I never thought I would see the day that Manhattan would look like Beirut. Manhattan and the rest of New York City finally opened back up and it was right after all the riots had happened all over the City.
Author Dominick Dunne wrote a book years ago entitled “Another City, Not My Own” about his return to Los Angeles after years of being away. It has been four months since the Membership Night at the Met Breuer, and I swear it was almost surreal going back into New York City for the first time in over four months. I felt like I was in exile.
First barely anyone was on the bus into New York. I was one of about seven people on the bus that had to stop in Union City, NJ first before getting into Manhattan. It was strange to see everyone with masks on. It was a real eye opener. I felt like I was entering a different world and you could feel it when we arrived in Port Authority Bus Terminal. I had never seen the terminal so quiet in all my years coming into the City. Even late at night when I used to take the 12:20am or 1:20am buses out of Manhattan, there will still people all over the place at night.
When you get into Port Authority Terminal, there is not a lot of people hanging around anymore. All the stores and restaurants are closed except for a few fast-food coffee places as not everything has opened up yet. Coming out of the terminal, there are no longer the crowds hanging out outside the terminal like there used to be. Everyone is on their way to where they have to go.
I started my walk up Eight Avenue past all the bodegas, fast food restaurants and many closed hotels. This stretch of Avenue was very quiet and because of the recent protesting and looting due to the George Floyd incident in Minneapolis, the Theater District was completely fenced off. You could not walk through that section of the neighborhood. There were a few fast-food places open for takeout and the popular Shake Shack, the upscale hamburger restaurant, was open for takeout and going strong with the few tourists and businesspeople in the area.
Some businesses were still closed and boarded up due to the nights of looting the first week of June during the protests. Plywood covered some of the smaller stores and hotels while most everything else was either starting to open up or opened. This was a very different scene from a week ago.
When I arrived at Columbus Circle, my end point for the project on the West Side, Columbus Circle Park has fencing and guard rails around it. They were trying to protect the statue of Christopher Columbus that stands tall atop a pedestal.
Columbus Circle in its better days
All over the county, people are vandalizing statues of what they conceive as ‘controversial’ historical figures and Christopher Columbus seems to now be a major target. The statue, created by artist Gaetano Russo, was donated by Americans of Italian descent and lead by publisher Carlo Barsotti, was dedicated in 1892 on the 400th Anniversary of Columbus arriving in the New World.
Now the statue, fountain and park are behind fencing to keep vandal from defacing the statue. It is a sad day in this Country when people try to ‘erase’ history because they do not agree with it. Trust me, the police were all over Columbus Circle.
The Christopher Columbus Statue at Columbus Circle
The details on the bottom of the statue
It was even stranger as I walked down 59th Street toward Fifth Avenue. All the hotels were boarded up on the lower levels, the apartment buildings had guards inside and out and to see plywood across the Plaza Hotel and the Park Lane Hotel it almost makes me wonder what Leona Helmsley, who once owned the hotel, would say? The guards and the doorman were standing tall in front of the hotels trying to direct people.
Turning the corner to Fifth Avenue was very calming. All over Fifth Avenue merchants were either taking down the plywood or had taken it down by Monday afternoon when I started my walk. Just six days earlier, businesses were scrambling to put the boards up and now they were taking them down. The guards were still there but there was security inside and out in stores up and down Fifth Avenue.
Bergdorf-Goodman with plyboards (has since come down)
The new Nordstrom Department Store that opened on Broadway was just taking the last of their plyboards down when I took a quick on Broadway to see the store. By the time I passed The Plaza Hotel, Bergdorf-Goodman and the Apple Store had either taken their boards down or were just finishing. Walking further down Fifth Avenue, the condition of the shopping area went block by block.
Fifth Avenue boarded up (still up at the time of this writing)
The exclusive stores on one side of St. Patrick’s Cathedral were still boarded up and Saks Fifth Avenue had taken all the plyboards down but still had guards all around the store. Even Rockefeller Center which just five and a half months ago was mobbed with people for the holidays was fenced off with guards and police all around it. You could only see the fountain in the distance.
Fifth Avenue north of St. Patrick’s Cathedral (still up at the time if this writing)
The change that five years can bring in November 2025
Saks Fifth Avenue had been really closed off with plywood on the doors and windows and barbed wire against the building. Armed guards with watch dogs monitored the store for several days. When I got there on Monday, the guards and dogs were still there but the boards were taken down, but the store still looked eerie.
Saks Fifth Avenue boarded up (has since come down)
The guards did not look like anyone’s fools, and I walked by quickly on my way down Fifth Avenue to East 44th Street. The Cornell Club which is where I work when I am in Manhattan working on the blog, was closed tight and would not be opening according to the sign until July 1st. Across the street from the club, the headquarters for Brooks Brothers Men’s store, which just declared bankruptcy, was still boarded up tight like that whole section of Madison Avenue. Madison Avenue also was just opening up the afternoon I was in Manhattan.
From East 44th Street, I walked down Fifth Avenue through the old shopping district below East 42nd Street and it was sad to see the old Lord & Taylor building being torn apart for an office building. A company that has been in business since 1826 declared bankruptcy and will be liquidated as soon as stores are allowed too fully open. This was a company that was once one of the best women’s stores in the world reduced to closing because of bad management.
Even Lord & Taylor could not get a break from all this
I rounded the corner at West 34th Street to see Macy’s Herald Square, where I had worked for four years back in the 1990’s when the neighborhood was not that great. The store had just taken the plywood off the store and the windows that were damaged on the night of the looting a week ago had been replaced. There was security and guards all around the store and strangely enough people were eating their lunch in the plaza by Herald Square like nothing had happened a few days earlier.
Macy’s Herald Square boarded up (has since come down)
I could not believe what I saw on TV the night it was being looted and there were small fires outside the store. I had been working at the store during the Rodney King riots, the first attack on the World Trade Center and the problems in Crown Heights but I never thought I would see anything like this as the neighborhood is far better today than it was back then.
Macy’s the night of the looting a week ago
I never thought I would live to see this at a store I worked at for four years
As I walked by the store filled with colorful displays and ‘reopening soon’ signs you would have never known any of this had just happened a week earlier. People were just walking along the sidewalks like it was a regular day.
My walk continued down Seventh Avenue past the Fashion Institute of Technology, which was all boarded up since the campus is closed for classes and guards were all over the place. Here and there small restaurants and shops had now opened for curve side business and deliveries.
I crossed over to West 23rd Street to Ninth Avenue and again small take out places had reopened and drug stores were buzzing with people. There was a lot of people walking around in the neighborhood, taking to one another or walking their dogs. I walked past Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen which was gated at that time as service ended at 1:00pm and there was newsletters and posts on the fence that dated back to March 13th when the Soup Kitchen closed for business.
I walked up Ninth Avenue and crossed over again onto West 38th Street to where all the reasonable restaurants and take out places who cater to the Garment District are located. Most were closed for business but there were still a few Chinese places still open to the workers in the area.
I walked back into Times Square and took the subway to Chinatown. Now that was unusual. The platform had about four other people on it and it was spotless. There were no homeless people hanging around and the everything was very clean. I took the N Subway downtown and the car was spotless as well. I had never seen such a clean subway car. There was only two of us on the car and he was about ten feet away from me. We got to Chinatown the quickest I ever had in all the time I took the subway. Another eerie thing was all the posters on the walls of the subways were dated back from either February or March. By Chinatown, there is still a poster for a failed Christmas film.
Chinatown in lower Manhattan is usually a bustling neighborhood where you can barely walk the streets because there are so many people on the sidewalks. The sidewalks are usually lined on all sides by fruit and vegetable vendors and people selling prepared foods. I had not seen the neighborhood this quiet ever. Even when I visited Chinatown after 9/11 for my birthday dinner it was not this quiet. Almost all the businesses were still closed.
Mott Street which is the heart of Chinatown was deserted. Most of the popular restaurants and take out places were closed. Wonton Noodle Garden, my go to place for Cantonese Wonton Soup, was just doing takeout and delivery. It is hard to believe the last time I had eaten there was March 9th and it was almost empty then.
Most of Mott Street and the side streets were closed for business.
It was strange to walk down a street of closed restaurants and stores. Unlike Little Italy located across Canal Street, they have never closed Mott Street down for outside dining. There were a few restaurants opened here and there and I was surprised that Chinatown Ice Cream Factory on Bayard Street was open that afternoon and they looked busy.
I walked all over the neighborhood and one after one of my favorite spots to eat where either closed down or were in the process of opening up again. There were not too many choices to eat at in the late afternoon. Still, I walked to Chrystie Street and my old standby, Chi Dumpling House at 77 Chrystie Street A, for some fried pork and chive dumplings ($2.00). I swear that just cheered my up after everything I saw.
Chi Dumpling House at 77 Chrystie Street (Closed January 2023)
I sat in Sara Delano Roosevelt Park and just enjoyed the warm sunny day. The food at Chi Dumping House could put a smile on anyone’s face. These plump pork and chive dumplings are perfectly fried and crisp and crackle when you bite into them. With a little hot sauce, it was the perfect meal.
The dumplings here are so good (I had to eat outside in the park)
The people who were walking around seemed happy to be outside and that there was calm in the air. It was a beautiful sunny day and people were sitting and talking, jogging around the park and talking to their kids. There was some normalcy in the world that afternoon.
As I traveled back down Canal Street, I needed something sweet to finish off the meal and everyone one of my favorite bakeries was closed so I tried New Cameron Bakery at 242 Canal Street.
The selection was pretty small that afternoon and I chose one of their Sweet Topped Buns ($1.35). A couple of bites of that and it really made the afternoon.
The sweet topped bun
Before I took the E Subway back up town to leave the Manhattan, I took a quick stroll through SoHo (South of Houston), which once upon a time when I was growing up was a manufacturing district and then was an artist enclave in the late 70’s and through the 80’s. By the 2000’s, it had become an extremely expensive and exclusive neighborhood. After a night of looting and stealing, the whole neighborhood boarded up.
SoHo boarded up
I had not seen the neighborhood look like this since the 1970’s and I can’t believe it looked the same when I was a kid. I have to admit the graffiti on the plywood was interesting but not something I really wanted to see here now.
This was truly pathetic
It is a sad day when you see human nature at its worst but I am still convinced that there are more good people in this world then bad and I still think we are winning!
Esmeraldo Bakery is one of my ‘go-to’ spots when I am up in Washington Heights in Upper Manhattan. This Dominican bakery is very popular in the neighborhood and is in the middle of the busy shopping district between Broadway and Audubon Avenue along the 181st Street corridor. It has the nicest selection of baked goods and hot and cold snacks to choose from. The one nice thing I love about the bakery is that almost everything is a dollar or around that.
The cases are full of delicious doughnuts, turnovers and pastries
I have been the bakery on many occasions and have had a chance to ‘munch’ through a lot of the pastries. The Chocolate and Vanilla topped doughnuts ($1.00) are light, fluffy and have a nice chewy consistency. Their Sugar Twist doughnuts ($1.00) are fluffy and rolled in lots of cinnamon sugar.
