Gramercy Park, which is a corner of the old farm.

The site of ‘Rose Hill Farm’, the home of General Horatio Gates and his second wife, Mary Valens

Rose Hill was originally a farm owned by James DeLancey and it was sold to Honorable John Watts, a member of the Colonial Assembly in 1747. The farm was 130 acres between East 30th to East 21st Street from what is now Irving Place to the East River. John Watts later married Ann DeLancey and they raised their family here. At the start of the Revolutionary War, as Loyalists they returned to England and left the estate to their son, John, who inherited it in 1789 (Wiki).

My blogs on Visiting the Rose Hill section of Manhattan:

Walking the Borders of Rose Hill:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/16580

Walking the Streets and Avenues of Rose Hill:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/16776

General Horatio Gates

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

Revolutionary War General Horatio Gates and his second wife, Mary Valens, bought the farm in 1790 and built a new mansion on the corner of what is now Second and East 22nd Street. They lived here for the next twenty years with him a member of the assembly in 1800 and active in New York Society at that time. He died on the farm in 1806 and the estate was parceled out later on when the new grid pattern for Manhattan was created (Wiki/Horatio Gates website).

Rose Hill Farm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_Hill,_Manhattan

The beautiful windows of the church of the Church of the Epiphany at 373 Second Avenue

https://epiphanychurch.nyc/

As I looked up from the plaque, I admired the front windows of the Church of the Epiphany at 373 Second Avenue and all the beautiful plantings in front of the church. The original church that had been built in 1870 burned down in 1963. The current church was designed by the architectural firm of Belfatto & Pavarini and was finished in 1967. The stained glass windows of the Madonna and Child were from the original church (Wiki/Church of the Epiphany website).

Walking down at East 23rd Street, it was a short walk down the Avenue where I passed 303 Second Avenue and the beautiful details of this famous piece of the neighborhood history. This is the one really standout building on the block with interesting embellishments all along the windows and doorways.

303 Second Avenue-The Rutherford Place Medical Building

https://streeteasy.com/building/rutherford-place/a

https://www.compass.com/building/the-rutherford-manhattan-ny/319539373204573973/

The Rutherford Medical Building was designed by architect Robert H. Richardson and was finished in 1902. This was a very active hospital delivering sixty percent of the infants in Manhattan at that time before a full part of the hospital. It was converted to luxury condos in recent years (Wiki/Streeteasy.com).

The historic plaques

The historic plaques

The elegant details of the The Rutherford Building

You have to look at the top of this building to really appreciate it

As you cross over from East 17th Street on both sides of Second Avenue, you are greeted by the greenery of Stuyvesant Square, what is left of the former estate of ‘Peg Leg’ Peter Stuyvesant, the Governor of the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam. The park was in full bloom and on a hot day, the shade trees are a pleasure to be under.

As I walked down Second Avenue, I passed the beauty of Stuyvesant Square Park

The sign welcoming sign to Stuyvesant Square Park

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/stuyvesant-square

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

I walked through the park, admiring the paths of flowers and flowering trees. People were outside reading books and listening to the makeshift concert that a resident was putting on. There is a dirty little secret to Stuyvesant Square Park is on the edges of the park there is a lot of loitering by delivery guys and homeless in the corners of the park. The park could also use a little pruning and sprucing here and there.

Looking up Second Avenue from Stuyvesant Square

Stuyvesant Square in full bloom

The Stuyvesant family was the influence of this wonderful park. In 1836, Peter Gerard Stuyvesant, the great great grandson of Peter Stuyvesant and his wife, Helen Rutherfurd sold four acres of the original Stuyvesant Farm to the City for $5.00 as a public park under the stipulation that the City build a fence around it. It took an almost lawsuit from the city to finally build the fence in 1847, which is the fence that surrounds the park today (NYCParks.org).

The colorful flowers surrounding the fountains

In the middle of the park on the right side as you are walking down Second Avenue is the statue of Governor Peter Stuyvesant in all of his glory.

The statue of ‘Peg Leg’ Peter Stuyvesant, the Governor of the Dutch Colony

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/stuyvesant-square/monuments/1516

This famous public statue of Governor Peter Stuyvesant was designed by artist Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney in

Artist Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney

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

Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney was an American born New York artist who had studied at the Arts Student League of New York and apprenticed under several well known artists.

The Stuyvesant Square Park in the Summer of 2024

Around the corner from the park as I walked its perimeter was the beautiful testament to God in the form of St. John The Baptist Greek Orthodox Church at 143 East 17th Street

St. John The Baptist Greek Orthodox Church at 143 East 17th Street

https://www.stjohn.ny.goarch.org/

https://www.facebook.com/StJohnBaptistNYC/

Built in 1885, designed by Schwartzmann & Buchman, with a baroque facade that was altered in 1957 by Kyriacos A. Kalfas (Wiki).

The detailed windows of St. John’s Church at East 143 17th Street

As I reached East 14th Streets, I could see that the neighborhood along Second and Third Avenue did not have the same historic appearance as the side streets of the neighborhood. Here and there tucked in between modern buildings, there were a few gems,

This building was at 231 Second Avenue

https://streeteasy.com/building/231-2-avenue-new_york

https://www.elliman.com/newyorkcity/buildings-communities/detail/527-c-725-135503/231-second-ave-gramercy-park-new-york-ny

This prewar apartment building was built in 1910. You have to really look up to see the elegant details of the building and its decorative embellishments.

The beautiful entrance to the apartment building

The classic embellishments of the building

Walking through the other side of Stuyvesant Square I got better views of 303-305 Second Avenue

This city squirrel just ignored me as it chopped away at some nuts

The beauty of Stuyvesant Square in the Summer of 2024

The historic plaque at Stuyvesant Square

Lunch was a slice of Sicilian pizza at Lunetta Pizza at 245 Third Avenue. I had passed Lunetta Pizza many times while walking through the neighborhood and noticed that it was one of the few restaurants in the neighborhood that did not change their prices after COVID. They are still one of the most reasonable pizzerias in Manhattan (See my review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com).

The slice was amazing. Their red sauce is spiced perfectly and that is what makes the structure of the pizza. The Sicilian pizza here is crisp and pillowy, the way it should be.

Lunetta Pizza at 245 Third Avenue

https://www.lunettapizzaandrestaurant.com/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d23657421-Reviews-Lunetta_Pizza_Restaurant-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/diningonashoestringinnyc.wordpress.com/6060

The prices are extremely fair and are still pre-COVID. They do not rip you off.

The selection of pizzas is extensive

The Sicilian slices were pillowy and crisp with a deep, rich flavor because of their amazing red sauce.

I finished walking the Avenues of Gramercy Park with enough time to take the trip out to Brooklyn for the pre-West Indian Parade event at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

My blog on the special event at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/53496

The fountain in the Cherry Blossom Esplanade

The private members night

The Carnival like atmosphere right before the West Indian Parade

After the event was over, I headed back to Manhattan for dinner. I had been so impressed by Lunetta Pizza’s food the afternoon, that I bypassed my favorite restaurants in Brooklyn and went back to dinner there.

I had a very impressive Linguini with a Meat Sauce and I then made a better judgement call on the food and it is truly excellent. The meat sauce was so flavorful and the pasta perfectly cooked and a very generous portion size that it made the perfect dinner.

My dinner at Lunetta Pizza, the Linguini with Meat Sauce

Yum!

As I left the neighborhood that night I passed a plaque in the sidewalk from the Mayor Abe Beame Administration (now these were some bad years in the City) dedicating a tree for the beautification of the neighborhood. It just shows has the City just keeps morphing with the cycles the City goes through over the years. Manhattan just keeps changing.

The plaque from the neighborhood beatification program in the 1970’s. This plaque is near East 23rd and Third Avenue. It is also coming out of the ground.

Mayor Abe Beame

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

As I passed Bryant Park that evening, twilight had come and the lights of the City were coming on. New York City may have its problems, but there still is a beauty to it.

Passing Bryant Park that evening

The next part of the walk will be visiting the Streets of Gramercy Park.

Places to Visit:

Stuyvesant Square Park

9 Rutherford Place

New York, NY 10003

(212) 639-9675

Open: Sunday-Saturday 7:00am-11:00pm

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/stuyvesant-square

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

My TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d218637-Reviews-Stuyvesant_Square-New_York_City_New_York.html

Places to Eat:

Lunetta Pizzeria

245 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10010

(212) 432-5200

https://www.lunettapizzaandrestaurant.com/

Open: Sunday-Saturday 10:00am-4:00am

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d23657421-Reviews-Lunetta_Pizza_Restaurant-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/diningonashoestringinnyc.wordpress.com/6060

Please read my other blogs on Gramercy Park:

Day Three Hundred and Twenty Walking the Borders of Gramercy Park:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/51647

Day Three Hundred and Twenty One Walking the Avenues of Gramercy Park:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/53432

Day Three Hundred and Twenty Four Walking the Streets of Gramercy Park:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/53788

Three Hundred and Twenty-Two ‘Little Caribbean Last Lap Night’ at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden August 27th, 2024 and August 27th, 2025

I needed a break after a week of running around. I had just reached out to my students for their preparation of the first day of class, have been volunteering at the Soup Kitchen and running from the Jersey Shore to the Hudson River Valley attending events, walking Boardwalks, attending festivals and County Fairs and visiting small museums that seem to be open only once a month. It has been a long but productive summer working.

After a long day of volunteering at the Soup Kitchen and walking the Avenues of Gramercy Park for my blog, ‘MywalkinManhattan.com’ (I am trying to finish the neighborhood before school starts), I went to our last members night at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden ‘Little Caribbean Last Lap’, a celebration of the Caribbean Community. It was such a beautiful night for the event.

The Cheery Blossom Esplanade on a beautiful August night

It was a beautiful sunny night in Brooklyn and the gardens were showing their summer finest. It was a warm night and perfect for touring the gardens. The Cherry Blossom Esplanade Fountain looked especially pretty with the water plants and red flowers surrounding it.

The fountain in the Cherry Blossom Esplande

The view of the fountain was especially beautiful with all the plants in full bloom.

The fountain always is bloom during the warmer months

I walked along the paths around the gardens, admiring the flowers and flowering shrubs giving us the last glimpse of summer. Members were relaxing on benches and the lawns all over gardens just as the music started up by the Lotus Ponds. What was impressive was the field of Bleeding Hearts that were in bloom while I was walking the path.

The field of bleeding hearts in the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens

When I got to the Lotus Pools, DJ Danglez was playing all sorts of Caribbean dance hits while people were enjoying cocktails and finger foods at the refreshment stands by the Lotus pools.

The music was starting by the Lotus Pools

The evening just getting started at the Brooklyn Botanic

It has been a long summer since graduation on May 17th. I swear my feet have not touched the ground since I crossed that stage at Radio City Music Hall (was that four months ago?) I swear I have run from one thing to another just trying to catch up with my past. I needed an evening of music and a bit of relaxation.

The DJ booth at the top of the pools

The food booths offered items like fried plantains, jerk chicken wings and the bar, Rum Punch and Lemonade with Mint and Rum. It was a long day and the perfect night for a cocktail. Talk about putting you in a relaxing mood.

The Rum Punch at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Bar

The delicious Rum Punch at the Gardens

After a relaxing drink, I walked around and enjoyed the beauty of the gardens while listening to the music.

The beauty of the Gardens by the Lotus Pools

I sat on the hill above the Lotus Pools and watched the DJ spin the tunes. Since there was not enough seating in the pools area many members had the same idea and we just relaxed on the hill and listened to the energetic music.

