One of the more dazzling floats in the West Indian Parade over the Labor Day Weekend
After many years of wanting to attend the West Indian Parade in Brooklyn and this year was the year. I planned ahead and got into Brooklyn in the early morning by 11:30am thinking that the parade started early. I did not realize that the parade started on the other side of the Eastern Parkway so I was end of the parade route.
By the time I got there, many of the politicians started to arrive with their staffs. I even got to see Mayor Adam’s in the beginning of the parade.
The end of the parade by the Brooklyn Museum
The first wave of parade goers in the parade arrived in front of the Brooklyn Museum by noon time and they were an energetic crowd
The parade was really about the generations. The older crowd of parade participants were in costume enjoying dancing around the floats. Here I saw the traditional dress of Carnival, the festival of celebration, by the Brooklyn Museum.
The older generation celebrating the holiday
The younger crowd of the parade enjoyed dancing around the flatbeds of DJ’s, playing contemporary music of the Caribbean. I expected to see more people in Carnival costumes.
The younger generation of parade goers did not dress up in Carnival like costumes
Most of the parade goers younger than myself seemed to like the casual approach to the parade.
Walking around the sides of the Eastern Parkway held lots of food vendors
As the parade went on, I ventured down the Eastern Parkway to get a better view. About halfway down the parade route, I saw that they had stopped the parade for a half hour. I did not realize that the parade was marred with a shooting. Five people were shot at during the parade by a random shooter, two critically. I ended up not knowing this until two days later when I watched the news. What was scary was that it was only a block and a half away from where I was standing.
I was wondering why there was so much commotion with ambulances and police cars. I just thought some people had just suffered from heat stroke. I had wondered why there was such a large police presence. It did mar the parade for a bit and then the show went on like nothing happened.
We finally got to see some of the Carnival costumes toward the middle of the parade
Towards the end of the parade is when the elaborate costumes and dancers started to come out.
One of the beautiful float costumes of the parade
This was what I thought the parade was going to be like. Elaborate costumes and floats vying for superiority in creativity. This was carnival.
The Carnival costumes of the parade
The parade started to wind down just before 4:00pm and I started to walk through Crown Heights trying to avoid the crowds on Eastern parkway. There were loads of food vendors selling curried and jerked items and trays of take out food around $25.00 and I did not want all that heavy food. I was looking for just a snack.
As I walked up Nostrand Avenue, I seemed to walk into the heart of ‘Little Caribbean’ with its island geared grocery stores and restaurants. I passed Puff’s Patties at 812 Nostrand Avenue and looked in the window. A gentleman who was sitting outside with a friend said, “You have got to try them. Go inside and get one.” So I did.
The menu at Puffs Patties
The delicious Jamaican meat patties at Puffs Patties
The meat patties here are excellent and made right in front of you. The pastry is moist and flaky and the fillings are excellent. I had a Chicken Curry Patty full of rich flavor and a surprisedly large filling. It was delicious and spicy.
The Curry Chicken pattie I had for lunch
They were so good that I had to have another one. The woman behind the counter recommended the Jerk Chicken and that was an excellent recommendation. Another spicy and hot patty that was wonderful. The ladies behind the counter seemed happy that I was so happy and it was funny that moved me to the front of the line. I guess I looked official.
The Jerk Chicken Pattie
I ended my street meal with a dessert of a Lemon/Lime ice from the Dominican ices vendor, who could not keep up with the scooping on a hot afternoon. The ices hit the spot after a spicy meal and are perfect on a hot day. Talk about being cooled down.
The Lemon lime ice at one of the Dominican vendors
On the way back to the subway by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, I walked around Crown Heights and through the neighborhoods surround the park. Gentrification has not totally changed this area yet.
Passing Bryant Park on my way home after the parade
By 5:00pm, I got back to Manhattan and headed home. The parade had been an experience.
The incident of the shooting at the Parade
The Parade went on:
The video is credit to New York Amazing
Things to do:
The West Indian Parade takes place every Labor Day Weekend. Check their website for days and times.
I finally got into Union Square and at a nice time of the year. The park was packed with people sunning themselves, reading and enjoying the sunshine. The Farmers Market was in full swing and offered so many wonderful things for sale.
What a beautiful day to start the walk in Union Square Park
I was able to tour the neighborhood twice in the two day period over Father’s Day Weekend once at twilight just as the sun was setting and the lights were coming on at the cafes and restaurants and then the next morning after breakfast on a clear and sunny day. The buildings took on two different personalities at different times of the day.
The first part of the walk was revisiting lower Fifth Avenue from West 20th to West 14th Streets. Again which I had just covered for my blogs on the Lower Flatiron District. Just after the Civil War to WWI, the was the Midtown Manhattan of that era with the banking and shopping districts where you still see these traces in the beauty of the buildings. From Beaux-Arts to Neo-Classical, these former headquarters buildings were meant to impress. I started my tour passing the same Fifth Avenue buildings that share the border with the Lower Flatiron District.