The doughnuts, twists and hot food
I tried one of their apple turnovers ($1.00) which was dredged in a honey topping and loaded with a sweet apple filling. When eating them you will need to wipe your hands a lot but it is worth it.
The apple turnovers at Esmeraldo’s Bakery
The Apple Turnovers were delicious
They also had Pineapple Turnovers in the case and they were just as good. The pineapple filling was tangy and sweet.
The Pineapple Turnover
The Pineapple turnovers are excellent
On the same trip I tried one of their powder sugar topped cream horn ($1.00), which was loaded inside with a sweet cream and with every bite the horn came apart in my mouth.
Just visiting this month, I tried it again and it is still delicious. I also had one of their sugar topped doughnuts, which I could tell were just made. It was so loaded with sugar that each bite had an extra sweetness to it.
The sugar doughnut I had in 2023 was freshly made and loaded with sugar.
The flaky elephant ears
I recently had one of their Cinnamon Raison Pinwheels ($1.50), which has rolled sweet dough studded with raisons and then topped with more cinnamon sugar and then baked.
They also have delicious Elephant Ear cookies that have a combination of caramelized sweet cinnamon and sugar combination and flaky texture.
These buttery delights pull apart with each bite and you can taste the caramelized cinnamon that top the Danish.
There is also a selection of hot snacks as well. Their Cubanitos, which are a meat filled type of pie are excellent ($1.25). They are filled with a spicy ground meat filling that will warm you up on a cold day. Another delicious snack is their Relentos, ($1.25), which are a type of potato croquette that are filled with ground meat and are another snack that warms the body on a cool day.
On a recent trip, I tried one of the Ham and Cheese Rolls ($1.50) that had just come out of the oven and they were delicious. I am not sure what the Spanish name for this roll was but it came with bits of chopped ham and Cheddar Cheese baked into the dough. That was almost a complete meal.
The Ham and Cheese roll is so good!
The inside of the Ham and Cheese roll
There are also a variety of fruit filled turnovers, small pies and cakes, slices of pound cake and an assortment of cookies to choose from.
Be prepared though to speak some broken Spanish if you do not know the language fluently. Most of the ladies working behind the counter’s native tongue is Spanish but they are extremely nice and will guide you along with your selection.
After a trip into Esmeraldo Bakery, take some time to walk around the 181st Street shopping corridor. There are a lot of great shops and some excellent Dominican restaurants in the neighborhood. It was especially beautiful during the Christmas holiday season.
Esmeraldo Bakery is one of my ‘go-to’ spots when I am up in Washington Heights in Upper Manhattan. This Dominican bakery is very popular in the neighborhood and is in the middle of the busy shopping district between Broadway and Audubon Avenue along the 181st Street corridor. It has the nicest selection of baked goods and hot and cold snacks to choose from. The one nice thing I love about the bakery is that almost everything is a dollar or around that.
The cases are full of delicious doughnuts, turnovers and pastries
I have been the bakery on many occasions and have had a chance to ‘munch’ through a lot of the pastries. The Chocolate and Vanilla topped doughnuts ($1.00) are light, fluffy and have a nice chewy consistency. …
I finally entered the core of the tourist area of Manhattan with Central Park South, some of the most expensive real estate in the world and some of the most spectacular views of Central Park. It is also one of the most iconic neighborhoods and most photographed in New York City. It is the neighborhood that is anchored by The Plaza Hotel in one corner, the Time-Warner Building Complex in another, the New York Hilton in another and the newly reopened Museum of Modern Art in the last corner. This are some of the most famous modern landmarks in Manhattan.
The Plaza Hotel in front of the Fifth Avenue Plaza
This neighborhood is also one of the smaller I have walked but packed with famous landmarks, lots of street art, many beautifully designed buildings and here and there remainders of the ‘old’ New York of the 70’s and 80’s that is being ushered aside by new buildings with new ideas.
The Pulitzer Fountain graces the small park.
This busy little park is a refuge for people shopping on Fifth Avenue, tourists wanting to take pictures of the Plaza Hotel and the pigeons so watch out. The park is of the Grand Army Plaza that extends to the other side West 59th Street.
The fountain was designed by sculptor Karl Bitter and the park by architect Thomas Hastings of the firm Carrere & Hastings. The statue is of the Pomona, the Goddess of Abundance who is holding a basket of fruit.
When Mr. Bitter died in a car accident, the statue was finished by his assistant, Karl Gruppe with the help of Isidore Konti. The fountain was dedicated in 1916 (Wiki).
It was a rather gloomy day when I started the walk and after a busy day working the Bread station at Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen. With the weather getting cooler, the Soup Kitchens’ needs begin to change, and we are starting to see the effects of the Fall upon us with people needing warm weather outfits and more places to sleep than ever. It looks like it is going to be a very cold winter!
I started my walk in front of one of the most famous hotels in the world, The Plaza Hotel at 768 Fifth Avenue. This iconic masterpiece is more cult figure than a hotel. The 20 story hotel opened in 1907, replacing a smaller version of the hotel and was designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh in the ‘French Renaissance inspired chateau style’ design (Wiki). The hotel is famous for its restaurants, The Oak Room and the Palm Court for Afternoon Tea and has been used in countless TV shows and movies.
The problem with walking around the hotel these days is that hotel security is really tight and since the recent renovation of the hotel, most the hotel is now closed off. You can still visit the Plaza Hotel Food Hall (which is wildly expensive) and the Palm Court for meals. Since the renovation that turned most of the hotel into condos, the hotel just does not have the same zing it once did. Everything now seemed so overpriced. The famous Afternoon Tea is now $86.00 (US) and even the burger which I enjoyed as a teenager is now $32.00 (US). I thought that was a bit much.
The Palm Court at the Plaza Hotel is a New York Institution
Entering the lobby of the Plaza Hotel in July of 2025
The hallway in front of the Palm Court
Afternoon Tea in the last seating in the afternoon
The Palm Court at the beginning of the last seating
I recently had Afternoon Tea in Palm Court with my best friend and her nephew. It really brought back a lot of memories for me when I used to come here in the 1990’s in my Macy years. It was a thrill to come back but it just didn’t seem the same. Still it was a lot of fun to come back for Afternoon Tea at the Plaza.
The hallway Chandelier’s from the film still shine
Don’t miss this fun scene of The Plaza Hotel in Home Alone 2 with former President Trump
Afternoon Tea at the Palm Court is iconic and we really enjoyed it. Maricel works at the Plaza and had arranged for the afternoon out. It was a lot of fun.
Maricel’s little cousin enjoying tea that afternoon
The tea sandwiches and cakes and sweets
The sandwiches on the tea stand
The cakes and sweets on the tea stand
Enjoying Afternoon Tea at the Plaza
Enjoying the tea sandwiches
Maricel out of uniform and on the other side of the kitchen enjoying Afternoon Tea with us
Another iconic hotel and once part of the Helmsley Hotel Empire is the Park Lane Hotel at 36 Central Park South. The hotel was constructed in 1971 and designed by Emery Roth and Sons for financier Harry Helmsley. The hotel was designed in the post-modernism design. The hotel was once noted when run by Hotelier Leona Helmsley for ‘Harry’s Bar’ named after her husband. It was noted for its drinks and complimentary appetizers. The hotel itself may be replaced by a super tall building in the near future.
Columbus Circle itself was part of the great plan of Central Park in 1857 by Fredrick Law Olmsted, the designer of many parks in New York City as having four rotary entrances to the park. The other rotary in the neighborhood is Grand Army Plaza by The Plaza Hotel.
I then walked across that street to the Time Warner Building right off the subway station under Columbus Circle (it is amazing where they put this stuff) to the food court in the subway station. The Turnstyle Underground Market is located at the West 59th Street entrance at the Time-Warner Building. Just take the escalator down.
The Turnstyle Underground is in the subway station at the Time Warner Building at 59 Columbus Circle
The food court market had just reopened a few months ago and the place was more than half empty. All the great little restaurants that were independently owned were gone. VIctims to the COVID pandemic and the lack of tourists and office workers. I had read that my favorite, Daa Dumplings had closed about four or five months ago due to lack of traffic (See Day One Hundred and Fifty-Walking the Borders of Central Park South):
If I saw four people sitting down there, it was a lot. Most of the restaurants were empty and almost all the small stores were gone as well. Even the bar that was so popular at the end of the food court and the small independent pizzeria were shut down. It was really spooky because just a year and a half earlier your could not get a seat here.
While walking down West 59th Street, look across the street into Central Park as the leaves are starting to change colors and the signs of autumn are in the air. They don’t call this Central Park South for no reason as you will see some the best and safest views of the Park here.
On the Park side of West 59th Street, you will notice the Monument to General Jose de San Martin, the liberator of Peru just past the entrance to Sixth Avenue. This statue which sits at the entrance to Central Park South, makes a pretty bold statement. General Jose de San Martin helped liberate Argentina, Chile and Peru from Spain in the early part of the 19th century.
The statute was created by French Sculptor Louis Joseph Daumas and the statue was given to New York City by the City of Buenos Aires in exchange for a statue of General George Washington that we sent to their country. The statue was dedicated in 1951 (NYCParks.org).
General Jose de San Martin Statue on West 59th Street
The other statue further in the park
Down further was a statue of Simon Bolivar. The Simon Bolivar statue commemorates a military general and advocate of Pan-Americanism. Bolivar (1783-1830) is credited with the liberation from Spanish domination of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Panama (NYCParks.com).
Mrs. Sally James Farnham was an American born self taught sculpture artist who was influenced and trained by several sculpturer friends of hers. She was known for her large public works statues (Wiki).
In 1916, the Venezuelan government sponsored a worldwide competition to select a sculptor to render Bolivar. From 20 entrants, the committee selected Sally James Farnham (1876-1943), a relatively unknown sculptor. Farnham’s statue depicts Bolivar in full military dress upon his steed, which has its hoofs in the air. The sculpture was dedicated at Bolivar Hill on April 19, 1921. United States President Warren G. Harding (1865-1923), who spoke at the event, used the occasion to deliver a major policy address in which he urged greater cooperation between North and South America (NYCParks.com).
Continuing the walk down West 59th Street, you will next pass the JW Marriott Essex House New York Hotel at 160 Central Park West. This iconic hotel was designed to be a condominium hotel complex and construction started on the hotel one day after the Stock Market Crash of 1929.
The JW Marriott Essex House Hotel at 160 Central Park West
The hotel opened during the Depression in 1931. In 1969, it was acquired by Marriott hotels and since then has has several owners and management groups. Take a good look at the hotel as its details are an excellent example of Art Deco style architecture.
The Essex House sign is a fine example of Art Deco style art.
The hotel’s historical plaque
Walking further down West 59th Street, you will pass the famous NY Athletic Club at 180 Central Park South. This private club was founded in 1868 and has some of the best sporting facilities in New York City. This interesting building was designed by architect Charles W. Clinton and was built in the early twentieth century. Really look up to see the interesting details of the building.
The New York Athletic Club at 180 Central Park South
The details on the entrance of the New York Athletic Club
The details on the front of the New York Athletic Club
As I continued walking down West 59th Street towards Columbus Circle I saw the familiar sites of that statue of Christopher Columbus and the Time-Warner Complex in the background. It has been a long time since I finished the Upper West Side of Manhattan and even as I walk those streets again I always feel like I missed something.