The DJ spinning Caribbean dance music that evening

Families having a good time that evening

It was a nice way to spend the end of the traditional summer break as the Borough prepares for the Caribbean Parade in a few days. We just hope for good weather that day. As the evening wore on, traditional dancers and stilt walkers entertained the crowds with live musical performances and dance. That was a nice sneak peek before the parade.

We got a first glimpse of the festivities with dancers and stilt walkers

The dancers performing that night

Video on the dancing:

People started dancing along with the performers that night.

People dancing along the pools with the performers that evening

After the performances, the DJ spinned dance music and people got up to dance near the DJ stage. As it got dark, the lights came on and the last hour was a magical night. It really was an entertaining night and a great introduction of the rich Caribbean culture in Brooklyn.

Back on August 27th, 2025:

I found myself in the same position as last year. Overworked from preparing for classes next week, going away for a few days in Upstate New York to Bovina Center and Ithaca for a picture taking session and my evenings reviewing the students resumes. I needed a break from it all so it was back to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden for Caribbean Night.

Members Night on the lawn

Listening to Caribbean Reggae

I took some time to walk around the gardens while it was still light out. The gardens were still in full bloom in late August.

The Lotus Pools in the early evening

The colorful flowers lining the pools

The Sunflowers in full bloom

The flowers bursting color

I was not sure if this was an Iris or Lilly

Walking through the Magnolia Gardens in the Summer

Walking through the Shakespeare Gardens

The flowers in the garden in full bloom

There was so much color in the gardens

The garden in peak bloom

Touring the Japanese Gardens

After the quick tour of the gardens, it was time to relax on the lawn and listen to music.

Listening to the DJ spin

It is nice to just sit on the grass and listen to music and relax! This is what I love about the gardens. You can sit down and watch.

The Member’s Night at Twilight

Day Three Hundred and Twenty Exploring the Borders of Gramercy Park from Park Avenue South to First Avenue to East 23rd to 14th Streets August 2024

The beauty of Gramercy Park in the Summer of 2024

I started my exploration of Gramercy Park having walked many of its borders in other walks. It seems that the borders between the Flatiron District, Union Square, Rose Hill and NoMAD have become blurred. All these beautiful buildings with their protective lions, mythical creatures and mysterious faces watching and protecting them have a home on all of them.

The elegant brownstones that line the park

Gramercy Park is probably one of the nicest neighborhoods in Manhattan with its historic brownstones, beautiful park and excellent restaurants and shops. The neighborhood is steeped in history and it had been enjoyable to walk around the buildings and read their history.

The Union Square Market is always packed

https://www.grownyc.org/greenmarket/manhattan-union-square-m

As I walked around the Farmers Market, looking over the very over-priced fruits, vegetables and bakery products, I noticed more of the medallions that line the border of Union Square Park. The first one I admired without the sunlight distracting me was the medallion of the layout of the park from the 1800’s.

This is the original layout of the park in 1876 plaque

The collection of medallions around the park’s fringes

The Union Square collection of plaques

The collection of plaques in Union Square Park

The plaques around Union Square Park

The plaques around Union Square Park

I walked around the park and marveled at it on a very hot afternoon. Like most parks in former edgy neighborhoods, it fascinates me how a bunch of twenty year old’s and families sun themselves and socialize where thirty years earlier you would be harassed by homeless, drug dealers and methadone addicts. You still might see them on the fringes of the park but not like in the early 1980’s.

The expansive lawn of Union Square Park

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/union-square-park

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Square,_Manhattan

The park now has a business partnership and I believe a Friends group as well. There are so many activities going on in the park, that I am sure people don’t notice all the chess hustlers and counterculture types on the 14th Street perimeter.

Looking at the southern part of the park facing 14th Street and the southern entrance to Broadway

From Park Avenue South/Union Square East is the extension of the street that lines the eastern end of the park. At the corner of East 15th Street and Union Square East is 101 East 15th Street the old Union Square Savings Bank building.

101 East 15th Street-The Union Square Savings Bank Building/Daryl Roth Theater

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

The side of the Union Square Savings Bank building

The bank itself was founded in 1848 and moved to this location in 1895. This building was designed by architect Henry Bacon in the neo classical design in 1905 and the building was finished in 1906. The bank closed in 1992 (Wiki).

I walked to the small triangle of Union Square Park that sits between East 15th and 14th Streets and came across a sculpture that I had never seen before on all my walks back from NYU. Maybe I just missed it when it was dark out. It was a depiction of an urban legend of the NYC sewers.

The alligator sculpture ‘N.Y.C. Legend’

The sewer cover top of the sculpture

The sign for artist Alexander Klingspor

Artist Alexander Klingspor

Artist Alexander Klingspor is Swedish born artist who works both in the United States and Sweden. He apprenticed under American artist Mark English. He is known for his paintings and sculptures (Wiki).

I then started my walk up Park Avenue South which is actually the western border of Gramercy Park. I have always been impressed by the W Hotel on the corner of 16th Street and Park Avenue South at 201 Park Avenue South.

The W Hotel at 201 Park Avenue South

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

https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/nycnu-w-new-york-union-square/overview/

Review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60763-d220243-Reviews-W_New_York_Union_Square-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

This luxury hotel has an impressive history of being one of the innovators of luxury in the Marriott chain. The W Hotel concept was known for its edginess in design and the creativity in its restaurants. Things must be progressing as their customer gets older because their General Manager spoke to our Leadership class before I graduated from NYU and said they are softening the music (finally!) and changing the designs in the rooms. Maybe there will finally be a place to put your clothes.

The historic plaque on the building

This historic building was designed by the architects D’oench & Yost in the Modern French mode and built in 1911. Like most historic office buildings below 23rd Street, the are being refitted as hotels and condos as the desire for high ceilings and soaring lobbies have become desirable. This building had been designed for the Germanic Life Insurance Company Wiki).

I continued up Park Avenue South to East 20th Street to see another familiar building on the border of the neighborhood, 250 Park Avenue South. This building seems to be on the border of many Manhattan neighborhoods.

250 Park Avenue South

https://250parkave.com/

The embellishments on 250 Park Avenue South

The embellishments on 250 Park Avenue South on both sides of the building

On the street level of the building is the restaurant Barbounia

Barbounia 250 Park Avenue

https://barbounia.com/

Review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d611431-Reviews-Barbounia-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

250 Park Avenue South was designed by architects Rouse & Goldstone in 1911 in the Neo-Classical design. You have to look at the building from a distance to appreciate all the interesting embellishments on the sides and top of the building.

237 Park Avenue with it’s lion guardians

https://www.apartments.com/237-park-ave-new-york-ny/kcb010c/

The building 237 Park Avenue was plain but I thought these lions the adorned the build were pretty cool.

https://www.corcoran.com/building/flatiron/303

The building was designed by William Dilthey and built in 1898. The building’s style, scale and materials contribute to the special architectural and historic characteristics of the Ladies Mile District (Corcoran Group).

As you walk up Park Avenue South, the first building that makes an impression is 251 Park Avenue South. This elegant office building with its large display windows and clean lines shows of the store inside. The office building was built in 1910 and has large windows both on the ground level and towards the top of building.

251 Park Avenue South

https://moovitapp.com/index/en/public_transit-251_Park_Avenue_South-NYCNJ-site_22867315-121

One building that does standout from the others on Park Avenue South is the Calvery Church at 277 Park Avenue. The church was established in 1832 and moved to its current location in 1842. The current church was designed in the Gothic Revival style by James Renwick Jr., who designed St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

277 Park Avenue South-Church of the Calvery

https://www.calvarystgeorges.org/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvary-St._George%27s_Parish

Another interesting building, I looked up and admired while walking up Park Avenue South was 281 Park Avenue South, the former Church Mission House. The building was designed by architects Robert W. Gibson and Edward J. Neville in the Medieval style and was built between 1892 and 1894. It was built for the Episcopal Church’s Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society (Wiki). It now houses the photography museum The Fotografista Museum.

281 Park Avenue South-The Fotografiska Museum (The Church Mission House)

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

https://www.fotografiska.com/nyc/

Another impressive building, I passed before East 23rd Street is 105 East 22nd Street the former United Charities Building. This is the final building in what was once known as “Charity Row” (Wiki). The building was designed by architect R. H. Robertson and the firm of Rowe & Baker. It was built by John Stewart Kennedy in 1893 for the ‘Charity Organization Society’ (Wiki).

105 East 22nd Street-United Charities Building

The details of 105 East 22nd Street

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

The embellishments on the building

The embellishments on the building

I started walking down East 20th Street from Lexington Avenue. I crossed East 23rd Street which is the edge of the neighborhood shared with Gramercy Park, Rose Hill and Peter Cooper Village further down the block. This busy thoroughfare is lined with a lot stores, restaurants and many interesting buildings that leads to the East River.

I stopped for lunch at a Dim Sum restaurant named Awe Sum Dim Sum at 160 East 23rd Street and it was just excellent. I took my friend, Maricel, here for lunch when it first opened and we ate through most of the menu (see my reviews on TripAdvisor and DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com).

The Awe Sum Dim Sum at 160 East 23rd Street

https://awesumdimsum.us/

The menu items that the restaurant carries.

The restaurant has the most amazing appetizers to choose from that are all made in house and served fresh to you either at your table inside or one of the many tables outside (while the weather holds out). On my trip with Maricel, we ate our way through the Fried Dumplings, the Chicken Siu Mai, the Spring Rolls, the Baked BBQ Pork Buns, the Scallion Pancakes and the Soup Dumplings. On my trip today, I ordered the Soup Dumplings, Crispy Shrimp Rolls and the Siu Mai with pork and shrimp.

The Soup Dumplings here are the best

So are the Spring Rolls when they are fresh out of the fryer

On one of the trips I had the Pan Fried Pork Buns, Spring Rolls and Roast Pork Buns.

With the cost for each running between $4.00-$6.00, I could eat my way through the menu. The nice part is what a nice contemporary designed restaurant the place is to dine in. Everyone is kept ‘socially distanced’ so it is a nice place to eat.

The inside of Awe Sum Dim Sum

After a nice relaxing lunch, I was ready to continue down East 23rd Street. Criss crossing the street again, I noticed the beauty of 219-223 East 23rd Street. The building has all sorts of griffins and faces glaring out. When you stand across the street, you can admire the beauty of all the carvings on the building along the archways above and the faces staring at you from the tops of windows.

219-223 East 23rd Street

The window details of 221 East 23rd Street

https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/gramercy-park/219-east-23rd-street/7437

Another building that stands out is 304-310 East 23rd Street. This former factory building was built in 1900 and now is the “The Foundry”, a converted condo complex. The amazing detail on the building stands out and you have to admire the stonework and details in the carvings along the building.

304-310 East 23rd Street is a former factory

https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/gramercy-park/the-foundry-310-east-23rd-street/3880

The stone work is a standout on this building

Reaching the end of East 23rd Street, you will see the planned middle class complex of Peter Cooper Village, which has gone market rate and is now getting very upscale and seems to have a younger resident walking around then the usual middle aged residents who used to be on the list to get one of these very desirable apartments.

The entrance to Peter Cooper Village at First Avenue

https://www.petercoopervillage.com/

Across from Peter Cooper Village is the Asser Avery Recreational Center and Playground 392 Asser Avery Place with the famous baths and pools that have been part of the neighborhood for generations.

The Asser Levy Recreation Center and Park at 392 Asser Levy Place

When the baths opened in 1908, the facility was called the East 23rd Street Bathhouse. It was by architects Arnold W. Brunner and William Martin Aiken. Based on the ancient Roman Baths, the architecture was inspired by the “City Beautiful” movement, a turn of the century effort to create civic architecture in the United States that would rival the monuments of the great European capitals (NYCParks.org). The playground next to it opened in 1993.

The architecture by Arnold Brunner and William Martin Aiken resembled a Roman Bath

The fountain at the bathhouses.