I passed 156 Fifth Avenue as I walked this part of the neighborhood again and admired it for its detailed stonework carving and unusual styled roof. The Presbyterian Building was built in 1893 and was designed by architect James B. Baker and was designed in the French Gothic style. It was to be used by the Presbyterian Church as their base for domestic and foreign missions and used as office space. The Panic of 1893 changed that, and they had to lease the space out (Daytonian in Manhattan).
I then took the long walk down Fifth Avenue and all the architectural treasures it contains. This was once the core of the old ‘Midtown Manhattan’ after the Civil War and the City started its march uptown.
119 Fifth Avenue at the corner of East 19th Street in the Flatiron District neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City was built in 1905-06 and was designed by John H. Duncan in the neo-Renaissance style. It was built to be an annex to the Lord & Taylor department store buildings which took up most of the square block between Broadway and Fifth Avenue and East 19th and 20th Streets, being connected by bridge to two of them. After Lord & Taylor moved uptown in 1914, the building had multiple uses (Wiki).
The details of 119 Fifth Avenue
The details of 119 Fifth Avenue
One of the most impressive buildings in the neighborhood is the old Arnold Constable Store building that stretches from its Broadway entrance down the entire block on 18th Street to its Fifth Avenue entrance.
115 Fifth Avenue-Arnold Constable Department Store
This seven-story department store building was designed by architect Griffith Thomas in 1868 for the prominent dry-goods company of Arnold Constable & Company. ‘The Palace of Trade’ as it became known as, is located stretches between Broadway and Fifth Avenue. The stunning Second Empire building is faced in marble, brick, and cast-iron, features stacked arch orders and a prominent, two-story, pavilioned mansard roof. Arnold Constable & Co. was founded by Aaron Arnold, who opened a small dry goods store in the city in 1825 (Buildings of New England).
As the business prospered he moved into larger quarters numerous times. In 1842, James Constable, an employee, married Arnold’s daughter Henrietta and was subsequently made a partner. From this, the company was renamed Arnold Constable & Co. In its heyday, Arnold Constable & Co. was the largest dealer to the elite in New York City, supplying the latest fashions to a clientele that included the leading families in the city (Buildings of New England).
The building had an interesting history. The building was designed by architect Louis Korn and was designed in the Beaux-Arts design. It was completed in 1896 and it was named after Edwards Pierrepont, whose mansion had stood on the site before the construction of the building. When it opened the building was popular small publishing and mercantile companies (Dayonianinmanhattan.com).
The 103 Fifth Avenue details
103 Fifth Avenue embellishments
In between the buildings there was plaque to Levi Parsons Morton, the former Governor of New York State and the Vice-President of the United States under President Benjamin Harrison. This is where his home was located.
The plaque of the former Vice-President’s home on Fifth Avenue.
Vice-President and former New York Governor Levi Parsons Morton
The B. Shackman & Company sign was for the former B. Shackman & Company novelty and toy store that was located here until the 1970’s. The store once sold all sorts of novelties and gifts (Ephemeral New York.com/Consumer Grouch).
This beautiful office building was designed by architect Louis Korn for businessmen Henry and Samuel Korn in 1896. The office building currently houses small companies (Wiki).
The details of women looking down at us on the street at 91 Fifth Avenue
The lion details on 91 Fifth Avenue.
The last building on this part of Fifth Avenue was under an extensive renovation and I was not able to get the pictures that I wanted but still you could see the details in the building around the renovations.
Looking up Fifth Avenue from 16th Street
The Kensington Building was designed by architect Samuel Sass in the Beaux-Arts design and completed in 1906. Some of the first tenants of the building was the Milton Bradley company. The building was converted into a residential building in 1996 and were designed by architect Joseph Pell Lombardi (Landmark Branding LLC).
This part of Fifth Avenue has kept its character all these years and now that these buildings are back in vogue because of their history and design detail, they are being refitted for modern times. These were once the headquarters of companies that are now long gone but are housing the new future companies leading us into the 21st Century.
Looking up Fifth Avenue from 15th Street and the core of the Lower Flatiron District.
West 14th Street is a Hodge podge of building types and in various conditions. COVID really hit 14th Street businesses hard and between the pandemic, urban renewal of the neighborhood and changing tastes of building types, there is only a few buildings left from the era when this was a major shopping street at the turn of the last century. This was before everything moved up to the 23rd Street and Sixth Avenue area.
Much of the block between Fifth and Sixth Avenue is in the process of being knocked down, renovated or both. Still there are some architectural gems still left on the street.
On the corner of Fifth Avenue and West 14th Street is 80 Fifth Avenue.
80 Fifth Avenue is an elaborately-detailed Renaissance Revival style office building that was constructed by the architecture firm of Buchman and Fox. This building was constructed in 1908 to be used as manufacturing and office space (Kates, Ariel. Off the Grid).