Columbus Circle has changed over the last twenty years
The Christopher Columbus Statue at Columbus Circle
The detail work on the statue
Columbus Circle is always busy day and night with street vendors, bicyclists, performers and just people sitting and reading or enjoying the weather and people watching on a warm day.
The 76 foot statue was designed by Italian sculptor Gaetano Russo as part of a plan to honor Columbus’s discovery of the Americas as part of the 1892 commemoration of the 400 year anniversary of the event. If you look closely at the pillar, you will see the reliefs of the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria ships on the memorial (Columbus Memorial and Wiki).
Columbus Circle itself was part of the great plan of Central Park in 1857 by Fredrick Law Olmsted, the designer of many parks in New York City as having four rotary entrances to the park. The other rotary in the neighborhood is Grand Army Plaza by The Plaza Hotel.
The Time Warner Center on the other side of the circle represents the massive change in the Upper West Side from a liberal working class area to the new luxury of Manhattan. The Time Warner Center is a mixed use building containing office space, the Mandarin Hotel, many exclusive restaurants and shops and entertainment. The building was designed by David Childs and Mustafa Kemel Abadan of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. This modern palace of luxury replaced the old New York Coliseum and opened in 2003 (Wiki). Don’t miss just wondering around the building.
On the other side of the Circle is the new Museum of Art & Design that opened in 2008. The building was the former home of the Gallery of Modern Art designed by Edward Durell Stone in 1969. The building was modernized by architect Brad Cloepfil (Wiki) and the museum shows interesting aspects of art from media, video, painting and photography. I just recently saw the “Post Punk New Wave” exhibition at the museum.
Museum of Art and Design at 2 Columbus Circle
The Post Punk New Wave Exhibition at the Museum of Art and Design
As I rounded the corner, the neighborhood is full of Post War architecture but one building stands out with its modern twist. The Hearst Tower at 300 West 57th Street.
The first six floors of the original Hearst Tower were built in 1928 by architect Joseph Urban for the headquarters of the Hearst publishing empire. The building was originally supposed to have an office tower on top but the Great Depression put a stop to the construction. Take a look at the statuary, stone work and details of the original building before admiring the new addition (Wiki).
Admire the detail work of the original 1928 building
Architect Norman Foster designed the 46 story addition to the building which was completed in 2006. The addition of glass and steel is designed in the ‘Diagrid’ pattern and was the first ‘green building’ with environmental features in New York City (Wiki).
As I walked the border of the neighborhood on West 54th Street from Eighth Avenue, you can see the traces of Old Residential New York side by side with the new office towers, hotels and the extension of the Museum of Modern Art on the corner of West 54th and Fifth Avenue.
The first building that popped out to me was The Albermarle at 205 West 54th Street. This 12 story Beaux-Arts building was built in 1903 and was once known as the Hotel Harding and then the Alba. Actress Mae West once living in the building. The hotel at one time was home to the notorious “Club Intime” run by Texas Guinan. This was a well-known Speakeasy during Prohibition (City Realty).
Take time to look at the detailed stone work and carvings along the building. It really stands out amongst its more modern neighbors.
Walking further down the street, you will realize that this part of the neighborhood is home to many of the most famous ‘old line’ hotels in Manhattan. At 65 West 54th Street is the luxury Warwick Hotel.
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).
As you continue to walk the border of West 54th Street closer to Fifth Avenue, you will see the back of the Museum of Modern Art which just reopened after its renovation and expansion. On the northern side of West 54th Street is a series of historical mansions each with its distinctive look.
The James Gordon House at 9-11 West 54th Street really stands out. James J. Gordon was the owner of the Erie Railroad and two insurance companies and was a cousin of JPMorgan, the banker. The house was designed by McKim, Mead & White in the Colonial American style. Mr. Gordon’s family had come to the United States in the 17th century and was from an old line Connecticut family. Look at the classic look of the mansion and its elegant stone and grill work. The house is now on the market for 65 million dollars (Curbed New York).
Another mansion that stands out along West 54th Street is the William Murray House at 13-15 West 54th Street. These twin mansions were built for Larchmont businessman William Murray by architect Henry Janeway Hardenbergh in the ‘Renaissance style’. This section of fashionable mansions is what is left of the Gilded Age residences in the neighborhood.
Seed54 Sculpture at the corner of Sixth Avenue and West 54th Street
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).
Artist Haresh Lalvani in front of one of his “HyperSurface” works
At the very edge of the neighborhood is 254 West 54th Street now the home of a theater but in the late 70’s was home to the famous ‘Studio 54’ nightclub and epicenter of the Disco era. There has never been a club before and after that can compare to it.
The club was opened in 1977 by club owners Steve Rubell and Ian Schlager who had once opened clubs out on Long Island and to much fanfare and the party did not end until the club was raided for tax evasion and closed February of 1980. The party was over! The club continued to open over the years but the original magic was gone as the Disco era faded away in the early 80’s.
254 West 54th Street The famous former “Studio 54”
The history of the Rise and Fall of Studio 54
So Central Park South keeps morphing. From fashionable residential area to commercial properties and hotels now back to residential properties. The buildings get renovated or gutted, knocked down and then rebuilt or a bit of both. But you can see by the architecture, stores, new hotels and progressive office buildings the area just keeps changing. From the added Nordstrom’s (let’s see how long it lasts in this retail environment) to the converting hotels to condos back to hotels it is a never ending change.
I ended the day eating at the food court below the Time Warner Building right off the subway station under Columbus Circle (it is amazing where they put this stuff). The Turnstyle Underground Market is located at the West 59th Street entrance at the Time-Warner Building. Just take the escalator down.
Among the independent vendors that I passed, one stood out and it was one I had read about in the WestSider newspaper, Daa! Dumpling (See review on TripAdvisor-Now Closed) at 1000 South 8th Avenue.
Daa! Dumpling is so good! (Closed 2021)
This little Russian Dumplings are delicious. Perfectly boiled and seasoned I had the combination chicken and pork dumplings with sour cream and pickles and each bite was a pleasure. The woman even kept it open for me when I ordered and closed as soon I started to devour my dumplings. For $8.00, they were so good and dipping them into the sour cream made them extra rich.
It was the perfect meal to end the day.
When visiting the Underground Market in 2021, the era of COVID, the market has been badly hit and more than half the stores, restaurants and take out places have closed for business. The ones that were remaining the afternoon I had visited were barely busy. It was sad to see from a market that was once elbow to elbow.
To see my write up on the border of Fifth Avenue with Midtown East, see MywalkinManhattan.com below:
Day One Hundred & Forty Six: Walking the Streets of Midtown East:
To see the historic buildings and hotels I provided all the addresses to see them on your own. Just look for the plaques on the outsides of these buildings.
In honor of Small Business Saturday, I am featuring wonderful reasonable restaurants in New York City.
Now the pizzeria is known as 109th Street Pizzeria
The pizza here is delicious.
*Since the pandemic, Make & Bake Pizza has changed names and owners and is now known as 109th Street Pizzeria. The restaurant has also been renovated since my last review.
I came across Make & Bake Pizzeria when I was visiting East Harlem for my walking project, “MywalkinManhattan” and I needed a snack. I had already visited Moe’s Grocery a few doors down for a ‘Chopped Cheese’ and I needed a slice of pizza.
I followed the school kids from the two schools across the street into the pizzeria and they really seemed to like the pizza here. Because the kids are from the housing projects that surround the school and this part of Second and Third Avenues, the prices at the restaurants in the area are very reasonable. Here the prices are more than reasonable, they are cheap.
A slice of cheese pizza here is $1.00, a soda and water are $1.00…
*Bloggers note: I was talked to the owner over lunch in May 2026 and the prices have gone up at the restaurant. They are not too expensive, but the prices have changed since my initial visit.
I had passed Jimbo’s Hamburger Palace many times when walking the Sutton Place neighborhood of Manhattan for my project “MywalkinManhattan.com” and decided to come in for lunch. It is a small local restaurant and most of the customers obviously have been coming here for years since the guys at the grill seemed to know everyone. Most of the locals in the neighborhood were sitting at the counter, kidding around with the cooks who seemed to know everyone by either name or site.
The kitchen is really small and there is a counter up front and two small tables
Jimbo’s is a small diner type restaurant on First Avenue and one of those small hole in the wall restaurants that every neighborhood needs and are now becoming a dying breed in areas all over Manhattan. Lucky that this wonderful little restaurant is here with a nice selection of breakfast and lunch dishes. Most items on the menu are $10.00 or less and there is something for everyone.
The menu at the counter inside Jimbo’s Place
The breakfast menu has such items as pancakes, French Toast and Omelets while the lunch menu has burgers, club sandwiches, cheese steaks, chicken cutlet, grilled cheese and mayonnaise based salad sandwiches. The portion sizes are quite large so bring your appetite.
They have a nice selection of baked items for breakfast
I had the Bacon Cheeseburger Deluxe sandwich, which came with a side of French fries and lettuce and tomato and pickles. The burger was cooked to perfection about medium-well where it was cooked through with just a touch of pink to it. The meat was juicy and flavorful.
Jimbo’s Bacon Cheese Burger Deluxe
I had one their jelly doughnuts for dessert which are brought in from a local bakery and it was large, fluffy and full of a raspberry and currant tasting jelly.
The Bacon Cheeseburger was delicious
The burgers here are really juicy
On my second trip to Jimbo’s, I wanted something light on a hot day. I ordered the Chicken Salad Club sandwich, which was served on white toast.
My Chicken Salad Club
The chicken salad was full of flavor and the sandwich had a nice sized portion on it with lettuce and tomato and crisp bacon in layers and was served with pickles and a side of Cole Slaw. The chicken salad was nicely spiced and was crisp with every bite due to the fresh vegetables.
The Chicken Salad Club
They give you a nice portion of Chicken Salad
The third trip to Jimbo’s was a little disappointing. I had the Chicken Parmesan Platter, which was a Chicken Cutlet with pizza sauce and mozzarella on top with a side of fries. I was not impressed by the sauce which had no flavor to it. The fries were a tad over cooked. The second time I had the Chicken Parmesan again the sauce was much better but I skipped the fries.
The Chicken Parmesan sandwich was much better the second time
The sandwich itself was fresh and the ingredients were good quality but when put together did not have much flavor. The second time trying it, they must have changed the sauce. They made it really good this time
The Chicken Parmesan sandwich
It was a nice lunch
The service is quick and friendly and the food came out perfectly timed all the times I have visited the restaurant.
What I liked about the restaurant the most was the sense of comradery that the restaurant creates. Everyone at the counter was talking with one another and it was nice to get to know some of the people in the neighborhood and hear their perspective on what is happening in the city.
I had passed Jimbo’s Hamburger Palace many times when walking the Sutton Place neighborhood of Manhattan for my project “MywalkinManhattan.com” and decided to come in for lunch. It is a small local restaurant and most of the customers obviously have been coming here for years since the guys at the grill seemed to know everyone. Most of the locals in the neighborhood were sitting at the counter, kidding around with the cooks who seemed to know everyone by either name or site.