The historic plaque.

The Baths and Park was named for Asser Levy, a Jewish trailblazer in colonial times when Mr. Levy and 23 Jews fled from Brazil in 1654 to seek refuge in New Amsterdam. He challenged Governor Peter Stuyvesant when he tried to evict the Jews from the colony. He was the first Jew to serve in the militia and own property in the colony (NYCParks.org).

Asser Levy

http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/9876-levy-asser-asser-levy-van-swellem

The border to the east of the neighborhood is combination of the East River Esplanade, FDR Drive and First Avenue. Since First Avenue and FDR Drive are surrounded by a combination of college campus and hospital space, it makes walking around the neighborhood tricky.

When you walk across East 23rd Street to FDR Drive, you have to cross over FDR Drive at East 25th Street behind the VA New York Harbor Healthcare System Hospital complex and the CUNY/Hunter College campus and then cross over the bridge to the Waterside Plaza complex.

The Waterside Plaza complex and the Greenway walkway

https://streeteasy.com/building/waterside-plaza

This series of apartment buildings faces the East River and FDR Drive that leads to the East River Greenway walkway and the Waterside Plaza walkway both surround the complex. The views are breathtaking on a sunny afternoon of the East River and Long Island City.

The East River Greenway and the view of Long Island City.

East River Greenway looking at East 23rd Street

I turned around from the river (which is technically not part of the neighborhood) and walked down First Avenue. First Avenue is an unusual border for the neighborhood in that on one side is the gated communities of Peter Cooper Village from East 23rd to East 20th Streets and Stuyvesant Town which is from East 20th to East 14th Streets and on the border of Avenue C at the very eastern border. These once middle-income housing that once catered to teachers, fire fighters and police have gone market rate in the last twenty years, and you can see the changes in the chain businesses that now line their side of First Avenue.

Peter Cooper Village lining East 23rd Street

https://www.apartments.com/townhomes/stuyvesant-town-peter-cooper-village-new-york-ny/?bb=21mx4myuvHnj_9a

Peter Cooper Village on the corner of East 14th Street and First Avenue

Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village was one of the biggest post WWII private developments created in Manhattan. It consists of 110 red brick buildings that spreads over 80 acres of land below East 23rd Street. The complex was developed by Metropolitan Life Insurance Company based on the earlier success of the Parkchester complex in the Bronx. The first buildings opened in 1947. The complex used to be catering to middle class/middle income rent controlled apartments but since 2006 has gone more market rate (Wiki).

I found that you are not allowed to walk around the complex without permission so I just walked around the borders of the complex that had open roads. Please just don’t ‘walk around the complex’ without permission or know someone in the complex. Still I was able to walk through some of the well landscaped corners of the complex. They do a nice job maintaining the complexes.

On the other side of First Avenue just below East 20th Street starts Stuyvesant Town

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuyvesant_Town%E2%80%93Peter_Cooper_Village

The gardens in between the buildings in Stuyvesant Town in the Summer of 2024

On the other side of the street, there are small brick and brownstone buildings housing businesses that cater to the complex with a combination of chain and independent stores. I thought the whole Avenue could use a bit of a makeover. So much of the neighborhood was under scaffolding. Walking down First Avenue I noticed a lot of newer businesses on the complexes side of the street with more upscale restaurants and bars. Now that this is market rate housing and there have been renovations in the complex, a wealthier clientele has moved into the two complexes.

On the business side of First Avenue, it’s a combination of small restaurants such as pizzerias, delis and bodegas and services catering to the residents in both complexes. Here and there are some very reasonable places to eat. From 23rd Street to about 16th Street are businesses that cater not just to the housing complexes across the street but to the office buildings around the corner at East 14th Street.

The independent businesses lining First Avenue and East 21st Street

The independent businesses along First Avenue and 19th Street

Turning onto this part of 14th Street just above Alphabet City, I found I was far away from the old Ladies Shopping District and the beautiful architecture that once housed those stores. That is closer to Fifth Avenue and Broadway. On one side of East 14th Street are new buildings catering to office workers. The northern side of East 14th Street is a series of old brick and brownstone buildings that house small restaurants and bars.

The East 14th Street shopping district is made up of small businesses

Looking up Second Avenue at East 14th Street

As you enter the heart of East 14th Street as I rounded the corner, I saw a tiny fire fighter outside Engine 5 at 340 East 14th Street.

Engine 5 at 340 East 14th Street

https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/32846714/fdny-engine-5-14-st-express/

https://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2022/07/the-1881-engine-company-5-340-east-14th.html

Engine 5 was founded as a Volunteer Fire Company in 1865. This firehouse was designed by Napoleon LeBrun & Son in 1881 and is still used today (DaytonianinManhattan.com).

Little Fire Fighter at Engine 5

Looking down East 14th Street shopping and dining district

There is a real diversity of businesses down this stretch of East 14th Street from First to Third Avenues.

Coyote Ugly Bar, famous of the film, at 233 East 14th Street

https://www.facebook.com/CoyoteUglySaloonNYC/

Review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d259689-Reviews-Coyote_Ugly-New_York_City_New_York.html

The bar was made famous by the movie of the same name back in 2000.

The trailer for the movie “Coyote Ugly”

Here I noticed a lot of newer buildings that have changed the dynamic of the neighborhood housing small businesses, city agencies and some of the buildings that have become part of the NYU campus. 14th Street is now a hodge lodge of different businesses such as restaurants and stores and a lot of fast-food places catering to the college students and the office workers.

328-330 East 14th Street

https://streeteasy.com/building/328-east-14-street-new_york

https://www.apartments.com/328-e-14th-st-new-york-ny/svj96n5/

This six story walk up apartment building was built in 1900 and is one of the last holdovers in this neighborhood. You have to look up at all the faces staring at you to appreciate it (Streeteasy.com).

The entrance to 328 East 14th Street

The faces staring at you from the entrance of 328 East 14th Street

As you get closer to Union Square Park, you see more of the classic architecture and upscale housing. In an ever-changing Manhattan, this area like every other section of island is being knocked down and rebuilt. The closer to the parks you get, the more upscale things get.

At 124 East 14th at the base the NYU campus at part Palladium Hall is Urbanspace Union Square. There is a selection of upscale restaurants catering not just to NYU students but to the business community as well. This just opened in August 2024 so I had not noticed it when I was recently attending NYU.

Urbanspace Union Square at 124 East 14th Street

https://www.urbanspacenyc.com/union-square

https://www.facebook.com/urbanspace/

I took a quick walk through the food court and looked over the over-priced menus of the restaurants. I could not believe the prices of these places and how it catered to college students but the place was packed. I also saw two young plain clothed policemen looking over the food court and that was a little unnerving but a sign of the times.

The food court in the afternoon

Some of the upscale restaurants at the Urbanspace Food Court

When I arrived back at my starting point in Union Square Park, it was nice to sit on the benches and listen to the street performers practicing their music. The park has been such a relief from the heat and a place to cool down is probably the reason why the wealthy called this home before the Civil War. There is a lot of calm in the park in this very busy crossroads to uptown.

Looking down East 14th Street from Irving Place

Arriving back at Union Square Park in the Summer 2024

Union Square Park in the late summer is quite spectacular

Union Square Park is just spectacular during the Summer and it is nice to just relax on the lawn or sit on the benches and read a book. It is nice to just calm down and relax and enjoy the day. The Gramercy Park area is unique in architecture, parks, restaurants and shops and there will be more to explore in the future.

Please read my other blogs on Gramercy Park:

Day Three Hundred and Twenty Walking the Borders of Gramercy Park:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/51647

Day Three Hundred and Twenty One Walking the Avenues of Gramercy Park:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/53432

Day Three Hundred and Twenty Four Walking the Streets of Gramercy Park:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/53788

Day Three Hundred Attending the Ivy League Championship at Columbia University Levine Gym March 18th, 2024

I got an email during Spring Break that Cornell Basketball was going to be playing Yale for the Ivy League Championships. We had an Alumni get together at the Lion Head Tavern at 995 Amsterdam Avenue before the game and we would be heading up for the game. You know that nothing works out the way you think it will.

Lion’s Head Tavern at 995 Amsterdam Avenue

https://www.lionsheadnyc.com

Review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d5842687-Reviews-Lion_s_Head_Tavern-New_York_City_New_York.html

By the time I got to the Alumni get together at the Lion Head Tavern which is several blocks from the gym it was almost over. It had been a long morning for me and try getting a bus to cooperate getting into Manhattan on a Saturday and then catching the subway uptown was interesting. I have to say that the tiny bar was PACKED with Alumni and current students having a good time before the game. The whole place both inside and outside the bar was spilling with Red and White. Everyone really thought we would win the Ivy League Championship. I thought so too with the current record we had for the season.

We had a nice time that afternoon before the game

When I got inside, all that was left was a salad that had seen better days and there was no dressing to it and some portobella mushroom burgers (Yuck!). I did not want to eat any mushy mushrooms. By that point at 1:30pm, everyone was heading up to the Levien Gymnasium where the game was taking place and I was starved, so I walked to Koronet Pizza on Broadway to have one their giant slices. I forgot how giant the slices are there.

Koronet Pizza at 2848 Broadway

https://www.koronetpizzany.com

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d426021-Reviews-Koronet_Pizza-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

I forgot how good the pizza was and how big these slices actually are. The cheese slice if cut into half could easily serve two hungry people. I downed the slice with a Coke before the game and it filled me up for the rest of the afternoon. It was so beautiful outside that the doors and windows were all open and the place was spilling with Cornell, Columbia and Princeton Alumni (Princeton had just lost to Brown in the Semi-Finals and they were all bummed).

The pizza slice is huge and takes up two plates.

After this large lunch, I walked up to the gym to get tickets. At first they were trying to sell me the seatback tickets for $60.00 but I could not afford that nor did I want to pay that for a Ivy League game. Since I was traveling alone, I did get a ticket in the bleachers for $30.00 which I still thought was too high but I came all the way to see the game so I paid for my ticket and then had to run around the perimeter of the gym to get to my seats. The commentators were blocking the easy route to the bleachers.

The place was mostly a sea of red and white with the Yale Alumni tucked into two sets of the gym. Our band and cheerleaders were on top of the bleachers yelling and screaming. At that point were behind by ten points when I arrived in the first half of the game.

The Cornell Team in the huddle during the first half of the beginning of the game.

The start of the game when I got there.

The first half was not so great. We had lots of mistakes. We kept up with Yale, a team that we had beaten the last time and lost by two points the time before. I have to say that our side of the court was rather loud. I have found at Ivy League games no matter football or basketball, Cornell Alumni and students are far more the dominate members of the stands even at away games. I have been to Penn, Columbia and Yale games were we take up all the seats and do most of the cheering.

It was not much of a game for either side in the first half as we left at half time 37-25 with Yale ahead by twelve. I knew a score like this you could catch up in the second half as I have seen Michigan State (my undergraduate Alma Mater), come back from games with higher deficits. The problem with Cornell is that we kept missing all our shots and Yale kept making the three pointers. That was the difference in the game.

The end of the first half.

The second half was a bit better in the beginning. We started to catch up from the blood bath of the first half. We started to chip away at their lead. During the break, our cheerleaders came out and got the crowd going along with the band.

Our cheerleaders led the way.

The Cornell Cheerleaders leading the way to a hopeful comeback and victory in the second half of the game.

We starting catching up in the second half and came out fighting. We were able to get the score within seven points with three and a half minutes left to the game. The crowds were exploding on the Cornell side and Yale got very quiet for about a minute and a half. It looked like the game was going to turn around.

We kept chipping away at that lead.

You got to keep fighting!

We moved within seven points of the lead but we could not sustain the game. We kept missing the three point shots and easy layouts.