Seeing better detail work on the building from the West 14th Street view.
This beautiful building’s lower and upper levels feature decorative floral and geometric ornamentation, elaborate cornices, and angled bay windows on the third floor. Ornamented pilasters are found at either side of these windows, with slightly more austere middle floors and in its arched windows and elaborate ornamentation at the top story (Kates, Ariel. Off the Grid).
The beautiful detail work on 80 Fifth Avenue.
The building’s history has a long past of companies that have worked in these offices but the most prominent had been the creation of the gay organization, The National Gay Task Force. Among the Task Force’s accomplishments during the time it was located at 80 Fifth Avenue included getting the American Psychiatric Association to end its classification of homosexuality as a mental illness; getting the federal government to end its ban on employing gay or lesbian people in any federal agencies (Kates, Ariel. Off the Grid).
When I turned to the corner and walked down East 14th Street, I know seeing developers attempt to rid Union Square of its once seedy past. As I pass the park itself, I still remember the days when this was a major drug haven, a major methadone clinic was located here and sensible people stayed far away from Union Square Park. It took Danny Meyers and the creation of Union Square Cafe in 1985 at 101 East 19th Street and then the closing of the methadone clinic to change all that. The popularity of the Farmers Market and the renovation of the park in the late 1980’s changed the complexity of the neighborhood.
The original Union Square Cafe at 21 East 16th Street
My father and I on Father’s Day at the original Union Square Cafe for lunch in early 2000’s
There were also a series of buildings around the square that were knocked down and new buildings built in their place most notably the old S. Klein on the Square building replaced by a new office building, a branch of NYU opening on the southern end of the park and the Zeckendorf Towers buildings at One Union Square changed the who complexity of Union Square into a desirable neighborhood. In the 21st Century, it is now becoming a trendy neighborhood catering to the tech industry.
As I crossed Fifth Avenue to West 14th Street towards Union Square I remembered that this was the most southern part of the old Ladies Shopping District before the Civil War. It had been the theater district as well with the Academy of Music closer to Irving Street. After the Civil War, the shopping and theater district moved uptown towards 23rd Street, then to 34th Street and then ending at 42nd Street.
Between Fifth Avenue and Broadway along the southern border of Union Square, there is not much left of that shopping district. Many of the older buildings had been knocked down in the early 1900’s for new stores and since then much of the non-landmarked buildings were again knocked down in the early 1980’s to improve the district. S. Klein stood empty from 1975, when it closed for business to 1983 when it finally was knocked down for the Zeckendorf Towers and that changed the district forever (Wiki).
Still when I walked from Fifth Avenue to Union Square there was one building that stood out amongst all the new late 20th buildings on 14th Street and that was 22-26 East 14th Street.
This impressive building at 22-26 East 14th Street built along the former Ladies Shopping Mile was once meant to impress. This was once the home for Baumann Brothers Furniture & Rugs
The building was designed by architects David and Jon Jardine for successful textile merchant James McCreery in 1881. The building was designed in the Neo-Grec and Neo-Classical design and until 1897 was the home for Baumann Brothers Furniture and Carpet store. It then passed to Woolworth’s and the broken up for other retailers. It is now home to Footlocker but you can still see the beauty in this building with its elaborate embellishments (DaytonianinManhattan.com)
You really have to stop and look at its Neo-Classical details to really appreciate this building
The intricate details of the McCreery Building
The floral details in the middle of the building
I got a chance to walk around Union Square once I finished my tours of Fifth Avenue and East 14th Street. It was a beautiful sunny day and people were outside enjoying the sun and shade in the park. The Farmers Market was going on which made it even busier. By the subway station, there were guys hustling to play chess. A typical day in Union Square Park. Thirty years ago just like Bryant Park or Madison Square Park, sensible people stayed away from these squares of green with the garbage and graffiti and drug dealing. How a City transforms itself over a period of time is confounding. From the ashes of COVID, another New York City is rising.
What impresses me the most about the park is that the crazy protestors never knocked our statues down. Inside Union Square are three very prominent and very famous statues of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and General Lafayette.
We are lucky that our statues were not knocked down like other cities in 2020. This impressive statue of General Washington sits at the entrance of Union Square.
This impressive statue of George Washington was designed by sculptor Henry Kirke Brown and was dedicated in 1856. The moment Brown depicts is that of Evacuation Day, November 25, 1783, when Washington reclaimed the city from the British. With outstretched hand, he signals to the troops in a gesture of benediction (NYCParks.org).
Artist Henry Kirke Brown was an American born artist who had studied with artists in Italy for his training. He is best known for his figurative historical statues. He also designed the statue of Abraham Lincoln in Union Square.
On the southern part of Union Square is the Climate Clock atop the NYU Dorms at 60 East 14th Street. The facade of the building makes quite the statement above Union Square if you stop to look at its details.