Jimbo’s is a small diner type restaurant on First Avenue and one of those small hole in the wall restaurants that every neighborhood needs and are now becoming a dying breed in areas all over Manhattan. Lucky that this wonderful…
Gabrielle Carlson’s store at 1034 Lexington Avenue
When I was exploring the Turtle Bay neighborhood for my blog, “MywalkinManhattan.com” when rounding the corner by the Roger Smith Hotel, (the old location), I was greeted by the beautiful vibrant colors of clothes in the window of Gabrielle Carlson Studio, which at the time was on East 47th Street. It has now moved to 1034A Lexington Avenue between East 73rd and 74th Streets on the Upper East Side.
The window display at the Lexington Avenue store
What attracted me to the store was the vibrant colors of the clothing and uniqueness of the styles and designs. Clothes were hanging from the racks in vibrant deep greens and purples and various hues of blue. There were different types of clothes to choose from including dresses, skirts, tank tops, tee-shirts, scarfs and sheen coverings in various colors and sizes. The store’s motto is “Beautiful Clothes in Your Size” and it fits the bill.
Owner Gabrielle Carlson in a beautiful top accessorized by jewelry in front of her Lexington Avenue store
Gabrielle Carson assistant, associate and co-worker, Marlo outside the Lexington Avenue shop
When I walked into the new store on Lexington Avenue, I was lucky enough to talk to Gabrielle Carlson, the designer herself about her clothing line and the customers she caters to in New York. Ms. Carlson is originally from South Africa and is now living in New York and discovered a niche in the boutique market for a mature woman who likes to try her clothes on and find the right fit. Most of Ms. Carlson’s line in manufactured here in New York City’s Garment District and some clothes are actually made for the customer whose measurements don’t fit traditional sizes of the department stores.
The beautiful and colorful clothing collection at Gabrielle Carlson.
Ms. Carlson explained to me that she has an excellent turnaround time with her clothes as she works with people in the Garment District whose craftsmanship is excellent and can tailor her look for her customers for that reason. She also works with jewelry designers and manufacturers who produce her accessories that her clothes nicely.
The beauty of the display windows attracts a lot of foot traffic of the old store.
Her jewelry lines are also made here in New York and these beautiful pearl and bead necklaces and bracelets can match all wardrobes. These elegant pieces can be worn both dressy and casual.
The store tailors to that customer who still likes to try her clothes on for the perfect fit and likes to mix and match looks. The looks can go from business casual to dressy evening wear and never lose sight of the woman wearing them.
In the era of COVID, I talked to Ms. Carlson recently and she has created a line of clothing that also has a matching mask to coordinate with the rest of the ensemble. “People are slowly starting to dress up again and they want to feel good about themselves,” she recently told me.
You could see this in the vibrant colors coming out for the Spring and the fact that her customer has been seeking her clothing as the weather has gotten warmer and they want to get out of the house. Even in the era of COVID, the business has never slowed down.
Also her prices are very fair for the quality of clothing that is not only American made but New York made.
Gabrielle Carlson and Co-Worker Marlo at the front of the new store on Lexington Avenue
Some of the latest Fall fashions in 2024
A History of Gabrielle Carlson Studio:
(This write up is from Ms. Carlson’s website)
About Gabrielle, Fashion Designer & Dresser Extraordinaire
Gabrielle designs beautiful, elegant clothes in vibrant colors and exquisite fabrics. Wearing her pieces, you look and feel beautiful-your very best self.
Gabrielle’s style is timeless and well-worn by women of every age and size. Stepping into her shop, you see an array of vivid color-and fabrics you want to touch: intriguing that combine creating endless ensembles.
Gabrielle’s day into evening pieces are there too. And there are the jackets-slipping into a Gabrielle jacket has you ready for unexpected moments. There are ‘one of kind’ pieces, a mix of beautiful pieces. It’s a question of where to look first.
Professional women who have little time to find clothes that flatter and fit are happy with Gabrielle’s expertise; she will dress you for the courtroom, conference room and cocktails. “Beautiful clothes in Your Size” is absolutely what’s available.
Stepping into Gabrielle’s studio, you’re surrounded by color, texture, fun styles and you want to play. Gabrielle loves dressing her customers creating with you, choosing pieces that best enhance you, flatter your figure and satisfy your longing for beauty. It’s an infectious experience that has women returning and bringing other with them.
I give full credit to Gabrielle Carlson Studio for this information.
When I was exploring the Turtle Bay neighborhood for my blog, “MywalkinManhattan.com” when rounding the corner by the Roger Smith Hotel I was greeted by the beautiful vibrant colors of clothes in the window of Gabrielle Carlson Studio, which at the time was on East 47th Street and has now moved to 501 Lexington Avenue in the Roger Smith Hotel’s shops facing Lexington Avenue.
What attracted me to the store was the vibrant colors of the clothing and uniqueness of the styles and designs. Clothes were hanging from the racks in vibrant deep greens and purples and various hues of blue. There were different types of clothes to choose from including dresses, skirts, tank tops, tee-shirts, scarfs and sheen coverings in various colors and sizes. The store’s motto is “Beautiful Clothes in Your Size” and it…
I have never seen such a drop in temperature in one week. It is only a week since Halloween and on Halloween night it was 71 degrees and humid. I had to turn the heat off in the house and turn the air conditioner on one last time before I went to bed. That was unusual but the reason why I keep the air conditioners up until the weekend after Halloween.
Walking the Avenues of Central Park South this afternoon there was a distinct drop in the temperature by the afternoon. It was freezing in the City by 2:30pm. When I came out of the Cornell Club where I was doing all of my work, it must have been around 48 degrees and continued to go down. By the time I finished walking all of the Avenues, it must have been 40 degrees as the sun went down. I could tell by the way everyone was dressed this afternoon that no one was prepared for this.
I started my walk at Hop Won Chinese Restaurant at 139 East 45th Street for lunch (see reviews on TripAdvisor and DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com). The food at the restaurant is always impressive and very reasonable. A combination platter is $9.00 for an nice sized entree, fried rice and an egg roll. On this trip I had the Sweet & Sour Shrimp with fried rice and an egg roll and a Coke ($10.95 with tax) and your could not beat the portion size or quality.
Hop Won Express serves excellent Chinese-American cooking and is reasonable
They served me eight nice sized tempura shrimp in a light sweet and sour sauce and they were sweet and fresh. Their fried rice is very good, a little light sometimes on the ingredients but still good and the egg rolls here are good. This is why the restaurant is so popular at lunch hour for people in the surrounding office buildings and with tourists.
The Sweet & Sour Shrimp here should not be missed
After lunch, I walked up Lexington Avenue to East 59th Street and walked across the familiar neighborhoods of Turtle Bay and Midtown East which I had finished walking over the summer. Both are going through extensive changes with renovations and refittings of older buildings and the knock down and total construction of new ones. The Manhattan of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s is slowly becoming a memory as the City morphs into its next step of existence, which seems to be very upscale. The commercial and residential buildings are definitely catering to a certain clientele.
I started my walk on the Avenues of Central Park South at the corner of Sixth Avenue and 59th Street. This section of Manhattan is some of the most expensive real estate in the world and with the changing of the neighborhood and rents skyrocketing, I saw a big change not just in the buildings with their updates and renovations but a change in the businesses as well. Those 1990’s leases are coming up on their twenty year anniversaries and a lot of smaller businesses are being pushed out. If you do not own the building or have a certain lease with the landlord, you might be facing a double or triple increase in rent and its too much for the smaller restaurants and services like dry-cleaners and shoe repair shops.
Sixth Avenue (or Avenue of the Americans which NO ONE calls it) has seen a lot of changes over the years especially from Central Park all the way down to West 34th Street and it still is changing as we speak. Yet there traces of the old Manhattan that still stand out on the Avenue.
57 West 58th Street The Coronet, an 11 story brick building
At the corner of West 58th Street is 57 West 58th Street, The Coronet Building, a 11 story condominium building that was built in 1901. The building is built of red brick and limestone and what gives it its unique look is in the detail work of the entrance with its arched entrance and quoins, a type of wedging on an angle, that are made of limestone and detail work around the windows. The Beaux Arts detail work was very fashionable at the time (CityRealty 2018).
The beauty of the entrance to 57 West 58th Street
Another standout building on Sixth Avenue is one that sits on the corner of 57 West 57th Street. This 20 story Art Deco Building was was built in 1928 of stone and glass and was renovated in 1988 by Der Scutt, the architect behind Trump Tower.
57 West 57th Street beauty is in the Art Deco details
They restored the façade of the building and redid the lobby . Some the details of the building were gold-leafed for effect (LoopNet).
The details on the building facing West 57th Street
The entrance 57 West 57th Street with the fancy grill work
At the edge of the neighborhood is the famous New York Hilton Hotel Midtown at the corner of Sixth Avenue and West 54th Street. This hotel is the largest hotel in New York City and one of the largest in the world. The hotel was designed by architect William B. Tabler. When it opened in 1963 with 2153 rooms it was the largest hotel in the City (Hilton History and Wiki).
The hotel has a lot to claim to fame. John Lennon wrote “Imagine” in the hotel, the first cell phone was used here in 1973 and President Trump recently gave his victory delivery speech in the hotel in 2016 (Wiki).
When walking back up north on Sixth Avenue at the corner of West 55th Street is artist John Rennert’s sculpture, “Listen” on the spot where the well-known “Love” sculpture used to be.
Artist Jim Rennert’s “Listen”.
“Listen” sits proudly at the corner of West 55th Street & Sixth Avenue
Mr. Rennert was born and raised in the Southwest in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City. A former businessman, Mr. Rennert later wanted to try his hand in being an artist and a sculptor in 1990 with much success. His works have been shown all over the world with his portrayals of the success and obstacles of the modern working man. His works are formed with a combination of bronze and flat laser steel. “Listen” is one of his public works (Artist Bio).
Across the street from this statue, sits another interesting Globe sculpture that I had not noticed on my first trip to the neighborhood. It sits in front of the entrance of 1345 Sixth Avenue, the Alliance-Bernstein Building. It must have just been placed there since my original visit. It is a very detailed piece art.
Rounding West 59th Street I continued down Seventh Avenue and was struck by the beauty of a building even under scaffolding. Alwyn Court is one of the most beautiful buildings in this part of Manhattan.
The beautiful details of the Alwyn Court building.
The Alwyn Court at 180 West 58th Street was built at a time when the wealthy were abandoning the large mansions of Fifth and Madison Avenues and wanted luxury apartments instead (ie Income Tax has been introduced). The building was created between 1907-1909 and was designed by architects Harde & Short in the French Renaissance style with terra cotta ornamentation done in the Francis I style which gives it the unique look.
Alwyn Court’s terra-cotta ornamentation on the windows.
The beauty is in the detail work of the building and it is going through a second cleaning and repair. It was designated a landmark in 1966 (Wiki).
The historic plaque.