The teams battling it out but we could not put the game away.

Oh well!

In the end we chipped away to nine points but we could not come back from the deficient. We ended up losing by twelve points 69-57.

I like all the other Alumni was bummed at the loss. Several I heard went back to the Tavern as the Columbia versus Princeton Girls Basketball Teams started their game. I decided to walk around the neighborhood as I had not been up here in several years to walk around. I had not released I had written my blogs here in 2017.

I needed something sweet and remembered the bakery on Amsterdam Avenue that had been there for years that everyone kept raving about, Hungarian Pastry Shop. I stopped for some dessert. I had read and seen so many videos on the shop I wanted to try it. The lines were long all day and I had to get into the line for a half hour before I could get in.

The Hungarian Pastry Shop at 1030 Amsterdam Avenue

https://www.facebook.com/hungarianpastryshopnyc

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d457265-Reviews-Hungarian_Pastry_Shop-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

The pastry cases.

I tried their version of the Napoleon, which was layers of Vanilla Cream, whipped cream and a caramel topping between the flaky layers and a Apple Strudel, that was loaded with fresh apples and cinnamon. I took the desserts across the street to the park and I have to tell you that they were terrific.

The pastries are amazing!

I ate them at the park across the street and just relaxed and watch the world go by. I admired the statuary in the park which I had seen when I visited the park years ago on my walk through here.

Down the long paths of plantings and around the bends of the property, I sat by the interesting statue at the center of the park. The breathtaking statue is called the “Peace Fountain”, created in 1985 which shows a unusual look at the battle between good and evil by artist Greg Wyatt, who was an artist in residence at the church.

Greg Wyatt artist

Artist Greg Wyatt

https://gregwyattsculpture.com

Mr. Wyatt has graduated from Columbia College with BA in Art History and studied at National Academy of Design. He bases his work on the philosophy of the “spiritual realism’ merging realistic images and abstract forms of space, form and energy (Wiki).

The ‘Peace Fountain’ by artist Greg Wyatt

The sign from the sculpture.

I decided rather than head off to a museum downtown, I would update my blogs in this part of the City and walk around Morningside Heights, Bloomingdale and parts of the Upper West Side. It was a nice afternoon and it was a chance to catch up and see what was going on in the neighborhoods and what had changed. I have to say that the SoHA section of Harlem (from 125th to 110th from Morningside Park to Fifth Avenue) has really changed and gentrified even more than I remembered. This was the same with the Bloomingdale section of the Upper West Side (from 110th to 94th Streets from Riverside Park to Central Park).

My blog on Morningside Park Day Sixty-Nine:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/3909

My blog on SoHA Day Sixty-Eight:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/3900

My blog on Bloomingdale Day Eighty-One:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/5822

I walked all around Morningside Park amazingly enough not looking as dangerous as everyone said it was now. There were plenty of people walking their dogs, conversing in the park and playing basketball. The flowers were just starting to bloom and the park by the pond looked really pretty.

Morningside Park in bloom

The pond area of Morningside Park

The pond with Columbia University in the background.

I walked all around the streets and avenues looking at old restaurants that had closed or moved, businesses that changed hands and how much the neighborhoods have changed in seven years.

West Place Chinese Restaurant at 1288 Amsterdam Avenue

https://www.seamless.com/menu/west-place-express-inc-1288-amsterdam-ave-new-york/4672840

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d5065901-Reviews-West_Place-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

Not wanting to head home without eating dinner, I went to West Place Chinese Restaurant at 1288 Amsterdam Avenue for dinner and this time I tried the Boneless Spareribs with Fried Rice and an Egg Roll combination platter and the meal was excellent as usual. I had not eaten here in months and the food is consistently excellent. The portion size was larger than I remember from the last time. They really piled the food into the container.

The Boneless Spareribs with Fried Rice and an Egg Roll.

The Boneless Ribs were overflowing on the platter.

These sweet and juicy bites are full of flavor and piled into this small dish. There was enough food for two people.

The Egg Rolls are amazing.

By this time it was getting dark and I wanted to head home. I took the subway at 125th Street, got the joy of watching some kid jump the turn style and then headed up to take the subway back downtown.

It may not have been a good game but it gave me a chance to revisit several neighborhoods, update blogs, eat some terrific food and enjoy a day supporting Cornell University on what should have been our championship year (Yale eventually won the Ivy League Championship by one point over Brown and will go off to the NCAA Championship).

Still it was a nice day out. Go Big Red!

Places to Eat:

Lion’s Head Tavern

995 Amsterdam Avenue

New York, NY

https://www.lionsheadnyc.com

Open: Sunday 11:00am-2:00am/Monday 12:00pm-2:00am/Tuesday-Friday 12:00pm-3:00am/Saturday 11:00am-4:00am

Review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d5842687-Reviews-Lion_s_Head_Tavern-New_York_City_New_York.html

Koronet Pizza

2848 Broadway

New York, NY 10025

Phone: (212) 222-1566

Fax: (212) 212-0664

https://www.koronetpizzany.com/

Open: Sunday-Saturday-10:30am-11:15pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d426021-Reviews-Koronet_Pizzeria-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/diningonashoestringinnyc.wordpress.com/273

Hungarian Pastry Shop

1030 Amsterdam Avenue

New York, NY 10025

https://www.facebook.com/hungarianpastryshopnyc

Open: Sunday 8:30am-8:30pm/Monday-Friday 7:30am-8:30pm/Saturday 8:30am-8:30pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d457265-Reviews-Hungarian_Pastry_Shop-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com:

West Place Chinese Restaurant 

1288 Amsterdam Avenue

New York, NY  10027

http://www.west-place-indy.com/

Telephone: (212) 932-9390 and 9376

Open: Sunday-Saturday 11:00am-11:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d5065901-Reviews-West_Place-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/diningonashoestringinnyc.wordpress.com/591

Places to Visit:

Morningside Park

Morningside Drive

(212) 639-9675

Open: Sunday-Saturday 6:00am-1:00am

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d548724-Reviews-Morningside_Park-New_York_City_New_York.html

Day Two Hundred and Eighty-Two Exploring the Chelsea Market and Little Island with my NYU classmates August 31st, 2023

My trip to the Chelsea Market with my classmates at NYU

The front of the Chelsea Market at 75 9th Avenue is where we started our tour.

Chelsea Market

https://www.chelseamarket.com/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d288031-Reviews-Chelsea_Market-New_York_City_New_York.html

Little Island

https://littleisland.org/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d23418324-Reviews-Little_Island-New_York_City_New_York.html

Before the start of the school year, NYU sponsors a series of events, open houses and walking tours for the students to get to know the campus and each other better. Since I am now in my second year at the college, I know the campus quite well and don’t have to take the traditional tours.

One of the options we had was a tour of the Chelsea Market over on Nineth Avenue and then of Little Island, this new innovative park just off the Meat Packing District at Pier 55. It was a beautiful sunny day when we started the walk from the SPS Building on 12th Avenue.

All the student Undergraduate and Graduate tour guides were preparing for tours all over campus and were chatting when I got there. I ran into Milton, a sophomore undergraduate, who had led the tour last September to Koreatown. So we chatted for a bit about how fast time has gone. That tour was almost a year ago to the day.

I also ran into one of my undergraduate classmates from my Paris class and we chatted for a bit while I showed her the blog, I did on her assigned tour that she and her partners had created. She seemed impressed. Then our tour guides were ready, and it was off and running to Chelsea Market for a tour of the facility and then lunch outside on the picnic benches.

The displays inside the market are very creative.

I have been to the Chelsea Market many times since its opening back in the 1990’s but I had not been in it for since COVID so there were a lot of new restaurants and stores that I had not visited. The place was really bustling for an early September afternoon.

Inside the Chelsea Market.

The waterfall is the one thing I remember from my first trip here in 2002.

We walked through the market with the tour guides giving us a small history of the facility that it had once been the Nabisco Cookie factory. It had sat abandoned for a long time and then they created this innovative market concept with offices, restaurants and shops as the Chelsea neighborhood started to improve in the early 1990’s. Now it is the catalyst for both Chelsea and the Meat Packing District for shopping, entertainment and work. After the quick tour, it was off to find a place to buy lunch.

The crowds at the Chelsea Market

The beautiful white light canopy inside the Chelsea Market.

The festival activity of the Chelsea Market.

Like the rest of the City, the restaurants in the Chelsea Market have gotten really expensive. A hamburger, sandwich and pizza are marked up much higher here than they are outside the building. I was going to grab something outside but decided to look around the restaurants around the back of the market and found Sarabeth’s Kitchen Bakery.

Sarabeth’s Kitchen Bakery at 75 9th Avenue in the Chelsea Market

https://www.sarabeth.com/Sarabeths-Bakery_ep_62.html

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d423558-Reviews-Sarabeth_s_Bakery-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

The selection inside the bakery that day.

Eyeing the selection of sandwiches in the case.

I had eaten up in her Madison Avenue restaurant years ago before I moved to California and remembered how I loved the food. I was looking at the grilled cheese but knew we had limited time until we left for Little Island and decided on the Tuna Salad sandwich that looked really good. It tasted as good as it looked.

The Tuna Salad sandwich on fresh sourdough bread at Sarabeth’s Bakery

The Tuna Salad sandwich here is excellent!

We sat outside on the picnic tables right outside the building which I did not remember from past trips to the Chelsea Market. I guess this was a result of COVID as well when we had to go to outdoor dining. With the weather hovering just over 80 degrees and it being sunny and blue skies there is nothing like dining outdoors. We had a great time over lunch talking and getting to know one another.

The seating outside the Chelsea Market.

After lunch was over, we took a quick walk through the Meat Packing District which in the middle of the afternoon was hopping with activity. People were out walking their dogs and eating in the outdoor cafes and listening to music from street musicians who were playing in the park. I had not seen this much activity during the afternoon on a weekday. I thought it was a Saturday.

People were out and about in the Meat Packing District that afternoon.

Then we got to Little Island, a very innovative new park that had been created and opened during COVID. The whole park is done in modules that are landscaped and created in tiers. I had only passed the park and never walked in, so it was an excuse to spend time to walk the paths and enjoy the sunny day.

Little Island Park at Pier 55.

https://littleisland.org/

Little Island Park from the pier.

It is really an interesting park as you walk the paths by tiers and there is a large lawn to relax on and enjoy the sunshine, a concert shell for musical events and plays (we just missed a group performing) and paths throughout the park that take you through landscaped woods and beautiful gardens.

The landscaped lawn that we relaxed on that afternoon.

The concert shell for performances.

It was a really great tour of the park. We walked through the gardens and took in the views of the landscape. The views of Jersey City and Lower Manhattan was amazing. The waterfront views were amazing.

The views of the module gardens.

The garden views from the top of the gardens.

The view from the top of the garden.

The views of Lower Manhattan that afternoon from Little Island.

The views of Downtown Jersey City.

The views around the Hudson River were just breathtaking. On a clear, sunny day made it even better.

Before we left Little Island, we took a group shot to remember this wonderful afternoon and headed back to campus. Some of the students went on other tours and others were going to get together with their classmates. I walked back to Chelsea Market and took another look around and then listened to the band in the park in the Meat Packing District. We all had a great time!

Our NYU group shot on the tour.

Places to Eat:

Sarabeth’s Bakery

75 Ninth Avenue

New York, NY 10011

(212) 989-2424

https://www.sarabeth.com/Sarabeths-Bakery_ep_62.html

Open: Sunday 9:00am-7:00pm/Monday-Saturday 8:00am-8:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d423558-Reviews-Sarabeth_s_Bakery-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Places to Visit:

Chelsea Market

75 Ninth Avenue

New York, NY 10011

(212)652-2111

https://www.chelseamarket.com/

Open: Sunday-Saturday 8:00am-9:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d288031-Reviews-Chelsea_Market-New_York_City_New_York.html

Little Island

Pier 55 at 13th Street

New York, NY 10011

https://littleisland.org/

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

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d23418324-Reviews-Little_Island-New_York_City_New_York.html

New York Aquarium 602 Surf Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11224

The new “Shark” exhibit at the NY Aquarium.