The new climate clock and NYU dorms replaced the once seedy shopping district the was Union Square at 60 East 14th Street
The Climate Clock melds art, science, technology, and grassroots organizing to get the world to #Actin Time. The project is centered on a simple tool: a clock that counts down the critical time window to reach zero emissions (our “Deadline”), while tracking our progress on key solution pathways (“Lifelines”) By showing us what we need to do by when, the Clock frames our critical mission — a rapid and just transition to a safe climate future — and puts it at the very forefront of our attention (Climateclock.world.com).
The building that single handedly changed Union Square (outside of Union Square Cafe) was the Zeckendorf Towers. This replaced the long closed S. Klein Department store that had closed in 1975 and lead to the seediness of the area. The store had been boarded up for years and led to the downfall of Union Square in the early 1980’s.
S. Klein Department Store on Union Square East was boarded up for years
When the store was torn down to make way for the Zeckendorf Towers, this completely changed the area. That and the renovation of Union Square in the late 1980’s and the creation of the Union Square Farmers Market made this a desirable area once again.
The Zeckendorf Towers at One Irving Place/One Union Square East
The success of the Zeckendorf Towers changed the complexity of the neighborhood for years to come replacing the S. Klein Department store. The residential building was designed by the architectural firm of Davis, Brody & Associates and was name for owner William Zeckendorf. The building was finished in 1987.
Tucked off in the corner of the park is the statue of General Lafayette. Why this important figure of the Revolutionary War is hidden is unfortunate.
The statue of General Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette, Marquis de La Fayette
The larger-than-life-sized figure was sculpted by Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, who also designed the Statue of Liberty (1886), another gift from the French government that figures prominently in New York Harbor. The granite pedestal designed by H.W. DeStuckle was donated by French citizens living in New York. (NYCParks.org).
Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was a French born artist best known for designing the Statue of Liberty. Bartholdi attended the Lycée Louis-le-Grand in Paris where he graduated in 1852. He then went on to study architecture at the Ecole nationale superieure des Beaux-Arts (Wiki).
As the sun started to set on this Sunday afternoon, 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.
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)
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 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.
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
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.
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
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
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
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 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
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).
As I turned the corner at East 20th Street I never tire of peering into Gramercy Park and keep wishing for that key. Gramercy Park is still one of the most beautiful and fantastical parks in New York City. It has once been part of the Stuyvesant estate and got its name from Gramercy Farm that once stood here. It is the only piece of the old Rose Hill Farm still in existence (Wiki).
I love the beauty of this park. There is an English feel to this park that reminds me of London and some of the neighborhoods that I visited it there. I have never been inside the park but it would be fun to walk around. I found out from researching for another blog on the Rose Hill neighborhood is that Gramercy Park is the corner and last surviving parcel of the old Rose Hill Farm.
East 20th street across from the park has some of the most interesting brownstones in Manhattan. They add to the historic value of the neighborhood. When you turn the corner of Gramercy Park off Irving Place, you will see the classic architecture that surrounds the park. It is one of the most picturesque neighborhoods in Manhattan.
The beauty of East 20th Street across from Gramercy Park
Right across the street from the park sits one of the best known brownstones in the neighborhood housing the “Players Club”. This club was made famous by the movie “Manhattan Murder Mystery’” for the wine tasting scene.
The movie “Manhattan Murder Mystery” by director Woody Allen was shot in the neighborhood
The mansion was built in 1847 and was the home of Valentine G. Hall. The building was bought by actor Edwin Booth, the older brother of John Wilkes Booth who assassinated President Lincoln. He kept a suite for himself at the top of the home and then turned the rest of the building into the “Players Club” in 1888. The club now serves as a social club with artifacts of the theater arts on display and a private restaurant (Wiki).
Artist Robert Henri was an American born artist. He studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts Philadelphia and at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He is best known for his works in the Impressionism movement (Wiki).
As I crossed Park Avenue South, I entered the familiar neighborhood of the Flatiron District meeting the bottom of the Rose Hill neighborhood. This is when Manhattan neighborhood borders get confusing. Since the Union Square technically ends at East 18th Street but that would leave two blocks open without being in a specific neighborhood, I stretched it to East 20th Street. This again borders the Flatiron and Rose Hill/NoMAD section of the City. I figure that I will let the realtors figure this one out.
When you cross the border at Park Avenue South, I admired the same buildings I had seen several month earlier when I walked these streets and avenues just as Fall semester at NYU began.
The building at 250 Park Avenue South houses the restaurant Barbounia in the base of the building.
42 East 20th Street was designed by the architectural firm of Neville & Bagge and was built in 1890 in the Beaux-Arts design. N.S. Meyer was a military company selling Army and Navy equipment since 1868 (14to42.net).
The beauty of the NS Meyer Inc. building
Next to that is another beautiful building the at 36 East 20th Street. This commercial building was built in 1901 with Beaux-Arts details on it.
The building is a commercial building that was built in 1901.