Further down Seventh Avenue you come to one of the most famous buildings in the world, Carnegie Hall at 881 Seventh Avenue at the corner of West 57th Street. One of the most recognized music venues in the world, this building was designed by architect William Burnet Tuthill and build by Andrew Carnegie, business owner and philanthropist in 1891. It was one of the last largest buildings in New York City build with masonry and no steel frame (Wiki).
Outside Carnegie Hall at Christmas for the Amy Grant concert.
You can see by the last three years of Christmas blogs that I have written that I have visited Carnegie Hall many times for the holiday concerts. The joke “How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, Practice, Practice” is so true. The best and most talented perform here.
The Amy Grant Holiday Concert in 2023 at Carnegie Hall last Christmas was amazing!
There are more interesting buildings further down Seventh Avenue that are going through a renovation. 850 Seventh Avenue is a elegant detailed eleven story building at the built in 1910 with its stone exterior and its Art Deco features. It is very impressive when you look from the other side of the Avenue.
One sad reminder of the changes in Manhattan comes with 854 Seventh Avenue, the former home of the Carnegie Deli which closed in 2016. This was one of the most famous and iconic eating places in New York City and was in more TV and movies that I can remember. The restaurant was opened by Leo Steiner and Milton Parker in 1937 and the most amazing food including over-sized pastrami sandwiches, Matzo Ball soup and cheesecakes. I had eaten there many times in both high school and college and then when I was working in the City. The building remains empty today as the new owners are waiting to demolish it and build a residential building there (Wiki).
The famous Carnegie Deli in its heyday at 854 Seventh Avenue
Across the street from the former deli is 853 Seventh Avenue, “The Wyoming” apartment building. What stands out about this beautiful twelve story building built in 1906 is the elegant Beaux-Art style detail work around the windows and roof.
853 Seventh Avenue at the corner of West 55th Street
Heading back up Seventh Avenue, don’t miss the famous Osborne Apartments at 205 West 57th Street which faces Seventh Avenue. This elegant apartment house was built and designed by James Edward Ware between 1883 and 1885 in the American Renaissance style with masonry bearing walls and the building itself looks like a giant brownstone.
The Osborne is Victorian elegant at its best at 205 West 57th Street at the corner of Seventh Avenue.
The splendor of The Osborne lobby can not be matched
It was just starting to get dark when I rounded West 59th Street one more time for the last Avenue to walk and Broadway is always interesting. Having walked this main artery during the summer months three times, I gained a respect for the complexity of the businesses and apartment buildings that line it from Inwood to the Bowling Green. This former Indian trail offers a lot of interesting things to see and do.
My first stop was a visit to the new Nordstrom department store at 235 West 57th Street in the heart of the business district. After years of working at Macy’s, I always remember my store manager saying that they never wanted to open in NYC because of the unions. They felt they could never give the service that they were known for by opening in Manhattan. What twenty-five years does to a City!
I have to admit that the store is pretty and has beautiful merchandise but the staff was either so busy kidding around with each other or on their cell phones, they were not paying attention to the customers too much. The restaurant on the top floor was the busiest department I saw in the store and they seemed overwhelmed.
The Women’s Department at Nordstrom
A couple of things I did notice when walking through the store was the staff was so young and not dressed in the traditional conservative Nordstrom way that I knew of the suburban stores. The dress code went out the window here. That and no one ever approached me no matter what department I entered. Big change from the 90’s store that I remember. The second thing I noticed was that no bags were leaving the store. I always remember my boss saying that was the sign that a store was doing well.
Nordstrom Manhattan
Walking down Broadway in the later afternoon and evening, this part of Broadway is full of large office buildings that are somewhat generic but here and there are still traces of old New York.
At the corner of Broadway and West 55th Street is the Dream Midtown Hotel at 210 West 55th Street. What makes the hotel unique is that it is a renovated 1895 Beaux Arts building that also encompasses old brownstones on West 55th Street for a unique design. The hotel is basically a hip new hotel surrounded by New York elegance and the hotel has done a wonderful job restoring this old building.
My last stop up Broadway was at the Museum of Arts and Design at 2 Columbus Circle (see my reviews on TripAdvisor and VisitingaMuseum.com) which I had visited a few times over the summer to see the ‘Post Punk and New Wave Art’ exhibition. It is really different from the more traditional museums in the City.
The Museum of Arts and Design at 2 Columbus Circle
The museum was founded in 1956 and has had a few name and location changes over the years settling in this building in 2008 with a total redesign of the building by architect Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works Architecture. The museum’s purpose direction is dedicated to creativity and craftsmanship of the artist along with their materials and techniques (Museum history).
I thought the exhibition on the Post-Punk and New Wave era was really interesting as I remember the music from that era.
There had been some controversy when redesigning the building. It had been originally built in 1964 by A & P Heir Huntington Harford to house his collection of art as a museum. The original building before the renovation was designed by architect Edward Durell Stone and opened as the Gallery of Modern Art. According to what I read, the building was never endured by any of the architectural reviewers and only came into notice when the building was sold in 2002 (Wiki).
The old 2 Columbus Circle “The Gallery of Modern Art” before the renovation
This museum and the Dream Hotel Midtown are examples of what is happening in Manhattan now. The reuse of buildings and the old mixing with the new as businesses are being reworked into old establishments and that morphing Manhattan into its next stage of existence.
I walked around Columbus Circle as the lights were coming on and the temperatures were starting to cool. The holidays are around the corner and it looks like the City is gearing up for them.
Central Park was still busy and the carriage rides were in full swing that night. A lot has changed since the 80’s.
Walking the streets of Midtown East is very different from all the other neighborhoods that I have walked so far. The character of the neighborhood differs so much in that it is mostly commercial with hotels, specialty shops, office buildings and more residential on the upper parts of the neighborhood than any other part of the City. When you walk down the side streets of Midtown East, you are usually passing a building that stretches from one block to the other with nothing much in between but a loading dock or garage for the employees. Most of the smaller buildings and brownstones have been long knocked down and replaced with large office buildings some of which the character lacks in these giant ‘glass boxes’.
I know in the past few years that New York City has allowed more innovation in building design and there has been more original designs then the original 1980’s ‘glass boxes’ but even now there are a lot of makeovers that are happening all over the neighborhood and you will be dodging scaffolding that I have not seen since my days walking Harlem. From block to block especially as you get closer to Grand Central Station, there are many closed sidewalks and you can only walk on one side of the street.
Grand Central Station sits at the head of this neighborhood
With that said, there are still many hidden treasures to find if you just look up and across and they just jump out on you. It is surprising in this ever-changing neighborhood of soaring towers and busy hotels that tucked here and there are public atriums with places to sit and tiny cafes inside them that cater to the busy lunch crowd. Small brownstones here and there around the neighborhood have survived the wrecking ball and now house small cottage businesses and some upscale boutiques. I even found a few waterfalls along the way. I started my walk on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 59th Street, which is becoming like an old friend. East 59th Street with its luxury shops and hotels is going through a transition itself since the domination of the internet.
Many of the luxury stores from Steuben Glass to the old FAO Schwarz Fifth Avenue have either disappeared or have moved to other parts of Midtown. Even the Barney’s New York on Madison Avenue on the edge of the Upper East Side neighborhood has filed for bankruptcy sighting changing tastes (people just don’t dress like that anymore) and the cost of doing business in a Brick & Mortar store which such high rents. I really don’t think honestly that people can afford these places anymore and if they can, will order it online not having to deal with the sometimes-indifferent service you get now in stores (I experienced this feeling in Paul Stuart when I walked in twice with shorts). The result is a lot of empty retail space.
This is changing though with the remodeling of the older office buildings with new facelifts and newer foreign stores coming into the neighborhood. Even so, look again for the open-air museum of artwork all over the streets and in the lobbies of these soaring office buildings. When walking down East 58th Street, I came across the sculpture “Rondo” by artist Tony Rosenthal in 1969 in front of 127 East 58th Street. This interesting circular sculpture is made of welded bronze.
‘Rondo’ by artist Tony Rosenthal
Tony Rosenthal was known for his large ‘Monumental Public Art Sculptures’ that appeared in cities all over the United States. Mr. Rosenthal had studied at the Chicago Institute of Art and in the 1960’s concentrated on large Abstract Geometric Sculptures. With his “Rondo” series in the 1960’s, it is noted that “Tony Rosenthal finds, discovers and reports to us what we might not have seen without him” (Tony Rosenthal biography).
Take a look at the detail work of 480 Park Avenue on the corner of Park Avenue and East 58th Street. Designed by architect Emery Roth in 1929, notice the terracotta detail work all over the building. It is one of the great residential buildings where each apartment had working fireplaces and high ceilings.
One building that stands out on the corner of Lexington Avenue and East 57th Street is the Cohen Building at 135 East 57th Street with its soaring floors and interesting entrance with a ringed pavilion. This 31-story commercial office building has a unique circular path for vehicles up from and pillared terrace entrance. The architect is Kohn Pederson Fox Associates and was built in 1987 in the ‘Post-Modern’ design with a plaza in the front of a concave tower. The building is right across the street from Bloomingdale’s Department Store (NewYorkitecture).
Walking past the IBM Building again, it was nice to finally discover that the sculpture outside the building was an Alexander Calder, the famous “Saurien”, that he created to emulate a reptile. This interesting and unusual sculpture deserved a second look. Other buildings that stand out in the neighborhood have been mentioned in Day One Hundred and Forty of MywalkinManhattan.com are the Fuller Building at 41 East 57th Street and 465 Park Avenue. Look up and notice their detail and artworks that line the outside of these buildings.
Mr. Shapiro is an American born artist from New York City who graduated both with a BA and MA from New York University. He is best known for his sculptures of abstract human forms (Wiki).
When walking around East 57th to East 56th Streets, please be careful of the security around Trump Tower. They watch everything you do and it is best to just walk around this part of the neighborhood between Fifth and Madison Avenues. Most of the buildings on this block stretch from one block to the next.
Trump Building at 725 Fifth Avenue is where the security is tight
When walking down East 55th Street from Fifth Avenue back to Lexington Avenue, stop and notice the building at 116 East 55th Street, home to the SUNY Global Center. The building was the former mansion to the Zeigler family and was built between 1926-1927. The house was designed by architect William L. Bottomley in the ‘Neo-Georgian style’ and features Flemish blond brickwork on the outside. William Zeigler Jr., who owned the house with his wife, Helen was a businessman, sportsman and philanthropist (Wiki).
I finished the first day of the neighborhood at East 55th Street and had dinner at Tri Dim Shanghai Restaurant at 1378 Third Avenue (see review on TripAdvisor). Their food is excellent and you have to try their Soup Dumplings that they are noted for.
Tri Dim’s Soup Dumplings are excellent
They burst in your mouth with each bite and their Classic Chicken, which is cooked in what I figure is a honey, soy and plum sauce is just excellent.
For dessert, it was time to revisit Bon Vivant Bakery at 231 East 58th Street for dessert (See reviews on TripAdvisor and DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com). I had one of their Rose Petit Fours ($4.00) and it was just excellent. A subtle sweetness with the accent of the rose extract that is used in the filling and the icing. These delightful cakes can be eaten in the two tier bakery and it is fun to watch the world go by.