Day Two Hundred and Eighty Joining Michigan State University New York City Area Alumni for our “Annual Picnic in Central Park” July 29th, 2023 (and again on July 26th, 2025 and July 25th, 2026)

Members of the Greater New York Michigan State University Alumni Association at our Annual Summer Picnic

I joined other alumni from the New York City Chapter of the Michigan State Alumni Association for our “Annual Summer Picnic in the Park” on July 29th, 2023. This was a much more festive and social event than when I met with the alumni association back in February for the memorial service for those students lost in the active shooting on campus. This was a perfect way to share some “Spartan Spirit” and good times ahead. I have to say one thing, not matter what happens being tragedy or success, Spartans stick together.

The interesting rock formation in Central Park before I got to the picnic site.

We really had a good time. I got to know members of our Alumni Executive Board and other long-time members of the alumni association. We all brought our own lunches and cookies, and bottled water were supplied by the alumni association. It was nice to just sit back on the picnic benches and relax and enjoy the breathtaking sunny summer day.

Most of us talked about the upcoming football season and the problems that we had last year. None of us understood how we could go from a Championship season the year before to a losing season last year. It was disheartening to many of us alumni to sit through these games that we should have won.

We also talked about the upcoming basketball season which was on its way as well. I try to attend all the games that are in New York City when I can and that is always fun. This is when you know how extensive our alumni association is in the tri-state area.

I tried to weigh my opinions in while biting into the homemade chicken parmesan sandwich I made for myself. I swear, so many of our alumni know more about the stats for the team and the players than I could ever imagine.

I also got to meet some incoming Spartans from the New York City area and it is nice to see the latest wave of Spartans entering the university. I remember that enthusiasm when I got there back in 1983. I can’t believe that forty years has passed since I entered college for the first time (I am at my fifth college now attending New York University).

I had gotten there a little late so many people had left by that point so the rest of us piled onto three picnic tables and talked the afternoon away on issues Spartan related and also the general status of Manhattan and the rest of New York City for those alumni that lived in the City. On this late summer afternoon, I could see the Great Lawn in the distance and many people sunbathing, reading, playing fresbie or watching the pop-up softball game in the distance.

It was a nice relaxing afternoon, and I would be joining many of these people at Blondies on the Upper West Side in a few weeks for the opening of the football season. It also gave me a chance to explore Central Park on this beautiful sunny day. I am sorry but there is no place like Manhattan on a sunny afternoon.

Go Green! Go White!

The Great Lawn in Central Park that beautiful afternoon. Midtown sits in the background.

The Michigan State University Picnic in 2025:

Finally getting into the park at 2:45pm

I attending the picnic again in 2025 after a very harried morning and then dealing with public transportation. It took me almost two hours to get from my home to the picnic and I live ten miles from the location.

Walking through Central Park to the picnic site

Between the bus into the City and the subway to get to 85th Street and then having to buy lunch two blocks away and then walking back to park took a lot of time. By the time I got my lunch, walked to the picnic area and then sat down to eat when everyone else was done and were conversing with one another. I felt bad that I was starved and wanted to eat first.

Walking through Central Park

New Green Leaf Deli at 518 Amsterdam Avenue

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60763-d4892355-r1021151472-Green_Leaf_Deli-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

The Spartan Chicken Fingers from New Leaf Deli were delicious

After I finally finished my lunch, I got to talking with other members of the Alumni Association. The conversation always rolls into the Men’s Football and Basketball season with some talk on the happenings on campus. I have not been back to East Lansing since 2013 so it has been some time since I have seen the changes on campus.

All of us talking at the picnic

Alumni came from both New York and New Jersey

Our picnic area was in the Pine Brush picnic area

Enjoying dessert with other Alumni

Even though I was only there for an hour, it was nice meeting other Alumni and catching up with people I only see at the games at Blondies, a bar on the Upper West Side. Either the football season only a month away and a new coach, we are all looking for a new beginning again.

One of the members’ dog that afternoon

I still had a nice time and look forward to the upcoming football season. No one knows how to predict it but I think we will do well in the upcoming season.

Go Green! Go White!

Walking back through Central Park

Admiring the rock formations at West 84th Street

The Michigan State University Picnic in 2026:

In 2026, I joined the Alumni again at the Arthur Ross Pinetum again for our picnic and what a spectacular day it was in the park. It was a nice afternoon of catching up (I had not attended any of the Alumni events during 2025 as classes took up so much time) everyone and talking about the upcoming football season.

The sign at the Arthur Ross Pinetum in Central Park

https://www.centralparknyc.org/locations/arthur-ross-pinetum

The Arthur Ross Pinetum in Central Park

I had lunch ordered from Simply Gourmet Market Place Deli at 494 Amsterdam Avenue, a deli that I never tried before. I looked over their extensive menu and decided on a Chicken Club sandwich, a layer sandwich on a hero roll of a Fried Chicken Cutlet topped with bacon, avocado, lettuce and tomato with a bit a aioli sauce. The sandwich was excellent and the service was very nice at the deli (see my review on TripAdvisor.com).

Simply Gourmet Market Place at 494 Amsterdam Avenue

https://www.grubhub.com/restaurant/simply-gourmet-market-place-494-amsterdam-ave-new-york/2692116

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Profile/R4960NKjustinw/mediabatch/14440011?m=19905

The wonderful selection at the deli

The Chicken Club sandwich

Yum!

The Alumni Association had a nice assortment of snacks and treats for us on top of the lunches we brought from delis around the City.

The snacks and refreshments at the picnic

We really had a nice time at the park. Discussions on the upcoming football and basketball games came up a lot as well as our new coach on campus. There has been a lot going on on the MSU campus recently. Still it was a day of having a nice time and enjoying the weather.

Our Alumni picnic in Central Park in July 2026

Go Green! Go White!

Day Two Hundred and Sixty-Three: Easter weekend with my family, walking through Macy’s Flower Show and a visit to Branch Brook Park to see the Cherry Blossoms April 7th-9th, 2023 (revisited April 6th-7th, 2024)

I have always loved Easter. It is my favorite holiday even over Christmas. It is a more relaxing time of year and there is not the rushing around that the Christmas holidays bring. Both work and graduate classes were taking up so much of my time that it was nice to just relax on Easter and have dinner with my family. It didn’t really turn out that way but I got a lot accomplished and it ended up being a productive weekend.

Classes at NYU have been tough as there have been so many projects to do and the semester ends the second week of May. I have never seen time fly by like this. I would have thought the semester would have ended closer to Memorial Day Weekend but it ends much earlier and everyone is scrambling to get their work done. I was able to sneak down to Washington DC last Sunday to see the Cherry Blossoms in bloom and this time around I got to see them.

My blog on “Visiting the Cherry Blossoms in Washington DC Day Two Hundred and Thirty-Two”:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/23107

The Cherry Blossoms in Washington DC the week before

They bloom so much earlier than the festival (almost two weeks) and last year the basin was loaded with people looking at bare trees. Everyone was taking pictures under the dozen or so trees that were the last species to bloom (the same ones in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden) and you could barely take a picture without a dozen people pushing you out of the way. At least this year the storms did not disrupt all the petals.

The Cherry Blossom at the basin and the crowds following them

Even though it was for one day, the trip to Washington DC is always a treat. I was looking forward though to seeing the other great Cherry Blossom displays in both Branch Brook Park in Newark, NJ and the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens in Brooklyn, NY. Those always follow this display and are just as spectacular.

It was Branch Brook Park in Newark, NJ that was in full peak bloom this week. I was able to get to the park later in the afternoon around 4:00pm when the crowds started to thin out. I did not realize that the Visitors Center and parking lot were closed for renovation. That really backed up traffic in the park and there were wall to wall people by that section of the park. I parked toward the entrance (always a good move) and was able to walk all sections of the park with no problems. What surprised me but didn’t shock me was the behavior of people towards the Cherry Trees.

Branch Brook Park in Newark, NJ at Park Avenue & Lake Street

https://essexcountyparks.org/parks/branch-brook-park

https://branchbrookpark.org/index.html

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g46671-d502865-Reviews-Branch_Brook_Park-Newark_New_Jersey.html

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/2033

Just like in DC the week before, people were climbing all over the trees, tugging on the branches, pulling off the blossoms and sticking in their hair and pockets or just taking the branches home. Even with all the signs, people just don’t listen. I never really thought about it until I started taking classes at NYU and was learning about the concept of over-tourism. People really have no consideration for the world around them and abuse the very things that they are there to see. I was constantly walking into someone’s picture from every angle.

The brilliance of Mother Nature in full bloom

Still the park was beautiful and the trees and shrubs were at the peak of bloom and that made it special to me. I still remember coming here with my dad every year and then we would go to Rutt’s Hut in Clifton, NJ for a hot dog after our visit. I never remember it being as busy as it is today but this was before 2010 and the IPhone was not as prevalent as it is now. It is amazing how social media has really changed this park.

The crowds in the late afternoon in Branch Brook Park

I just walked along the paths by myself enjoying the Spring day and admiring the trees and flowers of the park. I had never seen it at its peak and it was truly brilliant. I had never see the blossoms so vibrant and the colors so strong. It was Mother Nature at its peak and it only lasts for about a week.

With all the rain we have had lately it knocks the petals off the trees quickly. Branch Brook Park is one of the most unrated parks in the New York area and Newark does get knocked a lot but still the city offers its treasures to us if we seek them out.

How beautiful the river was running through the park

I spent about two hours exploring all parts of the park, watching baseball games, watching parents jump around with their kids and watching couples just holding hands and admiring the trees. There were so many Sweet Sixteen and Wedding pictures being snapped that again you had to maneuver correctly.

It’s always best to park by the entrance so that you can get out of the park easier when it is busy

After about two hours of walking around the park and enjoying the sunshine and the beautiful views, I had to get something to eat. Not in the mood for a hot dog as tradition states I stopped at Pizzatown Pizzeria in Newark for a slice of pizza. I had been there a few times over the years finding the pizzeria in pre-COVID days when all the food trucks were mobbed and not much options on the Bellville side of the park.

Pizzatown is one of those old Newark, NJ businesses that existed when this side of the city all around Branch Brook Park was all Italian up until about the early 1980’s when the last of the elderly Italian families either moved out or had passed away. It is the only business left from that time. Still the pizza is fantastic and I look forward to coming here every year when I am looking at the blossoms. I had a slice of Sicilian pizza that was delicious and it was just nice to relax and eat. I had taken so many pictures of the restaurant before I walked in that the owner asked if I was a relator. In that neighborhood? I thought he was kidding. I guess not too many 6:3 white guys go walking around this place.

Pizzatown Pizzeria & Restaurant at 883 Mt. Prospect Avenue in Newark, NJ

https://www.orderpizzatown.com/?

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g46671-d4961468-Reviews-Pizza_Town_Pizzeria-Newark_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

The inside of Pizzatown harks back to the 1960’s when this was an Italian neighborhood

The Sicilian pizza here is so good!

After lunch was over, I took on last look around the park and admired all the trees that were newer that were planted in the park towards the entrance. It is interesting how they just keep planting more trees around the park. I heard that this is the largest collection of Cherry Trees in the world.

The Cherry Trees right by my car on the edge of the park

It was a nice afternoon of walking around and enjoying nature. I had never seen the Cherry Trees this brilliant and so vibrant in colors before. This is what it means to see the trees at their peak!