You can see the beauty of all the details
The details on the top of 36 East 20th Street
Right down the street at 28 East 20th Street is the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace Historic Site Museum. It had been closed for so long after COVID I never thought it would open any time soon. It did finally open late last year and I thought this was one of the most interesting of the historical homes in the City. This one had been completely recreated by the family and then furnished with family heirlooms from the original house. That makes for an interesting museum.
At 28 East 20th Street is the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace Historic Site, which is an exact replication of the original home that President Theodore Roosevelt was born and raised. The house that originally stood on the site was built in 1848 and was bought by the Roosevelts in 1854. Theodore Roosevelt was born there on October 27, 1858, and lived in the house with his family until 1872, when the neighborhood began to become more commercial and the family moved uptown (Wiki).
The Roosevelt House Living Room
The original building was demolished in 1916 to make way for retail space, but upon the death of Roosevelt in 1919 the lot was purchased and the house rebuilt by the Women’s Roosevelt Memorial Association, which eventually merged with the Roosevelt Memorial Association in 1953 to form the Theodore Roosevelt Association.
Theodore Roosevelt’s bedroom
Noted female American architect Theodate Pope Riddle was given the task of reconstructing a replica of the house, as well as designing the museum, situated next door, that serves to complete the site (Wiki).
The Parlor of the house
You have to take time when the museum is open to take the independent tour. When you walk around the house you will swear that the family had just left the room to grab something. It is well worth the trip to see how the family lived before they moved uptown.
The next building on the block that is unique is 7 East 20th Street, the old Holtz Building.
The old Holtz Building at 7 East 20th Street
The ornate, Beaux-Arts edifice was erected in 1907 as a commercial building with the Holtz Restaurant located on the lower two floors. In the early 1900’s Phillip Braender commissioned architect William C. Frohne to design a 12-story building, with the lower two floors being specifically customized and designed to house for the Holtz Restaurant. The Holtz was a high-end establishment catering to the upper echelon of the population and converted to condo lofts in 1987 (Corcoran Group.org/Streeteasy.org)
After I finished the walk down East 20th Street, I walked back down Fifth Avenue to Union Square Park in the mid afternoon to see what was going on. There was a smaller version of the bigger weekend Farmers Market.
The Farmers Market in Union Square is one of the biggest and most popular Farmers Markets in the City
The Union Square Greenmarket in full swing on a sunny afternoon
After walking through all the stands and admiring the wares and the baked goods, I wanted to cool down with a walk through the park. I never really noticed all the beautiful statuary in the park before. There is a lot of interesting and famous works in the park.
The original layout of the park on a gold map
The golden plaque on the sidewalk outside Union Square Park with the original layout of the park
People relaxing in the park
New Yorkers relaxing on a warm sunny afternoon in Union Square Park
When I walked around the park, I noticed more and more artwork and statuary around the park. This flagpole is located in the middle of the park. You really have to walk around the base to appreciate the details the artist created on this.
The flagpole in the middle of the park
The Independence Flagstaff in Union Square Park
Although this flagstaff commemorates the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, it is also known as the Charles F. Murphy Memorial Flagpole. The intricate bas-reliefs and plaques were completed in 1926 by sculptor Anthony De Francisci and feature a procession of allegorical figures representing democracy and tyranny, the text of the Declaration of Independence, and emblems from the original 13 colonies. The enormous flagpole, said to be one of the largest in New York State, is capped with a gilded sunburst (NYCParks.org).
Artist Anthony De Francisci is an Italian born artist whose family were stone carvers by trade. He studied at Copper Union and the National Academy of Design when he moved to New York City. He is known for his known for his work as a sculptor and his design of American currency.
The magnificent details in the flagpole
The details are amazing on the flagstaff
The flagpole was erected to commentate the 150th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence
Located at the northern end of the Union Square is the prominent statue of President Lincoln. This statue stands and overlooks the lawn of the park.
This impressive statue of Abraham Lincoln was designed by sculptor Henry Kirke Brown and was dedicated in 1870. In his statue of Lincoln, cast in 1868, and dedicated September 16, 1870, he combines a classically styled pose with a perceptive naturalism, uniting realistic detail with an idealistic stance (NYCParks.org).
Artist Henry Kirke Brown was an American born artist who had studied with artists in Italy for his training. He is best known for his figurative historical statues. He also designed the statue of George Washington in Union Square.
There is a lot more to Union Square than just the park. There is interesting architecture. Historic statuary, wonderful restaurants and great selection of stores.
The amazing part about Union Square is the transformation of the area in the past thirty years from a park that everyone avoided to one that people could not live without. From the days of being home to one of the biggest methadone clinics in the City to be home to Union Square Cafe which transformed the park, Union Square has become the gateway to Uptown.