Bon Vivant at 231 East 58th Street is wonderful for desserts (Closed January 2021-Moved to Jersey City, NJ)
On my second day of walking the Streets of Midtown East I had just finished a busy day at Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen working in the busy Bread Station and was exhausted by the time I got to East 55th Street. I stopped along the way for a Chicken Empanada at Empanada Suprema (see reviews on TripAdvisor and DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com) at the corner of East 38th Street and Broadway for a quick lunch. This little stand is open only during the week and had the most delicious chicken, beef and cheese empanadas for $2.00! I love his sign with the Caped Empanada.
Empanada Suprema at the corner of West 38th Street & Broadway
In 2024.
The empanada’s are delicious
The Chicken Empanadas are wonderful with a little hot sauce
Don’t miss admiring the famous Friar’s Club at 57 East 57th Street. This beautiful building was built for Investment Banker Martin Erdman in 1908 by architect Alfredo S.G. Taylor and was designed in the ‘English Renaissance’ style.
When walking the bottom of East 55th Street from Lexington Avenue, take time again to admire the former AT&T Building at 550 Madison Avenue and IBM Building at 590 Madison Avenue in the distance. These iconic buildings show the resilience and creativity of their corporate owners. They are such interesting designs (see Day One Hundred and Forty Walking the Borders of Midtown East).
Madison Avenue in the 50’s both during the day and at night
One of the most interesting little pocket parks in the neighborhood I found when I rounded the corner at East 54th Street. It was right in front of the Christie’s at 535 Madison Avenue is the Christie’s Sculpture Garden with its small tables and chairs, trees covered with white lights and interesting public art. The artist Jonathan Prince is showing his work, “Shattered I, II and III’ in the garden courtyard.
Christie’s Sculpture Garden in front of 535 Madison Avenue with “Shattered Sculptures”
The park in the Spring of 202( from the opposite direction
Artist Jonathan Prince is New York born and raised and holds degrees from Columbia University and the University of Southern California. Over the past twenty years, the artist has had a passion for form and material with the use of chaos in his works. His use of steel and CorTen is used in the ‘Shattered’ pieces and they have a reflective element against the white lights of the park (Artist website).
Jonathan Prince in front of his “Shattered Sculptures”
This public garden is one of the nicest I have seen in many blocks and it is nice that Christie’s gives us an opportunity to view Public Art on sale while sitting back on the chairs on a nice day and just admire the park and people passing by.
During Christmas of 2025, I revisited the park and noticed it has being used as a sort of revolving outside art gallery featuring new works by arts both inside the building and outside in the gardens. These are some of the works that were being displayed. I had gotten there just as the sun was beginning to set and the lights were coming on.
The park in the winter
New artworks are being featured seasonal. These new artworks were in the park in the Fall of 2025.
The ‘Untitled’ work by Artist Joel Shapiro
The sign
‘Walla Walla’ by Artist Deborah Butterfield
The sign
‘Golem’ by Artist Julian Schnabel
The sign
Walking through the park in the Winter time
Walking through the park at night when the lights are on gives the park a very elegant look to it. I love the way the park stands out at night.
The park with the white lights on
The park lit at night in the early Spring of 2026
The Kiton Store at 4 East 54th Street is the former home William Earle Dodge Stokes and his former wife, Rita. Mr. Stokes bought the land and leveled the houses that were there and had architects McKim, Mead and White design the marble mansion in 1896. The couple never lived in the house and filed for divorce soon after. The house was then bought by William H. Moore, the founder of Nabisco and his wife, Ada who movements in New York Society were well known. After Mrs. Moore’s death in 1955, the mansion was used for retail purposes (Daytonion in Manhattan).
The Kiton Store Stokes/Moore House at 4 East 54th Store
The ironic part of the former Stokes/Moore house is that right behind it when rounding the corner to East 54th Street is the Paley Garden, another small public garden with a waterfall as its centerpiece at 3 East 54th Street. The park was designed by architects Zion Breen Richardson Associates and opened in 1967. CBS Head William Paley financed the park in honor of his father, Samuel Paley (Wiki). This pristine little park is also nice to just sit and relax and listen to the waterfall and drown out the sounds of the City. The rest of East 54th Street is lined with large office buildings and the rush of people walking from one block to the next.
When it is open ‘in season’ don’t miss the Refreshment stand here. The food is pretty good
Rounding East 53rd Street make an effort to stop inside the lobby of 1 East 53rd Street to see the gallery display from the Studio in the School New York City. The works that line the wall of the lobby space of the building is from art students all over New York City.
The Studio in the School is the largest not for profit visual arts education organization in New York City with the mission to “foster the creative and intellectual development of youth through quality visual arts programs, directed by arts professionals. We also collaborate with and develop the ability of those who provide or support arts programming and creative development for youth both in and outside of schools. We fulfill our mission through two divisions; the New York City Schools Program and the Studio Institute” (Studio in the School mission statement).
The Studio in the School Gallery at East 53rd Street
Walking the rest of East 53rd and then onto East 52nd and East 51st is lined with large office buildings that stretch from one block to the other. Most of this part of the neighborhood was knocked down in the late 1960’s for commercial use.
This little dragon protects the museum.
The Studio in the School gallery.
When walking down East 50th Street there is a small gem of a public pocket park at the south side of East 50th Street between Madison and Park Avenues. Created by the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority in 2014, this little park called the “50th Street Commons” features a water feature ‘waterfall’ that turns colors from blue to green to yellow to fuchsia. This unique little park surrounded by exotic plants is another nice place to just sit and relax (Murray Hill, Gramercy and Midtown East Paper).
Across the street from the park and wedged between office buildings is the restaurant, Maloney & Porcelli, which was founded in 1996 and offers “clubby American cuisine” and harks back to an era when lunch time was taken seriously. It stands in contrast to the ever-changing neighborhood.
The restaurant classic, Maloney & Porcelli at 37 East 50th Street
When rounding East 49th Street, stop at Tower 49 at 12 East 49th Street, the home of WeWork to see the art exhibition of artist Enrico Isamu Oyama exhibition “Inside Out”. This exhibition located on all side of the lobby. This contemporary and rather unusual exhibition starts with the pillars on both East 49th and 48th Streets to invite you inside (the security at the building is really cool and nice about people looking around). The Tower 49 Gallery offers exhibitions of art free of charge and is open to the public at street level.
Mr. Oyama’s work is unique at best with a lot of lines and movement. His work “Quick Turn Structure” consists of interlocking intersections of black and white shapes and the unique style replaces letters with lines, highlighting their dynamic motion through the process of repetition that subsequently creates and abstract form with angular points and three-dimensional depth (Artist Press Release).
Tower 49 Gallery
Mr. Oyama is originally from Tokyo and is now based in New York City and likes to create a visual art in various mediums that features Quick Turn Structure, the motif composed of spontaneous repetition and expansion of free-flowing lines influenced by the aerosol writing of the 1970’s-1980’s New York and beyond (Artist Press Release).
Opening in a former upscale Italian restaurant, Joe’s Home of the Soup Dumpling at 7 East 48th Street has been packing them in in 2021. I am not sure if they are part of the former Joe’s Shanghai that used to be located in Chinatown but this restaurant is gaining a reputation for their Soup Dumplings.
Joe’s Home of Soup Dumplings at 7 East 48th Street opened in 2021
The evening I went there I just happened to come across it and decided to have dinner. The Soup Dumplings ($11.95) are amazing. These are larger than most I have had recently and were loaded with fresh ground pork and crab and steamed perfectly. I ate these six little delights quickly and enjoyed my Shanghai Wonton Soup ($5.25) and Beef Scallion Sandwich ($8.95) as well. The food and service were excellent. Another time I was there, I had the Pork and Shrimp Spring rolls ($5.95) that are excellent.
I highly recommend the Soup Dumplings here
Dinner on a recent night of Crab and Pork Soup Dumplings and Pork and Shrimp Spring rolls.
Follow the neon sign to Joe’s.
If you are in need of a public bathroom, try the fourth floor of Saks Fifth Avenue in the Men’s Department. When the store is open, this is one of the most convenient places to go to the bathroom in the area.
When proceeding down East 48th Street, take a stop in front of 4 East 48th Street, The Church of Sweden. This Neo-Gothic Church was built in 1921 for “The Bible House” and was sold to the Church in 1978. There is a library and cafe that are inside and open to the public. For the most part, the rest of East 48th Street is filled with large buildings that stretch from side to side.
There is one stand out piece of artwork in the lobby of 280 East 48th Street of four people hunched over in a circle. As hard as I tried though I don’t know who the brilliant artist is of the work (in 2024 when I revisited the building I still could not find the plaque to the artist).
The lobby sculpture at 280 East 48th Street
Rounding East 47th Street, take a trip back in time to Manhattan of the 1970’s inside of Phil’s Stationary at 9 East 47th Street. I was talking to the gentlemen who were running the store and told them I had not seen inventory like this on sale in a long time. Hard to find things like stationary, note pads, typing paper and ribbon and even recommendations to a place to fix the typewriter. This stationary store harks back to the days when people left the office to go shopping for things needed at the last minute. They still sell pens, pencils and even the old accounting ledger books. The nice part is that it still smells like a stationery store.
Most of the Streets between East 47th to East 46th Streets are lined with larger office buildings that stretch from block to block with a smattering of small businesses here and there. One standout at 556 Fifth Avenue at the entrance of East 46th Street is the Philippine Consulate General which services Philippine nationals in the Northeast states. This unique building is one of the last holdovers from the Country buildings that used to line this part of Fifth Avenue in the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s. The building was designed by Carrere & Hastings in 1912 for the Knoedler and Company Art Gallery.
On the edge of East 46th Street sits the famous Roosevelt Hotel and the Helmsley Building which sit as the old guards to the neighborhood once known as “Terminal City”. The Helmsley Building at 230 Park Avenue was originally built for the headquarters of the New York Central Building in 1929 by Warren & Wetmore in the Beaux-Arts style. These are also the architects of Grand Central Station behind it that stands guard of the neighborhood from Turtle Bay to Midtown East.
The Helmsley Building at 230 Park Avenue stands guard over this part of Park Avenue
The historical marker for the walkway and drive through.
The decorations in the Helmsley Building walkway.
The Helmsley Building at night
The Roosevelt Hotel at 45 East 46 sits between East 46th and 45th Streets next to Grand Central Terminal. The hotel was designed by architect George C. Post & Son in 1924 and was once part of a series of hotels that made up “Terminal City” that stretched along both sides of Grand Central. The hotel was named for President Teddy Roosevelt and even had a childcare service in ‘The Teddy Room’.
The faded Roosevelt Hotel being used as an immigrant intake center in 2024.
The Roosevelt Hotel’s other faded entrance.
These embellishments stare at you when you pass the hotel.
The embellishments also take a glance at you as well.
Take time to walk around these impressive buildings and look at the outside stone carvings and elaborate lobbies. The lobby of the Helmsley Building is impressive with its marble floors and impressive chandeliers.
On the corner of Fifth Avenue and East 46th Street tucked behind the Barnes & Noble bookstore I had lunch at a new branch of Joju at 555 Fifth Avenue, which had just opened that afternoon with a soft opening. I had some of their Vietnamese spring rolls which were filled with ground pork and vegetables and were cooked to perfection.