In between classes before the Easter weekend started, I walked around the City after my classes were over on Friday and walked into Macy’s for the Annual Flower Show at the Herald Square store. I could not believe it has been thirty five years since my interview that started my job at Macy’s in 1988. I had gone in for my interview on a Saturday morning and was mesmerized by the store and Flower Show which lead to my second and third interviews and my seven year career with the company. It dawned on me how long ago that morning had been.

Macy’s Flower Show 2023:

The entrance to Macy’s Flower Show in the Herald Square main store

https://www.macys.com/s/flower-show/

The Flower Show on the first floor of the Macy’s store is always a treat. There were a lot of interesting displays this year but not so many flowers on the tops of the display cases. At least not the ones that I had seen in the past. It seemed more scaled down from the flowers on the upper displays and more the hanging displays that lined the main aisle.

The entrance to the Flower Show from the Broadway side of the store

Most the displays were hanging from the main aisle of the first floor so it was a much different display from those of the past but still it was very creative and people stopped every three feet to take more pictures. I was just as annoying but the store looked so nice.

The first floor by the escalators that did not exist when I worked there

The Floral Display by the Cosmetic Department

Not quite the hanging gardens of the past but still nice

The hanging floral arrangements by the escalators on the first floor

It was not the show that I remember as there were many more floral arrangements that were much more detailed and elaborate as there was more space on the old tops of the display cases. This was a more modern view of the Flower Show. I thought it was fun and they did a nice job. New Management and a new way of looking at the show.

Macy’s Display windows-My favorite

Macy’s Display windows

The display windows outside were a lot of fun and the display people did a great job on the them. It was really funny though. I was not in the City for class on Good Friday so I did not see the full extent of the show until Monday morning when the store reopened (the store is closed on Easter).

Macy’s Display windows

When I returned on Tuesday for my next class, the windows were already closed and we being dismantled and the whole show must have been taken down Monday night after the store closed. Everything was gone by Tuesday afternoon. Another Flower Show had passed.

Macy’s Display windows

The Macy’s Windows in 2023.

I went back to Macy’s in 2024 and the displays were done in multiple colors through the store. The flowers displays were more contemporary and pared down from the displays from I remember years ago when all the tops of the displays looked like the “Hanging Gardens of Babylon”. Still the show was beautiful.

The new windows welcomed customers to the Herald Square store.

The flower assortment that greeted us when we entered the Broadway entrance.

The first floor of Macy’s Herald in New York City.

The strawberry floral displays at the entrance of Macy’s.

The crowds at Macy’s Flower Show in 2024.

The flower displays along the Cosmetic Department.

The Accessory Department decorated for the Flower Show.

The decorations around the escalators on the Main Floor at Macy’s Herald Square.

The store was packed with people walking around and blocking all the isles. I could see that the salespeople were getting frustrated. Still people were loving the displays in main store.

The entrance to Macy’s Herald in 2024 to the Flower Show from the Broadway entrance.

Easter morning was really nice as I got to spend it with my cousins and my aunt at a wonderful restaurant in Red Bank, NJ. It was a bright and sunny Easter but a bit chilly. It was the first time in years that I had not been to church on Easter morning but I would go another day. We had an 11:00am reservation for brunch and I got picked up at 9:45am.

The Oyster Point Hotel

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g46767-d12443012-Reviews-The_Oyster_Point_Hotel-Red_Bank_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

The weather was really windy when we got the Oyster Point Hotel where we were having brunch. I could not believe the winds off the water but by the time we were finished, it ended up being a nice warm afternoon. I guess it rough in the morning.

The bay right next to the hotel parking lot

The bay area of Red Bank is so beautiful and everything was just coming into bloom. We were able to walk around the docks for a bit before brunch. People were just getting their boats serviced and ready for the season. It was a spectacular morning looking over the water.

We were one of the first tables to arrive that morning so I got some great shots of the buffet and all the delicious and creative displays at all the stations of the restaurant. It was a very nice presentation and there was so much to choose from.

Oyster Point Hotel Pearl Room Banquet space where the brunch took place

The Dining Room

The food and the service were just amazing. I could not believe the view of the bay and the dazzling blue water in front of us. Thank God though our table was not by the window because the buffet line stretched in that direction when we were eating.

The Seafood on Ice Station

I could not believe the choices at brunch. There was a complete salad section to make your own salad, a seafood display on ice, an omelet and waffle bar with potatoes, bacon and sausage on the side if you wanted to start with breakfast. The baked good section for breakfast was extensive with fresh doughnuts, pastries, muffins, bagels and cookies. There were also slices of white and coffee cake if you wanted those as well.

The Breakfast Pastry display

There was a pasta station with ravioli and penne with chicken and broccoli, a carving station with turkey, beef and salmon, a complete lunch bakery section and fruit display. The Candy station was really unique with a display of chocolate lobsters and peeps in a tree.

The display of candy was very clever

The Candy display was really unique and very creative

The Pastry Chef really has a a sense of humor

The best was that they had a complete crab cake station with all sorts of sides such as mac & cheese, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes. They were all served in champagne glasses. The portions were small but you could go back as many times as you wanted.

The Lunch Bakery table

The Fruit Dessert display

There were also chafing dishes of wild rice, mixed vegetables, chicken piccata, roasted potatoes and a beef dish. The quality of the food in the chafing dishes matched all the stations and nothing was soggy or tepid. Everything was perfectly cooked and spiced. There was so much to choose from that I must have made twenty trips to the buffet line to the amusement of my family.

Being in the culinary arts and working in a soup kitchen for almost twenty years, I know not to waste food, Watching people pile their plates high is so silly when you can go back as many times as you want. I walk around a buffet, survey what is offered and then go back for many small tastes of everything. I think it is a sin to waste food and throw it out when there is no reason for it.

A little taste of the pasta section, the carving section, the chafing dishes and those marvelous crab cakes. The food was excellent!

After brunch was over, were were there for almost three hours eating and talking and watching the people on the bay in their boats, we made an early afternoon of it. I had wanted to go to the cemeteries and had some yard work to do (I can’t believe I had that much to do as I was in the yard for two hours) and then had some writing to finish. My life never sits still. We took some pictures around the hotel and walked around the dock for a bit. We said our goodbyes to my cousin and his wife and then toured the town of Red Bank, NJ. What a pretty downtown. It really has some nice stores and restaurants.

My cousins, my aunt and I at Easter 2023

I always enjoy spending time with my family. I hope every had a wonderful Easter and Passover!

Happy Easter!

Places to Visit:

Branch Brook Park

Park Avenue at Lake Street

Newark, NJ 07104

(973) 268-3500

https://branchbrookpark.org/index.html

https://essexcountyparks.org/parks/branch-brook-park

Open: Sunday-Saturday 24hours

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46671-d502865-r885386179-Branch_Brook_Park-Newark_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/2033

Macy’s Herald Square

151 West 34th Street

New York, NY 10001

(212) 695-4400

https://l.macys.com/new-york-ny

Open: Sunday 11:00am-9:00pm/Monday-Thursday 10:00am-9:00pm/Friday-Saturday 10:00am-10:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d208847-Reviews-Macy_s_Herald_Square-New_York_City_New_York.html

Places to Eat:

Pizzatown Pizzeria & Restaurant

883 MT. Prospect Avenue

Newark, NJ 07104

(973) 483-5179

https://www.orderpizzatown.com/?

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46671-d4961468-r885385763-Pizza_Town_Pizzeria-Newark_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

Oyster Point Hotel

146 Bodman Place

Red Bank, NJ 07701

(732) 530-8200

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46767-d12443012-r885531003-The_Oyster_Point_Hotel-Red_Bank_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

Day Two Hundred and Sixty-One: Walking the Avenues of the Theater District/Times Square Sixth and Seventh Avenues and Broadway from West 53rd to West 43rd Streets July 28th and December 11th, 2023

The City has been coming back to life in the last year and a half. With the exception of some empty storefronts (not as bad as a few months ago), the Theater District has come back to life. Broadway shows are filling up again and restaurants in the area on a Wednesday afternoon and Thursday through Saturday night are busy. It is nice to see life being brought back to this once desolate area of Manhattan. It is hard to believe that this area was written off as ‘dead’ two years ago. Rightfully so with almost all theaters dark, restaurants closed, everything boarded up and a large homeless population moving in.

My other walks in the Theater District:

Walking the Borders of the Theater District/Times Square: Day Two Hundred and Sixty:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/31440

Walking the Avenues of the Theater District/Times Square: Day Two Hundred and Sixty One:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/31763

Walking the Streets of the Theater District/Times Square: Day Two Hundred and Ninety-Nine:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/4189

Now the crowds are back especially on the weekends and the sidewalks are spilling over with people as the shows let out on Wednesday afternoons and the weekends. I have noticed that during the week the office crowds still have not returned to pre-pandemic levels and that has hurt the area shops and restaurants especially the ones just off the Theater District on Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Avenues. It will be awhile until we see these weekday crowds return.

I always start my tours in Bryant Park just off West 42nd Street

I returned to Central Park South, Midtown East and Hell’s Kitchen to see how they have bounced back since the City reopened two years ago. They are busy but there is a slightly different vibe in the area. Since the local hotels are housing recent immigrants to the City and the City homeless, there has been a different crowd walking the streets during the day. As tourism picks up, I am not too sure how long a lot of these Midtown hotels will be able to keep doing this.

I started my walk on Thursday morning wanting to know how the business crowd was doing. The core of the neighborhood keeps changing in that during the pandemic construction continued in this area and much of the older buildings in the district have been knocked down and glittering towers are replacing them. Along the side streets you can still see the remnants of the old neighborhood but little by little they are being replaced.

The Theater District is one of those landmarked neighborhoods where the theaters play catalyst to all the restaurants and shops around them. On the fringes of the neighborhood, on all sides, from Eighth Avenue to Fifth Avenue are being knocked down and replaced. I have never seen so much building going on. There are even some old stand out buildings that will eventually come down to make way for newer things.

The core of the neighborhood is Times Square which stretches from West 42nd Street to about West 46th Street along Broadway and Seventh Avenues. When people think of New York City especially Manhattan, this is what they think New York is all about. It is one of the busiest areas of Manhattan and the most crowded. When you walk in this area it is wall to wall people. The area has now been turned into a pedestrian plaza and it makes it easier to maneuver around the streets and avenues.

I had to cover Sixth and Seventh Avenues and Broadway from West 42nd to West 54th Street (sharing the border with Central Park South at West 54th Street) and I have found this one of the most active neighborhoods that I have walked in a long time. It is funny because I had to bypass this area when I resumed my walk in June 2020 because everything was shut down. The only people in this district were the police, who were guarding everything and the homeless.

This area of the city was barren. Everything from the theaters to the hotels to the restaurants, anything having anything to do with Broadway was shut tight and boarded up. It was really creepy. No one walked in this area. It was so empty of people if I had started the walk here the police would have really looked at me. Plus, I could not give a fair analysis of the area because everything was closed.

I started the walk at the border of Bryant Park, which was packed with people eating their lunches, reading, playing on the lawn or just relaxing under the trees. I swear this park has changed and keeps changing. It is always so busy and the one thing I have to say is the partnership that runs the park keeps everything in good shape and runs the public bathrooms beautifully. I wish all bathrooms in the public parks ran like this and were that well maintained.

Bryant Park in the summer months

Sixth Avenue, also called “the Avenues of the Americas (No one calls it that from New York City) is a very corporate environment lined with glass box towers, some have been here since the 1960’s and is an open-air museum of corporate art that lines the outside of these buildings. It is also home to Radio City Music Hall and can get very busy on show nights and during the Christmas holidays.