Finishing up the walk with some relaxation in the park
The Northern end of Union Square Park
The neighborhood has transformed itself with hip cafes, expensive lofts and a Farmers Market that is the benchmark that all others hold themselves. Just watching people sit and relax in the park reminds me of how this area had changed. You have to walk the streets to see the influences of the past and the present and how it has it has morphed to the neighborhood that it has become.
Union Square Park on that sunny warm June afternoon
As I explored the borders of the park, I came across a statue of a mother and child. I never noticed that this was an old water fountain for the park. It is always blocked off by vendors during either the Farmers or Arts Markets. With nothing in front of it, I could finally see it in its full form.
Consisting of a bronze statuary group atop a granite stepped pedestal, it was crafted by German sculptor Karl Adolph Donndorf and donated by philanthropist Daniel Willis James to promote public health as well as the virtue of charity (NYCParks.org).
Artist Karl Adolph Donndorf was a German born artist know for his large realistic sculptures. He had served as an artist apprentice to further his education on sculpture (Wiki).
Just looking at old pictures online of Union Square in the 1970’s and 80’s shows me the power and resilience of Manhattan. It just goes to show you how a City can reinvent itself even in the worst of times and keep morphing!
The other blogs on the Union Square neighborhood:
Day Three Hundred and Thirteen: Walking the Borders of Union Square:
I started my walk on the streets of the Lower Flatiron District in between my volunteer time at Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen. I had been working in the pantry for both the morning and afternoon shifts and we finished the morning shift an hour early. I decided to walk down to the neighborhood on break and then walk as many blocks as I could that afternoon. I was able to walk from West 19th to West 17th and then walk back to Holy Apostles in time for lunch and then the next shift.
Each block offered its own surprises. A lot of new restaurants have opened in the area, and I have to say the prices were quite high on most of them. I am sure that the rents are getting higher in this very trendy area. There has also been a transition from commercial to residential in these gorgeous Beaux-Arts and Geo-Classical buildings.
These were buildings that were built to last as the headquarters for businesses that have long since passed. Even some before the Great Depression. Their legacy remains as you admire the details and embellishments of the buildings that line the streets here. Urban Renewal in the 1960’s was the fate of this neighborhood that has thankfully been rediscovered by a population that finally realizes that they ‘don’t build them like this anymore.’
Walking down West 19th Street, like most of the neighborhood was a mixture of architectural types with marble features and embellishments. The Siegel-Cooper Department store dominated most of the block from West 19th to West 18th and the beautiful details on the building were most impressive on the sides of the building as is the front of the building on Sixth Avenue.
The Seigel-Cooper Department store facing Sixth Avenue.
The details of the building were just as impressive when you turned the corner on the next two blocks and were able to admire the rest of the building. This can be seen on both sides of the store on West 19th and West 18th Streets.
The old Siegel-Cooper Department store while walking down West 19th Street.
The Siegel-Cooper Department store was a Chicago based store that was founded in 1877 by Henry Siegel, Frank H. Cooper and Isaac Keim. They opened the New York City store in 1896 on the Ladies Mile Shopping District. The store was designed by the architectural firm of DeLemons & Cordes in the Beaux-Arts design. When it opened, it was the largest department store in the world until Macy’s opened in 1902 (Wiki).
The Siegal Cooper insignia on the top and sides of the building.
The window details in the front of the store.
The windows on the front and sides of the buildings are so elegant.
Henry Siegel over-extended himself and sold the company in 1902 to an investor and the store declared bankruptcy in 1915 and closed in 1917. After the store closed, it was used as a military hospital and then as a warehouse. Today after years of being used as a warehouse, it now has several retailers located in the store space (Wiki).
Another building that stood out on West 19th Street was 11 West 19th Street. It was built in 1904 as an office building in the Beaux Arts design. It has since been converted to apartments.
D. Price and Company was once a fancy women’s store at the turn of the last century which ceased business in the 1920’s upon Mr. Price’s death and the store moved out as the shopping district changed by the 1930’s (DaytonianinManhattan.com).
The lion design was very prominent on many of these buildings.
The signage was very prominent on the buildings and I even saw where McCrorey’s had their business.
McCrorey’s was a discount store that had leased part of the Price Building to gain entry to the neighborhood. It closed in the early 1930’s as the neighborhood changed (Wiki).
The I passed 3 West 18th Street which was another charming building.
3 West 18th Street was built as a commercial building back in 1900 and is still in use for that purpose. The outside of the building has a Neo-Classical look about it.
The details of 3 West 18th Street
When I was walking down West 17th Street to Fifth Avenue, I looked up and saw a series of what I thought was dogs staring down on me from above and I saw the characters from 26 West 17th Street. This is the one building on the block that really stood out.
This interesting building was built in 1907 and is still being used for commercial purposes. When you look closer they were not dogs but lions staring back at you.
The details on the outside of 26 West 17th Street
The intricate detail work of the embellishments of 26 West 17th Street. The lions have a very inquisitive look about them.