On another occasion to visit the restaurant, I had the Vietnamese sandwich with Caramel Pork and fish sauce and a side plain double-fried French Fries and a Lemon/Leechee Mojito Lunch did come to almost $22.00 but the sandwich can feed two and it is worth the indulge. The service there is really nice as well.
JoJu is a new addition to the Fifth Avenue restaurants at 555 Fifth Avenue
My Bahn Mai Sandwich with the Double Cooked Fries and a Leechee Lemon Mojito
The sandwich was delicious and so good!
The fries are excellent and so crispy
The Lemon Leechee Mojito was so refreshing on a hot day and all their drinks are so creative
Tucked into the side of the Helmsley Building at the corner of East 45th Street and Vanderbilt Avenue is Urbanspace Vanderbilt, an indoor food court with some of the most hip and innovative local restaurants in New York City.
The outside of UrbanSpace, the original in Vanderbilt Hall
These artisan and chef driven restaurants are outposts of the original neighborhood restaurants including well-known names of Roberta’s Pizza and Dough Doughnuts.
Dough at the UrbanSpace Vanderbilt (this location closed in 2025)
The company UrbanSpace has been creating these experiences since 1993 since the company’s establishment in 1972 in Great Britain. Don’t miss the vibrancy of the atmosphere and the smells that waft through the hall at lunch time. I love going to Dough that occasional $4.00 doughnut that is well worth it. UrbanSpace food court in the corner of the Helmsley Building on East 49th Street
The rest of East 45th and 44th Streets are lined with small office buildings and stores and along Madison Avenue the headquarters of Brooks Brothers (Closed 2020) and Paul Stuart stores that cater to the City professionals and “preppie class”.
Brooks Brothers at 346 Madison Avenue (Closed 2020)
You can still see the Brooks Brothers emblem on the old store.
Midtown East is now mostly a commercial neighborhood lined with office buildings and retail businesses but as you walk the streets here and there things still pop out and amaze you. It really shows the complexity of the City at its best and how a little creativity and renewal can change a space from one use to another.
That shows the imagination of the people who keep making Manhattan a unique experience.
Check out my other blogs on Walking Midtown East:
Day One Hundred and Forty-Three-Walking the Borders of Midtown East:
(Great for their public restrooms during business hours)
All the buildings and street art that is mentioned in this walk is done by address and street to make it easy to find. Please note the buildings and pocket parks that you should not miss.
I have been running in and out of the City since I started teaching classes again at the college and had a ‘bucket list’ of small museums that I wanted to visit for my blog, “VisitingaMuseum.com” and restaurants I wanted to try before the Summer was over. So there was a lot of running around the last several weeks. That’s why the blogs come out a little later than usual.
I got back to finishing my walk around ‘Midtown East’ by walking the only two Avenues inside the neighborhoods borders, Madison and Park Avenues from East 43rd Street (which hugs the Turtle Bay neighborhood) and East 59th Street (which hugs the Upper East Side & Sutton Place). On the Avenues in this part of the neighborhood is mostly residential and commercial spaces with rows glass boxes on some streets and limestone and marble residential buildings one the others. There is a lot of sameness in the architecture here but don’t let that fool you. There are a lot of interesting things to see and places to visit in this very much working modern neighborhood.
My walk started on Madison Avenue’s commercial district at the start of East 43rd Street where a giant new glass box is being created right next to Grand Central Station. Probably not Mr. Vanderbilt’s vision for the area but I think he would have been impressed by the progress the area has experienced in the last 100 years.
My first stop is admiring and walking into the headquarters of Brooks Brothers Clothing store at 346 Madison Avenue, one of the most American and famous clothing stores in the United States. Stepping into Brooks Brothers is like a step back into time when shopping was still experience and customer service actually meant something. Their displays are elegant without being stuffy.
The elegant displays at Brooks Brothers main floor (now closed)
The store was designed by architects La Farge & Morris in 1915 the Italian Renaissance design with prominent arched entrances, wrought iron arches and carved limestone details around the building. You can see the detail work in the cornices that line the top of the building.
The Brooks Brothers headquarters at 346 Madison Avenue (the now closed headquarters)
The detail work on the now closed Brooks Brothers headquarters
The Golden Fleece emblem of Brooks Brothers on the front of the building.
Another great clothing store is Paul Stuart at Madison Avenue and East 45th Street. The store has been in business since 1938 and carries some of the most impressive clothing and accessories for Men and Women.
Paul Stuart Specialty Store at Madison & East 45th Street
The store was a privately held family business until December of 2012 and then it was sold it’s long time partner, Mitsui. The store has changed a lot since the sale. It once had some of the best customer service in all the specialty stores in Manhattan but when I went to visit on this trip in my shorts and polo, the three sales people on the floor at the time ignored me. It’s not the same store with the orange carpet and older, more mature salespeople.
The Men’s Department after the renovation
When you get to Madison and 55th Street, watch for the security as this is the back section of Trump Tower and East 55th Street between Madison and Fifth Avenues is blocked off by barriers and armed NYPD detectives and police. Only one side of the street is open here so it is best to keep walking.
Another impressive building on Madison Avenue is at 550 Madison Avenue, the old AT&T Building with its signature ‘Chippendale’ roof. This building was considered radical and innovative at the same time when AT&T built it to house their world headquarters. The 37 story building was designed by famed architect Philip Johnson in 1984 in the postmodern design. Critics called it ‘Chippendale’ after the famed furniture due to the ‘open pediment’ look of the top of the building based on English furniture design (Wiki). The building is currently have some lobby renovations that I passed.
The beautiful atrium that you can sit and relax in between the buildings.
Next to the AT&T Building is the IBM Building at 590 Madison Avenue. This 41 story building was built in 1983 by architect Edward Larrabee Barnes & Associates and developed by IBM and designed in the post-modern design (Wiki).
The IBM Building at 590 Madison Avenue & East 57th Street
Because of the zoning laws established in 1916, there is a beautiful and relaxing open atrium filled with food kiosks and art work for the public to enjoy on the ground level. It is a nice place to relax after a long walk. Take time to admire the art works that line the atrium.
The Atrium at the IBM Building
Artist George Rickey’s work in 2024 in the atrium.
The George Rickey piece inside the atrium “Five Lines Diagonal Jointed II”
Artist George Rickey was an American born artist with multiple degrees and places of study. He holds a MA from B.A. (Modern History), Balliol College, Oxford, U.K. and a M.A. (Modern History), Balliol College, Oxford, U.K. He also did graduate study in Art History, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, New York, NY. George Rickey worked as painter, muralist, and sculptor. Across his diverse body of work from the paintings of the 1920s through the final sculptures of the 2000s, there are four themes that emerge: Movement, Color, Relationships, and Scale (Artist bio).
One piece of art that stands out is the red geometric sculpture on the corner of Madison and East 57th Street is the great artist Alexander Calder “Saurien” (which is a large reptile), that was created by the artist in his studio in 1975. This is an example of Calder’s “Stoic” work and were called ‘stabiles’ because these abstract works, unlike his floating works of art, stand strongly and firmly into the ground (Art Nerd 2018).
The Alexander Calder sculpture, “Saurien” (now replaced by another sculpture by artist Joel Shapiro)
Walk around this wonderful work by Calder and try to take a breath and understand what the artist was trying to say. It is almost like all the ‘legs’ on the sculpture are trying to show stability and contrast.
Mr. Shapiro is an American born artist from New York City who graduated both with a BA and MA from New York University. He is best known for his sculptures of abstract human forms (Wiki).
Inside the atrium, there are two interesting pieces of artwork that standout. There are two colorful acrylic apples that are done in colorful motifs that you should not miss. The sculptures were created in 2004 for the “Big Apple Fest” to promote the City’s tourism. Companies paid $8,500.00 to sponsor and $12,500 to keep the apples in which artists were allowed to decorate inside or outside.
One of them is entitled “A Day in the Big Apple” by an artist named Billy.
‘A Day in the Big Apple’ by artist Billy
The other is of a colorful face by artist Romero Britto entitled “New York Future”.
“New York Future” by artist Romero Britto
Romero Britto is a Brazilian born American artist whose colorful works elude the optimism the artist has on his view of the world. He uses bold and colorful patterns to enhance his works (Artist Bio).
When you reach the edge of the neighborhood at East 59th Street, you are greeted by the former GM Building that stretches from Fifth to Madison Avenues. This elegant 50 story building once represented the presence of GM in New York City. It was designed by the architectural firms of Edward Durell Stone & Associates and Emery Roth & Sons in 1968. It was designed in the “International Style” and stands guard at the end of the commercial district of Midtown East and the Upper East Side.
As you cross back down Madison Avenue on East 59th Street, you will notice the ever-changing retail landscape and all the empty storefronts on this part of Madison Avenue. Twenty years ago, this would not have existed, but it is a sign of the times.
The details of the Fuller Building at 41 East 57th Street
Another interesting building to admire is the Fuller Building at 41 East 57th Street on the corner of Madison Avenue. The building was created for the Fuller Construction Company in 1929 by architects Walker & Gillette in the ‘Art Deco Style’. The building’s exterior sculptures were designed by architect Elie Nadelman. Look at the interesting details not just on the outside of the building but walk into the lobby to take a look around (Wiki).
One of the great hotels in New York City stands guard at 455 Madison Avenue and 50th Street, the New York Palace Hotel (formerly the Helmsley Palace Hotel) which is a combination of an old mansion and the modern building behind it. The front of the building facing Madison Avenue is the former Villard Mansion.
The front of the hotel is the “Villard Houses” created in 1882 for Henry Villard, a railroad financier, who worked with the architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White to create a series of six brownstone townhouses facing a courtyard in the ‘Italian Neo-Renaissance style’. Developer Harry Hemsley leased the houses and hired Emery Roth & Sons to create the 55 story modern hotel in the back of the houses.
The Villard Houses part of the New York Palace Hotel
The hotel at Christmas 2024
The Villard Houses at the hotel decorated for the Christmas holidays
I passed the hotel again during Christmas of 2025 and the decorations were even more elaborate during the day. The hotel looks amazing at the holidays.
The front of the Palace Hotel at Christmas
The beautiful wreathes that lined the fence
The Christmas tree at the Palace Hotel
The hotel opened in 1981 as the notorious ‘Helmsley Palace Hotel’ with hotelier Leona Helmsley in charge. Considered one of the best hotels at the time, it was a five star/five diamond hotel (with one of the most nervous staffs in New York City). The hotel has been owned by Lotte Hotels & Resorts since 2015.
The inside of the New York Palace Hotel, the Villard Houses
Take time to walk through the hotel from the East 50th Street entrance to the East 49th Street exit and walk around the public rooms and admire the architectural details from the Gilded Age. There are elegant features from staircases to marble fireplaces and the most beautiful views on Madison Avenue.
I found this pardon of the Helmsley Hotel on YouTube. It is very clever.