The corner of the neighborhood starts with the Bank of America building that stands guard at Sixth Avenue and West 42nd Street. It is a beautiful building day or night but especially at night when the skyline is lit.

The Bank of America building on West 42nd Street

Bryant Park and the Bank of America Building at night

The Bank of America building replaced what was left of a very shady corner of the old Times Square and was the last part of the reconstruction of Times Square. It is now complete from Bryant Park to the Port Authority and it looks so much nicer. The area around Bryant Park has changed over the last twenty years for the better. Things were a bit more vibrant before 2020 but the outdoor movies and activities have returned to the park along with all the Christmas activities making the vibrant park it was pre-Pandemic.

Even though many of the buildings along the Sixth Avenue corridor lack personality, save Radio City Music Hall which is part of the Rockefeller Complex, the outdoor corporate art is very interesting and original. Most of the buildings on this part of Sixth Avenue have that sleek glass box corporate look to them.

The ‘Corporate Canyon’ of Sixth Avenue at West 44th Street

The one building that does stand out in the neighborhood is Radio City Music Hall.

Radio City Music Hall at 1260 Sixth Avenue

https://www.msg.com/radio-city-music-hall

https://www.nypap.org/preservation-history/radio-city-music-hall

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d110164-Reviews-Radio_City_Music_Hall-New_York_City_New_York.html

My review on TripAdvisor for Christmas:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g60763-d24911141-Radio_City_Christmas_Spectacular_Starring_the_Radio_City_Rockettes_Ticket-New_York_.html

Radio City Music Hall was completed in 1932 as part of the larger development of Rockefeller Center. It was designed by architect Edward Durell Stone and interior designer Donald Deskey in the Art Deco style, with Samuel Lionel Rothafel, or “Roxy,” a leading expert on movie palaces, as a primary advisor.2 The public areas of the music hall feature murals, sculpture, and other work by prominent artists of the time (NY Preservation Archive Project).

Radio City Music Hall later that evening

These interiors are considered some of the most impressive in the history of modern theater design, with no equal in America in terms of scale or variety of architectural, artistic, and decorative elements. As one of the principal achievements of the Art Deco style and as one of the finest theater designs in the country, the interior of Radio City Music Hall is of unique importance to the history of American architecture (NY Preservation Archive Project).

The Hall opened on December 27, 1932, with a lavish variety show and continued to feature films and stage productions until 1979. At this point plans were made to convert the theater into office space, but a combination of preservation and commercial interests resulted in the protection of Radio City Music Hall and in 1980, after a renovation, it reopened to the public (NY Preservation Archive Project).

Radio City Music Hall exterior

Rockettes Sculpture

The Christmas Spectacular for the 75th Anniversary of the Music Hall featuring the Rockettes

I stopped on the corner of West 52nd Street and Sixth Avenue for lunch at Halal Guys Cart. This is where the empire started. There are now franchise stores of Halal Guys at started in 2015 all from this little cart right across the street from the MoMA. I have been coming here for over twenty years and the food has always been excellent.

The Halal Guys cart under the scaffolding on West 52nd Street and Sixth Avenue

https://thehalalguys.com/locations/west-53rd-street-new-york/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d3491934-Reviews-The_Halal_Guys-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/diningonashoestringinnyc.wordpress.com/1093

As you can see, I love the food here. It is my ‘go-to’ place on a cool night for a hot meal.

The menu at Halal Guys Cart

The Mixed Combo sandwich with Gyro and Chicken lunch (Yum)

Across the street from the Halal Guys at the corner of Sixth Avenue and West 52nd Street is a very unusual blue stature that caught my attention. This is one of the corporate art works at that line Sixth Avenue and makes quite the statement. This piece is called “Jean Marc” and was created by artist Xavier Veilham.

Jean Marc statue at the corner of Sixth Avenue and West 52nd Street

Sign for artist Xavier Veilhan

Artist Xavier Veilhan was born in France and was educated at the Ecole nationale superieure des arts in Paris and at the Institut des hautes etudes en arts plastiques. He works in photography, sculpture, film, painting and installation art.

Artist Xavier Veilham

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

On the corner of 65 West 54th Street and Sixth Avenue is the famous Warwick Hotel (which just reopened after Covid months ago). The hotel is one of the oldest in New York City and one of hte many older hotels that dot this neighborhood.

The Warwick Hotel at 65 West 54th Street

https://www.warwickhotels.com/warwick-new-york

The 36 story hotel was built by William Randolph Hearst in 1926 with the help of architect Emery Roth with the firm of George B. Post & Sons. The outside of the hotel is done with brick, granite and limestone giving it it’s unusual color scheme. Take time to look at the hotel’s detail work and old world charm in the lobby (Wiki).

Across from that is the most unusual sculpture of Seed 54 that is always hid behind a food cart.

Seed 54 by artist Haresh Lalvani

Seed 54 sign of artist Haresh Lalvani

On the corner is the an unusual sculpture that I first noticed when walking past a hot dog vendor on the corner of Sixth Avenue and West 54th Street in front of 1330 Sixth Avenue building. This strange looking piece of artwork resembles an open air egg is by artist Haresh Lalvani. This unusual sculpture can be interpreted many different ways. The only problem is that the hot dog vendor on the corner distracts from even looking at it and I have passed it without even noticing it over the times I have been in the neighborhood.

Mr. Lalvani is a professional artist and Professor at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. His emphasis in the work is his study of morphology into nature and its affects on art. ‘Seed54′ is part of his HyperSurface’ series. Mr. Lalvani is a graduate of the Pratt Institute of Architecture (Pratt Institute).

haresh-lalvani.jpg

Artist Haresh Lalvani in front of one of his “HyperSurface” works

Across the street in front of a rather non-descript building is this silver mesh globe in the heart of their courtyard.

The globe at 1345 Sixth Avenue

The globe sculpture hidden in the courtyard of 1345 Sixth Avenue is an interesting piece of art and unfortunately in all the trips to the neighborhood, I have not been able to find out who the artist is on this impressive work.

On the edge of the neighborhood between the Theater District and Central Park West is the famous New York Hilton.

The New York Hilton Hotel at 1335 Sixth Avenue at West 54th Street

https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/nycnhhh-new-york-hilton-midtown/

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

My review on TripAdvisor:

http://www.tripadvisor.com//Hotel_Review-g60763-d611947-Reviews-New_York_Hilton_Midtown-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

The New York Hilton Hotel is one of the Tallest hotels in the world and the largest hotel in New York City. The hotel was developed by architect William B. Tabler, who built it in sections. The hotel opened to much acclaim in 1963 (Wiki).

The “Hope” sculpture sits on the corner of West 53th and Sixth Avenue

The “Hope” sculpture was placed here in 2014 on ‘International Hope Day’ which also happened to be the artist’s 86th birthday, Robert Indiana. He created the sculpture in 2008 and offers encouragement in the future.

Robert Indiana is an American born artist who studied at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Skowhegan School of Sculpture and Painting in Maine, and the Edinburgh College of Art in Scotland. He was known for his large pop art sculptures.

Artist Robert Indiana

https://www.robertindiana.com/

Heading down Sixth Avenue in front of 1301 Sixth Avenue are two large sculptures of the Venus de Milo in shallow pools in front of the building that make quite the statement. These were created in 1990 by American artist Jim Dine. The statues stand out and make quite the statement.

The Venus de Milo statues at 1301 Sixth Avenue and West 53rd Street

The double Venus de Milo statues in the fountain

Artist Jim Dine

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

Jim Dine is a contemporary American visual artist who graduated from Ohio University with a BFA. These are three of Jim Dine’s sculptures collectively entitled “Looking Toward The Avenue” installed in 1989 in the small plaza on the east side of Sixth Avenue at west 53rd and 54th Streets in Manhattan. The verdigris bronze statues emerge from a water pool.    These sculptures are based on Venus de Milo, a masterpiece from the 2nd century BC (Big Apple Secrets).

The details on the Radio City Music Hall building

Rockefeller Center Building details

Across the street from the Rockefeller Center complex was this unusual apple sculpture that just appeared one day. I though this would make an excellent addition to the artworks that line the avenue but it will only be here for a short period of time.

La Gran Manzana “The Big Apple” is a great project created in homage to the city by international artist Enrique Cabrera in collaboration whit Mitsui Fudosan America Inc., one of the most important real estate developers in the country and the major in Japan one of the core companies Mitsui Group (Artsty.com).

Red Apple Sculpture “La Gran Manzana” by artist Enrique Cabrera

https://www.artsy.net/show/experts-en-arte-la-gran-manzana-by-enrique-cabrera-new-york-city/info

Artist Enrique Cabrera

https://enriquecabrera.art/about

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

Artist Enrique Cabrera is a Mexican born artist who specializes in sculpture, photography, music and is an art restorer. The work La Gran Manzana is a temporary work through 2023 (Wiki).

Further down Sixth Avenue in front of 1211 Sixth Avenue was another contemporary sculpture that I must have passed several dozen time and never noticed. This sculpture “Annular Eclipse” was created by artist George Rickey.

1211 Sixth Avenue-The sculpture “Annular Eclipse, Sixteen Feet Variation I

Artist George Rickey’s “Annular Eclipse”

Artist George Rickey

https://www.georgerickey.org/

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

Artist George Rickey is an American born artist who graduated with a degree in History from Balliol College at the University Oxford. His love of drawing had him continue his studies at various colleges in Paris. With his love of engineering and mechanics and metal work he started to create his kinetic sculptures (Wiki).

As you walk around Sixth Avenue, take time to admire the views of the buildings and the corporate setting. This is what people from outside the City think all of Manhattan is like. This is what you see in the movies when you think about Midtown Manhattan.

Sixth Avenue at West 47th Street

I revisited Sixth Avenue again in early December before I went to the Amy Grant concert at Carnegie Hall and it had been fully decorated for the Christmas holidays. If you want to see ‘Corporate Christmas’ at its best, it is Sixth Avenue in Manhattan. They may be the same decorations every year but it is so impressive.

Radio City Music Hall at Christmas 2023

Sixth Avenue and West 50th Street

The UBS Building at Christmas time on Sixth Avenue.

1345 Sixth Avenue in all its Christmas glory

1345 Sixth Avenue at Christmas time.

The decorations by 1531 Sixth Avenue surrounding the statues of Venus.

The decorations by 1531 Sixth Avenue.

The New York Hilton had this interesting cab display.

The Christmas ornaments at 1251 Sixth Avenue.

The Christmas display at 1221 Sixth Avenue in all its glory.

It is so amazing at the holidays

The Christmas tree display outside of 1211 Sixth Avenue was so colorful that night.

I even had time to sneak over to Rockefeller Center to see ‘The Tree” and watch the skaters before I ate dinner before the show. I never get tired of going to Rockefeller Center at Christmas and I always know the best times to go where there is smaller crowd.

The Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center is so iconic at the holidays. There is nothing like it anywhere.

Skaters at Rockefeller Center that night.

The Christmas tree is the highlight of this neighborhood during the holidays.

Bryant Park Christmas tree and the Village that surrounds it.

The skaters at Bryant Park at Christmas time.

The skating rink at Bryant Park.

The beauty of Bryant Park at night during Christmas.

Bryant Park at Christmas time is so spectacular. The Chrysler Building is aglow in the background.

The core of the neighborhood like the rest of New York City is very special at the holidays and you need to make a special trip just to go see the decorations here at Christmas.

I got back to Bryant Park in the afternoon and there was a concert going on in the park that was attracting the tourists. I think they were too busy taking pictures and filming the concert to ever really enjoy it.