I then passed the exquisitely designed 33-35 West 17th Street. This office building was constructed in 1907 and is still being used for commercial use today.
I had to race back to the Soup Kitchen for my second shift in the Pantry so I had to wait until two days later when I was in the City to visit the MoMA for an exhibition to finish the neighborhood. Before I headed down to the Flatiron district, I revisited the Upper West Side and covered neighborhoods that I had not been to in four years. Many buildings had been under scaffolding and others I had just missed when walking through the first time.
Then it was back down to West 16th Street and was floored by the detailed by the campus of The Church of Francis Xavier at 36 West 16th Street. The Church is one of the most beautiful I have seen in the City.
The Church of Francis Xavier at 36 West 16th Street
The church was designed by architect Patrick Charles Keely in the Roman Basilica style and the exterior of the church designed in the Neo-baroque style. The church has been in continual use since 1882 and was dedicated by the Archbishop Michael Corrigan that December (Wiki). The high school complex is attached and just down the road from the original church.
The Church of Frances Xavier High School at 30 West 16th Street
The history of the high school dates back to the early 1800’s. What was to become Fordham University opened in 1841 and was placed under the direction of the Jesuits in 1846. It was a member of that community, Fr. John Larkin, S.J., who in 1847 traveled to Lower Manhattan to found Xavier. The Regents of the University of the State of New York chartered Xavier in 1861 Francis Xavier HS website).
In 1886, the military department was established under the direction of the National Guard, beginning a lasting military heritage that continues to thrive today. 1897 saw the class systems reorganized to complete the break between college and high school departments. In 1912, the college was closed, and full emphasis was placed on secondary education. The enrollment was 338 at that time. With the National Defense Act of 1916, the Congress of the United States created a Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (ROTC) program and authorized the establishment of Junior ROTC units at secondary schools that would offer a course of military training for a minimum of three academic years. In 1935 Xavier’s military program became a JROTC unit (Francis Xavier HS website).
In 1968, Xavier was raised to the status of a military institute, offering four years of military science and training. Graduates were then eligible for two years credit towards Senior ROTC advancement and one honor cadet could be nominated for each of the major service academies. The JROTC program became optional for students in 1971 (Francis Xavier HS website).
When I was walking on the other side of the street from the high school, I noticed this unique urban garden that this homeowner created and I was struck about the choice of plants and the colors and the vibrance of the plantings. It really pepped up the block.
The urban garden in front of 33 West 16th Street was unique and colorful.
When I walked down West 15th Street, it was later in the afternoon and I could see shadows forming in the corners of the buildings. The back of the Francis Xavier Church and School was the Xavier Mission, which was busy with people lining up to receive food packages. The blocks below West 17th Street until you get to West 14th Street are more residential. The church complex pretty much takes up most of the blocks along West 15th and 16th Streets.
The back part of the school and church complex and the residential area of West 15th Street
Weird street art along West 15th Street
I was not sure whether this street artist was commenting on greed, making fun of those who have money or mocking the wealthy but I thought this was interesting.
There was one standout along West 15th and it was the toy store, Kidding Around, which has been a neighborhood staple since 1993. The store was founded in 1989 on Bleeker Street and has been part of the neighborhood for over thirty years. The store’s philosophy has been “We are a local family-owned toy store founded on the idea that good toys inspire creativity and educate while encouraging family interaction and fun!” (Kidding Around website).
This interesting little toy store is stocked from floor to ceiling with interactive and educational toys in a whimsical environment. The displays and the signage just add to the fun. Both kids and adults alike when I was walking around were having a good time.
The Dolls and Board Games section of the store.
The Science and Book section of the store.
I finished my walk of the Lower Flatiron District just as it was getting dark. The sun was still peeking out but the early evening was upon me. This is a neighborhood in transition with a lot of renovation and building going on and there will be more changes in the future as these projects finish. It may not be the ‘fashionable’ shopping district of the early 1800’s but it is holding its own.
These beautiful old buildings are finding life again as condos and apartments bringing a new energy to a neighborhood that is growing to be a ‘university’ community with the New School, NYU and CUNY moving into the area. There is a certain vibe and energy happening here.
Read my blog on Walking the Borders and Avenues of the Lower Flatiron District:
The one thing I suggest getting is the Sprinkle Cookie Cake Batter Vodka Martini infused Ice Cream sandwich. Words can’t describe how good this dessert is and after a long day it will give you a nice buzz.
The Sprinkle Cookie Cake Batter Vodka Martini Ice Cream sandwich I highly recommend
Justin Watrel at Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen on April 19th, 2024.
I have been volunteering at Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen (HASK) since September of 2003 ( I have mentioned this in many of my blogs) and it has been a wonderful and very humbling experience. I have clocked in many hours since I started and have seen many volunteers come and go along the way. On April 19th, 2024, I finally reached my reach goal and achieved the 2500 hour status.