Another older hotel that stands out is the Roosevelt Hotel at 45 East 45th Street at the corner of Madison Avenue and East 45th Street. It stands guard next to Grand Central Station. The hotel opened in 1924 and was designed by the architectural firm of George P. Post & Son for businessman, Frank A. Dudley and it was ran by United Hotels Company from a leased agreement with the New York Central Railroad. Like the other hotels that line Lexington Avenue, there used to be a separate passageway from the railroad to the hotel (Wiki).
The Roosevelt Hotel being used as a immigration center in 2023 and 2024
This is similar hotel to take the time to walk through the lobby and look at the vaulted ceilings and the Gilded Age details of the hotels with its thick carpets and elegant staircases. The hotel has a somewhat dark, more European feel to it. There is a lobby restaurant when open that looks pretty interesting.
The entrance to the lobby at the Roosevelt Hotel in its heyday.
As you walk around Grand Central Terminal and through the archway pedestrian tunnels that lead to Park Avenue from East 45th to East 46th Streets, you will be traveling under the Helmsley Building at 230 Park Avenue that stands guard at the beginning to the business and residential neighborhood of Park Avenue.
The Helmsley Building was built in 1929 as the New York Central Building for the rail company and was designed by architects Warren & Wetmore, who also designed Grand Central Terminal, in the ‘Beaux-Arts style’. Take time to admire the statuary around the clock that dominates its front and the beautiful stone detail work of the exterior of the building.
The beautiful details of the Helmsley Building on Park Avenue
The beautiful statuary.
The historical marker of the Helmsley Building.
The New York Central used the building as its starting point of “Terminal City”, a series of buildings and hotels that the railroad developed on the top of the rail line (Wiki). The true beauty of The Helmsley Building is at night when the owners put on a light show illuminating the building with colorful spotlights.
The Helmsley Building light show after dark
Park Avenue in the East 40’s is quite amazing at night
All along Park Avenue is a series of ‘glass boxes’ for office buildings and residential towers that line the Avenue all the way up to East 96th Street at the exit of the rail line. Along the way, there are some interesting examples of architecture that line Park Avenue.
The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel at 301 Park Avenue is currently closed and under scaffolding awaiting its new life as a small hotel and condo complex. The hotel, as mentioned in previous blogs in ‘MywalkinManhattan.com’, was built and opened in 1931. It was designed by the architectural firm of Schultz & Weaver in the ‘Art Deco style’ and is probably one of the most famous and talked about hotels in New York City outside the Plaza Hotel (Wiki). There have been so many movies and TV shows filmed and written about the hotel to count and the restaurants inside the hotel were some of the better ones in New York City. The building will open sometime in the future.
The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel at 301 Park Avenue (currently under renovation)
The only part of the hotel I could photo while under renovation in 2024.
St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church at 325 Park Avenue is one of the older buildings on Park Avenue and stands alone amongst the bigger buildings on this part of Avenue. Though the congregation was started in 1835, this structure was built between 1916-17 and designed by Bertram Goodhue, who had designed the St. Thomas Church on Fifth Avenue (See Walking the Border of Midtown East-MywalkinManhattan). The church was designed in the ‘Byzantine Revival Design’ and he was required by the congregation to retain the old church portal from the former church on Madison Avenue and East 44th Street in the new church design (Wiki).
Look at the details of the old church and the stained-glass windows. In the Summer months, there is a wonderful (yet somewhat over-priced) restaurant in the courtyard of the church and there are art markets during the Summer and Christmas holiday season that you should visit. There is also afternoon music at certain times of the year.
St. Bart’s restaurant and terrace during the summer
One standout, innovative building on Park Avenue sits between East 52nd and 53rd Streets is the Seagram Building at 375 Park Avenue. The building and its exterior designs were created by German American architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe with the interior Four Seasons Restaurant designed by American architect Philip Johnson.
The fountains are well known in their own right being used in TV and movies
The building was featured prominently in the first episode of “That Girl” in 1965.
This 38-story building of wonder was innovative in its time. Finished in 1958 as the corporate headquarters of Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, the building was noted for its ‘functional aesthetics’ and a prominent example of ‘corporate modern architecture’. Keeping up with modern building codes, the architect used ‘non-structural bronze I-beams and large glass windows’ to create the cool and well-toned exterior structure of the building (Wiki).
Also utilizing the 1916 building code and the new use of open public spaces, the building was one of the first in New York City to embrace the open-air plaza that was prevalent in the 1980’s and early 90’s design. It was an extremely innovative design at the time and still sets the standard for the modern ‘glass box’.
One of the last stand out buildings that I saw on Park Avenue before my walk back down the Avenue was at 465 Park Avenue, The Ritz Tower, an apartment hotel. This elegant residential building stands out because of its details on the exterior of the building and I later learned it was once home to the famous French restaurant, La Pavilion.
This elegant building was designed by architects Emory Roth and Thomas Hastings for journalist Arthur Brisbane, who was the developer. The apartment hotel was managed by the Ritz-Carlton Company. The exterior of the building has many carved stone features so look closely from the other side of Park Avenue to admire the detail work. Don’t stare too long because the doorman gets a suspicious look if you look too long. He kept looking me over as I admired the building and the read the plaques.
Look at the elegant details of the Ritz Tower
The historical plaque of the Ritz Tower.
Up and down the Park Avenue Mall is the work of artist Alex Katz “Park Avenue Departure”, of which it looks like the back of a woman who is walking away from some place. The work is a depiction of the artist’s wife, Ada. Each of the works along the mall is changed slightly to show the sculpture in motion as if it is walking down the mall. This street art exhibition will run through November 2019 (The Fund for Park Avenue).
Alex Katz’s Park Avenue Mall exhibit “Park Avenue Departure” (closed in December 2019)
American artist Alex Katz who was born in Brooklyn, NY and is a graduate of Cooper Union Art College. His long career has seen many changes in art form and today some of his concentrations are in landscape and portraiture. His work can be seen in museums all over the world.
For lunch and dinner that afternoon, I ate at Hop Won Chinese Noodle Shop at 139 East 45th Street between Lexington and Third Avenues (See reviews on TripAdvisor and DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com). After a long day of walking, I treated myself to a plate of mixed roasted meats, duck and pork, with a side of rice ($9.00) and an egg roll ($1.38). Their roasted meats are a lacquered delight with the rich, crackling skin of the duck worth every bite. The food here is delicious and so reasonable for Midtown East.
By the end of the evening, I got a chance to double back around the Helmsley Building and look at the detail work of that structure as well and then walked up and down the tiny Vanderbilt Avenue between East 45th and 47th Streets that line next to Grand Central Terminal. The most notable building on this block is the Yale Club at 50 Vanderbilt Avenue. The famous clubhouse was designed by Yale Alumnus and architect James Gramble Rodgers, and it opened in 1915.
The Yale Club at 50 Vanderbilt Avenue; notice the plaque to Nathan Hale on the bottom left
The most notable item outside the club is the historical mark where supposedly Patriot Nathan Hale was hung. There is a conflict to where it actually took place and there is another site on the Upper East Side (See Walking the Upper East Side Streets in MywalkinManhattan), where that plaque is outside the local Pier One. I personally like that theory better. Where else in American could a Patriot of the Revolutionary War be hung in that two hundred years later would house a retailer that sells Christmas chukkas made in China?
That’s what I love about Manhattan!
Check out my other blogs on Walking Midtown East:
Day One Hundred and Forty-Three-Walking the Borders of Midtown East:
Eating at Curioni’s Pizza is a real local experience. The fun part about eating at this family run business is that if you want to meet the residents of Lodi, NJ, just sit at one of the ten stools inside the pizzeria and you will know all the town gossip.
The front of Curioni’s Pizzeria
The customers come up and talk to owner, Walter Curioni Jr., while he is making his pies and his son, Ryan, who is usually running around behind him popping in pizzas into the pizza oven and preparing sandwiches. It is a real family atmosphere here as people come in to talk to one another and air their problems and concerns in the town and in their lives.
The front of Curioni’s Pizzeria
Sitting down at the bar to eat lunch and dinner
The business was opened by Mr. Curioni’s grandparents in 1923 as a grocery store that catered to the local growing Italian-American population. Mr. Curioni said in an article that when his father took over the business, he felt there would not be enough money in groceries so he put in a pizza oven and the rest is history (Curioni Pizzeria website).
The current menu in 2026
The pizzeria almost closed a few years ago as Mr. Curioni wanted to cut back in his hours but lucky for the community, he adjusted the restaurant hours and now closes early during the week. Now into the fourth generation, his son Ryan, cooks alongside with him.
Walter Curioni Jr. minding the business
On the many occasions that I have eaten there, the food is wonderful, very flavorful and well-spiced and the portion sizes are very generous for a fair price. Everything I have ever been served here has come out sizzling hot.
The pizza is delicious and a slice here ($1.75) is larger than your average slice. It can be cut into two for light eaters. Their pizza sauce is spiced very nicely with hints of oregano, basil and garlic. There is a nice zip to it. It is loaded with cheese and has a nice gooey consistency to it.
The pizza slices at Curioni’s are very generous
The regular pizzas are very fairly priced with a twelve slice Sicilian at $13.00 and a 24 slice Sicilian at $22.00 with an extra $1.50 each for toppings. A regular round pie is $10.00.
The Sicilian Slice
The large cheese pizza at Curioni’s Pizza
The ravioli can be ordered with either meat or cheese and served with their delicious sauce. A small portion is $4.50 and a large is $8.00. These pillowy little delights are perfectly cooked and come steaming to the counter with a side of fresh crusty bread, perfect for dipping.
My lunch one afternoon, the Ravioli with Marinara sauce and a Slice of Pizza
This is the small Ravioli with Marinara Sauce
The Ravioli in Red Sauce is excellent
I recently had the meatball hero and for a small hero at $5.50 (the large is $8.00) it was larger than the average sandwich. Served on a fresh hoagie roll that had just arrived from a bakery in Garfield, NJ, six homemade pork and beef meatballs were served with a generous portion of mozzarella cheese on the bottom and a large ladle of sauce on the top that oozed out for dipping the sandwich.
It was like heaven in every bite. You could taste the rosemary and basil in the meatballs on top of the flavor of the sauce.
The meatball sandwich is delicious
Yum!
The service here is very personal and friendly as Walter and his wife and their son talk to the guests in between customer orders, cooking the food and serving guests at the counter about everything from local politics and how the sports teams are doing to family matters and asking about parents and grandparents. If you want a “Cheers” type of experience in a local restaurant, then stop into Curioni’s for a slice of Lodi, NJ.
The inside of the pizzeria while Ryan Curioni was cooking my lunch. eating here is a real Jersey experience! It’s like everyone knows your name!
Eating at Curioni’s Pizza is a real local experience. The fun part about eating at this family run business is that if you want to meet the residents of Lodi, NJ, just sit at one of the ten stools inside the pizzeria and you will know all the town gossip. The customers come up and talk to owner, Walter Curioni Jr., while he is making his pies and his son, Ryan, who is usually running around behind him popping in pizzas into the pizza oven and preparing sandwiches. It is a real family atmosphere here as people come in to talk to one another and air their problems and concerns in the town and in their lives.
The business was opened by Mr. Curioni’s grandparents in 1923 as…
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