Getting back to Bryant Park at Sixth Avenue and West 42nd Street

Walking up Broadway from West 42nd Street is what the world thinks New York is all about (not just the City but the entire State of New York). The streets within Times Square are closed off now and it is a pedestrian plaza until West 47th Street and filled with the most unusual characters. People are always hustling here so you have to watch yourself. I am so used to all this.

You have people in costumes trying to take pictures with you dressed as Minnie Mouse and Superhero’s. Run in the other direction if you see them as they will insist on money if you take a picture with them. It can be annoying but still a walk through these two blocks is a real experience. You will see rappers performing, dancers bopping around and actors trying to peddle Broadway shows and Comedy Clubs all over the area. It is really crowded in the summer months and walk fast to get past everyone. Watch your wallets and purses.

Broadway and West 44th Street-Times Square

Walking up Broadway between West 45th and West 46th Street one of the most impressive buildings you will see and one of the key buildings in the gentrification of Times Square if the Marriott Marquis, The Portman Hotel at 1535 Broadway. This impressive hotel was very innovative when it opened in the 1980’s with it’s central elevator and roof top bar. It has some of the most impressive views and its Eighth floor bars have the best views of the Times Square. I stayed here once with a friend of mine on my birthday and the rooms with a view are amazing.

The Marriott Marquis at 1535 Broadway

https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/nycmq-new-york-marriott-marquis/overview/

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

My review on TripAdvisor:

http://www.tripadvisor.com//Hotel_Review-g60763-d93507-Reviews-New_York_Marriott_Marquis-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

The one thing that is important to know is that the bathrooms at the Marriott Marquis at 1535 Broadway are free and it is a good pit stop before heading further downtown. They are located on the Eighth floor and are clean and very nice. They also have some good restaurants in the hotel like the Broadway Bar (See review on TripAdvisor) to eat at but wait until you head further downtown (I did not visit the bathrooms on the 2020 walk so I am not sure if they are open now).

The hotel was designed by architect John C. Portman and was built originally as a Westin Hotel. The hotel was originally conceived and designed in the 1970’s but the financial crisis of the 1970’s put a stop to it. It was finished in 1985. It is still considered a very innovative design (Wiki).

During the Christmas holiday season, my brother and sister-in-law took me here for dinner after a long day of touring in the City. We ate at the signature Broadway Lounge on the Eight Floor with the most spectacular views of Times Square and I highly recommend eating here when you are in New York City. The food and the service are excellent.

The view from our seats by the windows.

Inside the bar that night for dinner. The place was really busy with post Christmas visitors.

The amazing three cheese Grilled Cheese with fries that I had for dinner.

I also recently got to try the Roast Turkey sandwich

The sandwich was excellent

The delicious and colorful Vanilla Cake for dessert.

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d1465849-Reviews-Broadway_Lounge-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, Times Square was still pretty busy with out of towners and mostly locals and businesspeople as the City has opened back up again. Costume characters were fighting for customers all over the square and even the “Naked Cowboy” a staple in Times Square was out again. He was still there singing and dancing in 2022.

Naked Cowboy in Times Square

Actor Robert John Burck, “The Naked Cowboy”

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

While in Times Square there are a few more sculptures that I missed on previous walks. The statue of Father Duffy sits erect on “Duffy Square” the northernmost part of the Times Square triangle. This is dedicated to “Father Francis P. Duffy”, a Canadian American priest in the New York Archdiocese and on the faculty of the St. Joseph’s Seminary. He gained fame in World War I as an army chaplain and was noted for his bravery and leadership during the war with the 69th New York.

The Father Duffy Statue in Times Square’s “Father Duffy Square”

The statue was created by artist Charles Keck and was dedicated in 1937. Charles Keck is an American artist who studied at the National Academy of Design and the Art Students League of New York.

Artist Charles Keck

Artist Charles Keck

http://askart.com/artist/K/charles_keck.asp?ID=84037

Another statue that most people miss is the statue of composer, actor, and theater performer George M. Cohan, one of our great American artists. The artist wrote some of the most famous songs of that era including “Over There”, You’re a Grand Old Flag” and “Give my regards to Broadway”.

The George M. Cohan statue in Times Square

The statue in Times Square of the composer was designed by artist Georg John Lober and was dedicated in 1959 in Father Duffy Square. Artist Georg John Lober was an American sculptor who studied at the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design and the National Academy of Design and was part of the New York Municipal Arts Commission from 1943-1960.

Georg Lober

Artist George John Lober

http://www.askart.com/artist/George_John_Georg_Lober/68590/George_John_Georg_Lober.aspx

I will be really honest in that the only one who seems to notice these statues are myself and the pigeons. Everyone else in Times Square are too distracted with taking pictures and listening to music to notice them. Still they stand proudly in the heart of Times Square.

As I headed up Broadway, I had to stop in the new Krispie Kreme flagship store at 1601 Broadway. The sites and smells of the fresh doughnuts are amazing. You walk in to the store and get to see the doughnuts being made and then iced and filled. Then you get to buy them and taste them. It always has lines that wrap around especially at lunch time.

The Krispie Kreme Doughnut Flagship store at 1601 Broadway

https://site.krispykreme.com/ny/new-york/1601-broadway

https://www.krispykreme.com/timessquare

Review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d21323052-Reviews-Krispy_Kreme-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Inside of Krispie Kreme flagship store making the fresh doughnuts. You get tempted with all the icing being doused on the doughnuts.

The freshly made doughnuts at Krispy Kreme are for sale and are delicious.

On the corner of Broadway and West 49th street is The Harrison Restaurant, once home to the ‘Java Shop’ restaurant where I worked for a little under a year. It is funny to look at this corner and still remember working here and all the things that I learned about the restaurant business. That is ancient history in a career that has taken many twists and turns in the last twenty years but I still do have some good memories of this spot.

The Harrison Brasserie at 1605 Broadway is the location of the old “Java Shop” where I worked from 1999 to early 2000

https://m.facebook.com/people/The-Harrison-restaurant-bar/100075996768247/

Reviewed on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d457765-Reviews-The_Harrison-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

One building that needs to be noted on the way down to Times Square is the Brill Building at 1619 Broadway. Built in 1931 by builder Abraham E. Lefcourt the building was originally known as the Alan E. Lefcourt Building and got its current name from a haberdasher store front in the building. The building was known to play a major role in the music industry housing music studios and music company offices. Performers such as Carole King and Burt Bacharach had their offices here (Wiki).

The Brille Building at 1619 Broadway has a musical past

Details on the Brille Building are really unique.

Further up the road was another building dedicated to music and entertainment, the Ed Sullivan Theater where the “Tonight Show” is filmed.

The Ed Sullivan Theater at 1697 Broadway

https://www.edsullivan.com/ed-sullivan-theater/

The Ed Sullivan Theater is located at 1697-1699 Broadway between West 53rd and West 54th, in Manhattan, New York.  The theater is a 13-story brick building that was designed by architect Herbert Krapp and built by Arthur Hammerstein.  Arthur Hammerstein named the theater in honor of his father, Oscar Hammerstein I. Hammerstein’s Theater opened its doors on November 30, 1927 with a three-hour musical play called “The Golden Dawn.” (EdSullivan.com).

In 1931, Arthur Hammerstein, who was facing financial troubles, lost ownership of the building.  Over the next five years the theater underwent numerous name changes until in 1935, when CBS secured a long-term contract on the building and began using the theater for radio broadcasts.  In 1950, with the growing popularity of a new medium, CBS converted the theater into a television studio named CBS-TV Studio 50 (EdSullivan.com).

Ed Sullivan, who had been hosting his variety show “Toast of the Town” out of CBS’s Maxine Elliott Theater, moved into Studio 50 in 1953.  The studio went on to become the home of The Ed Sullivan Show for the rest of the variety show’s 23-year run.  On December 10, 1967, to mark The Ed Sullivan Show’s 20th year, the studio was named The Ed Sullivan Theater in honor of the great host.  Like its namesake, The Ed Sullivan Theater has withstood the test of time and to this day remains the studio’s name (EdSullivan.com).

As I rounded Broadway back to Times Square, I quickly turned around in the crowds and headed up Seventh Avenue which followed the same path as Broadway and passed the busy Hard Rock Café, which was the old Paramount Theater at one time.

The old Paramount Theater is now the Hard Rock Cafe

https://www.hardrockcafe.com/location/new-york/

The history of the Paramount Theater:

http://www.nycago.org/Organs/NYC/html/ParamountTheatre.html

The Paramount Theatre and adjoining Paramount Building on Times Square were conceived by Adolph Zukor, President of Famous Players-Lasky Corporation, to be a fitting flagship theatre and home of his company, the Publix Theatres Corporation. Located on the site of the old Putnam and Westover Court buildings, the Paramount Building was on the west side of Broadway from 43rd and 44th Streets, behind which was the Paramount Theatre (NYC-Ago). 

Designed by the Chicago firm of Rapp & Rapp, the Paramount Building was twenty-nine stories tall and had eight setbacks to comply with zoning regulations. Surmounting its pyramidal top were a large clock and stylized globe that were illuminated at night. The time was indicated with flashes by white lights on the hour and red lights on the quarter hours (NYC-Ago).

The M & M store at 1600 Broadway but it stretches to Seventh Avenue

https://www.mms.com/en-us/explore/mms-stores/new-york

Positioned in the heart of Broadway, M&M’S Times Square is officially the hottest performance in town! Nothing brings more flavor to Manhattan than our two-story color wall packed with THOUSANDS of your favorite Milk, Peanut and Specialty M&M’S Candies. Melting inside? Our interactive InnerM analyzer will prove that you’re not the only one feeling the excitement (M & M.com).

In 2012, M&M’S New York launched the personalized printer, which will allow guests to create customized M&M’S right in the store. Store visitors can select from a variety of images, as well as create customized messages that will be printed on M&M’S candies in about two minutes. Guests can choose from 15 different colors and one mix blend, as well as select two images and create two customized messages to feature on their personalized M&M’S blend (M & M.com).

Seventh Avenue at West 52nd Street

My best friend works at the New York Sheraton Hotel at 811 Seventh Avenue and the hotel had been serving as a place where all the emergency workers doctors and nurses during the COVID crisis assisting people in the city at that time. It seems like a million years ago.

The famous New York Sheraton at 811 Seventh Avenue is where the chain started.

https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/nycst-sheraton-new-york-times-square-hotel/overview/

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

Reviewed on TripAdvisor:

http://www.tripadvisor.com//Hotel_Review-g60763-d93555-Reviews-Sheraton_New_York_Times_Square_Hotel-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

The hotel was design by architect Morris Lapidus who designed the hotel for the Tisch family and the Lowes Corporation. The hotel opened in 1962 at the Americana of New York. The hotel was sold to Sheraton in 1979 and was fully run Sheraton by 1990. In 2013, the hotel changed its name to the present one of the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel (Wiki).

On the corner of West 53rd Street and Seventh Avenue is this very unusual sculpture by artist Jim Rennert “WTF” that gives a perfect example of what happens to people who are not used to the Manhattan grind. I thought it was pretty clever. His sculptures dot Manhattan with conversation over the common man.

Jim Rennet statue “WTF” outside the Shake Shack at West 53rd and Broadway

Artist Jim Rennet

Artist Jim Rennert with one of his works

https://www.jimrennert.com/

Jim Rennert is an American born artist known for his large bronze sculptures depicting the everyday man. Mostly self-taught, his works are seen all over the country and really do make a statement.

Seventh Avenue at 43rd Street

I finished the walk of the Avenue of the Theater District at Seventh Avenue and West 42nd Street and looked back to see this view at Seventh Avenue around West 43rd Street. The sites and sounds and the excitement of Times Square and of the Theater District is what makes Manhattan Manhattan. This is what the City is all about.

Bryant Park in the Winter of 2023. Who says Times Square is boring?

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