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| [ This is a personal photo essay by our esteemed admiral. She wanted to share thoughts of her favorite island, Manhattan, and the place where she spent her childhood, da Bronx.] New York New York! -- compliments of Leonard Bernstein who knew the City.
Our first day in New York had us walking to Washington Square.
September was a beautiful month to visit New York. Obviously we did not bring the boat. We had many reasons to come but foremost was to be here for September 11th and give remembrances to our loved ones who had fallen on that horrible day in 2001. We were here to support our American heroes and give prayers to the people of New York who had lost their lives being attacked by Muslim terrorists. We were here to protest against the mosque at Ground Zero which has become a burial ground and memorial for those that perished during this act of War on America. We came to New York for many reasons. Stephen, our son had graciously loaned us his Greenwich village apartment while he was away in Hong Kong. We planned nine days in West Greenwich taking the opportunity to sightsee and revisit the past. Revisit the past? My English father who was in the British Royal Navy settled in New York from London after W.W.II. Good luck had it that during the war my dad's ship was being repaired in the harbor in N.J. Here he met my mom and vowed to return to the Eastern Seaboard of America. Not wanting to take her back to war-torn London, they settled in New York City where her parents had immigrated. There you have it. A simple love story which brought me back to my roots. Reason Number Two to make the pilgrimage to the CITY.
Union Square was another sight eagerly hit during this fine New York weather.
My son Stephen pointed us in the right direction for food. Expensive to us, mind you, we have been living in Malaysia, this farmer's market was glorious.
Lovely!
More gorgeous flowers!
Get a load at the price for NY strips! just got them in Austin for $5.95 per lb!
We got tired of fruits and veggies.
Though we spent 10 days in the City, we noshed mostly at "home". Trader Joe's was our supermarket thanks to Stephen.
We found New York Architecture fascinating. We want a town house in the West Village for a holiday retreat!
I believe Bob Dylan did a tune about Macdougal street.
Here we are at the Brooklyn Bridge.
We found the Brooklyn Bridge amazing.
New York Skyline and my hub.
What an architectural feat!
View from the Bridge.
We walked over the Bridge at sunset. Wow! Great sizzling City view of Manhattan.
A view of the Hudson at sunset.
We decided like good yachties to take a free ride on the Staten Island Ferry. We got lucky. Sunset. Here's Our Lady.
Another "take" from the Staten Island Ferry.
Beautiful Lady.
Gorgeous. It turned cool that night. We could not have asked for a better sunset or a more heart rendering cruise around the Great Lady. Wondering, what my grandparents thought ,as they glided through Ellis Island with my mother in arms. August 1914.
Coming home again is not so easy. Though the truism "Gone with the Wind" may be over used, It certainly sucker punched this Bronx girl when I stepped off the train into 1955. The trip to New York was a dream I had had for over half a century. Growing up in the Bronx had left me with a warm haze that had gone unremembered until I tried to return to my days of innocence.
Yes, I am a Bronx girl from the projects! When our small family moved in, Gun Hill projects had just been built and were home to a large Italian community. At just 80.00 $ a month this quiet utopia with a nearby Catholic church was a magnet for struggling middle class families who were hoping to ride the American Dream to nearby Long Island and perhaps Connecticut.
The building to the right is where the Smiths, Padavanis, Munsons, Giovannis and other first generation European immigrants eager for a better life after World War II, paused to raise their eager, happy, soon to be "children of the 60's". The structure on the right was new to me and as I understand is now a senior community center . Foresight, for all those who came of age during the turbulent hippie generation. ,
This 14 story beacon of 1950's Hope had easy access to the roof and ALL "Leave it to Beaver" kids knew it! It was a fabulous scary venue where one could peer over the edge and hurl your roller skates into the blue ,later to be picked up by older siblings. We lived on the eighth floor on the right hand corner. Our cats Muffin and Crumpet liked to creep out on the window sill much to all our horror.
The overhead train at Gun hill station rattled by the projects constantly. This view is looking north and south while the p.j.'s are across the street in front of this Texas refugee. Long gone is Louie's candy store and the Italian stronghold of this area of the Bronx , if you know what I mean and I think ya do.
This bucolic scene is now home to a very different complexion of Bronx society. One Mafia has replaced another.
The Projects were a safe haven for us at the time. Most kids ran around unsupervised and the aura of Home and Family pervaded. It was different then, or so it seemed. Summers in the street riding homemade soapbox scooters with roller skate wheels. Snowy winters sledding down the tiny hills which looked monstrous in our childish eyes. Magic breathed through the nights walking home under a full orange moon. What could be better than holding your mother's hand as that harvest globe rose over the City ? Cold freezing night as snow crunched under our feet. It didn't matter that we lived in the projects. We were happy.