This had always been a goal of mine since the first Volunteer lunch I attended back in 2003, my first year of volunteering at HASK. I always remember the pride that everyone felt when they achieved their 500, 1000, 2500 and 5000 hour awards at that lunch.
In the old days (pre 2008 meltdown), the 500 and 1000 hour award winners got a beautiful plaque, the 2500 hour winners got a engraved clock and the 5000 hour winners got an beautifully engraved silver bowl. We have not done those things in years but there is still that sense of accomplishment when we hit those milestone hours. I felt it at the recent Volunteer lunch in April 2024.
I have been volunteering at HASK since September 30th, 2003. It was the wanting to help the volunteers who were assisting at the piles downtown after 9/11. I had just moved home from the island of Guam and wanted to do something to help the effort in New York City. That and as a Culinarian and Hospitality Major, I thought I could put my cooking skills to some use for the 9/11 effort.
At that point though, Mayor Bloomberg had closed the piles to volunteers and machinery took over. So the volunteering was over. The Italian restaurant downtown, which had been supplying all the food for lunch and dinner was shutting down from feeding volunteers. The owner told me he no longer needed anyone but suggested I volunteer at a soup kitchen which there were a few in the City that needed help. The economy sucked at this time and they were all busy. A year and a half later after settling in at home, I looked into volunteering again.
While participating on a walking tour of Brooklyn for a ‘Trends in Retail’ class at the Fashion Institute of Technology (where I am an Alumnus), I saw on our volunteer board on campus Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen and decided to volunteer the next week. The was September 30th, 2003.
I have seen many changes over the years going from a small buffet line to a massive one created before COVID and then after the closing of the line on March 13th, 2020 and the pivot to outside takeout service. Now we only have outside take out service, sandwich drop off and pantry service, where people order their groceries with us and pick them up when they ‘place the order’ with us on site and pick them up while they are there. It’s a new system that seems to be working well.
In between my last semester at NYU, where I will graduating with my Masters in Global Hospitality Management on May 17th and my classes I have been teaching at Bergen Community College this semester, I have been volunteering more between classes. That’s how I finally finished the 2500 hour goal. I by no means will be stopping. There is now the 5000 hour goal to accomplish but it is that sense of joining all those other volunteers who achieved that goal and that sense of pride of giving back to a City we love so much that makes it worth it. Please note that I did not get the clock but with cellphones no one really uses them in the house anymore. One more thing to dust. It’s just that sense of accomplishment that means so much to me.
The lunch was really wonderful. We started off with a very inspirational talk by Reverend Anne, who talked about the pride of giving and then our Volunteer Coordinator Steve talked about the people who accomplished the milestone hours.
The volunteers who accomplished milestone goals. I entered the 2000 hour plus category. My name proudly added to the listing right in the middle of the listing.
Reverend Anne giving her inspirational speech that afternoon.
The volunteers at HASK enjoying the talk that afternoon just before lunch was served.
The lunch was a lot of fun and the food delicious.
The table was set with fresh salad, rolls and a dense Chocolate cake for dessert.
The Buffet line had Mushroom Ravioli, Roasted Broccoli, Stuffed Chick and Fish entrees and vegetables. The food was plentiful and wonderful. Everyone really enjoyed the lunch that afternoon.
The Mushroom Ravioli
The Roasted Broccoli
The Stuffed Fish entree
The Stuffed Chicken entree
The rich Chocolate cake for dessert.
It wasn’t the food that meant so much to me that afternoon even though lunch was really good and the Stuffed Chicken delicious, it was joining that rank with the people who had achieved so much that afternoon and whom I respected for their work at HASK. That sense of us giving back to the community that meant the world to me.
The irony is that the person I so much wanted to be like, Oswaldo, who I met on that first day volunteering and who achieved his 500 hour award at that first luncheon I went to twenty-one years ago, was there that day at this luncheon. I had not seen him since our Pre-COVID days and was now only volunteering on Wednesdays, when I was teaching class. He now only volunteers on Wednesday mornings.
When I reminded him of our years of volunteering together and that first Volunteer Lunch years ago, he just laughed and also wondered where the time had went. He also noted when I brought up the achievement of the 2500 hours and the clock, he laughed and said he did not know where his was anymore.
I guess we all go full circle in life. Like I said, I do not need a clock to mark this milestone. I am just proud that maybe I am making a difference in people’s lives. Whether a person is homeless, working poor, disabled or maybe a new immigrant to this country and to New York City, I am helping them to achieve their dreams as well. A place to rest and eat can give anyone a breather is always a helping hand. Isn’t this what God wants from us in the ‘Platinum Rule’? Treat those as they would want to be treated?
As I look forward to graduation from NYU and a new chapter in my own life, it is another sense of accomplishment along with my Masters that makes me feel fulfilled and humbled. This is how we grow and change in life.
Plus now I have another 2500 hours to accomplish. Maybe they will bring that silver bowl back some day!
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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).
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
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).
mywalkinmanhattan 