Sitting outside Magenta Street As kids we would play hide and seek in the Lagustrum that lined the back of the benches. I can still smell that sweet aroma of the blooming shrubs. We had been advised by cops in the West Village not to come back to my old hood, but nostalgia prevailed and my heart ached to "go back home". I was determined to get the answer I wanted, so I queried a subway officer. I suppose he could see the tears in my eyes or maybe he could feel the lump in my throat when I gave the address. I don' know. What I do know is that he said ,"Go".
Gone is the pool where we spent countless dreamy summer hours screaming and making complete nuisances of ourselves. At least it is still well kept as the trash barrels attest.
The Immaculate Conception Church . Eager to show John where I spent early childhood, We revisited the church basement where many free lunches were devoured by unruly impish kids. One of them was yours truly. What was missing: The Library! I used to sit on the library steps waiting for my big sister to pass on her way from Evander Childs High School. A beautiful memory: she, taking me to see 101 cartoons on Saturday. My big sister on her 16th Birthday wearing a lemon drop corsage. My big sister . Nine years older. Her best friend was Marsha Applebaum. I remember . I remember my big sister loving and caring for me. We walked to the movies from 711 Magenta street and spent hours bleary eyed watching Disney animations which far surpass anything of present times! I remember: Her friends and she hanging out together in the 'garden' area of the projects. I felt so small. It was the 50's ..... Her red net petticoats were fabulous and seemed to take up the whole closet. posters of her icons decorated the walls of our small bedroom. Jeff Chandler? Her telling me a huge spider was on my bed. We giggled over that. It was great. And she was beautiful. As Frank Sinatra would say "Thanks, for the memories."!
The neighborhood's High school. Do you remember?
Here we view White plains Road with the projects to your left. I stopped and talked to the bus driver to get the current rhythm of the hood. Incredibly friendly as most all New Yorkers are, he laughed and said, "It's changed A LOT." "But you'll know where you are."
The old Elementary School, P.S.41.
A great shot of the Church as we rolled up to the station at Gun Hill Rd. So many feelings coursed through me at once. Sadness, fear, joy, incredible love and bitter sweet yearning for something I could never possess again. That very young family who had begun a new life in New York with hopes, dreams and expectations that we all have at one time or another. Who would know that within a few years of our moving to the Gun Hill Rd projects our lives would change forever. For me, the fall from Grace swept through our lives in 1958 . That year, we moved to Texas.
A parting glance at Gun Hill Road where memories of my childhood are as sweet as ever. As we left the station bound for a little fun at the Bronx Zoo, I knew ,You just can't go home again, But hell, I didn't want to anyway! My treasured memories will always be with me. Thanks John, my loving husband, for sharing this small journey with me!
The Bronx Zoo rivals the Singapore Zoo in that both are committed to keeping their wild creatures in a natural environment. Unbelievably, there were few people out and about this crisp September day.
Snore.
Taken through glass. We are caged in looking out.
Giraffes are ever vigilant. Any lions about?
Ya think? This guy was annoyed by us humans and wasn't shy about sharing his feelings. It's amazing how loud they do roar.
Big guy.
These gorillas are usually are found in the mountains of Uganda and Rwanda. This immigrant seems to be content with her new digs.
So, just walk away! This monster is bored with all the tourists.
Still not looking our way. Ho hum.....
Flamingos.
Our vote was that the Singapore Zoo scored 10 and Bronx Zoo 9.
Psycho Kitty. Not in the Bronx Zoo, but at my son Stephen's casa in the West Village. J.R. had the most incredible eyes of any Toyger we have ever seen! After racing around my old 'hood and walking around the Zoo for hours, we were ready for a break. The next day we headed up to my grandmother's neighborhood "In the Heights" Washington Heights, that is. How do you get there? The Uptown Subway!
My grandmother came to New York via Ellis Island in August of 1914 just prior to World War I breaking out. They sailed from Glasgow on the Columbia with my Danish grandfather and my mom. They listed home as Copenhagen. Anyway, they settled in Washington Heights. It remained predominately Jewish, Irish ,and German until the late 1970's and then it turned Dominican. Fond memories of this place too!
These beautiful old brownstones were rent controlled at 30 bucks a month during the 1950's and onward. Now, completely inhabited by people from the Dominican Republic, the name Garcia has replaced Simpson.
As kids we used to sit out on the fire escape. My grandmother's window is the third story one with the AC which we did not have then. A grand three bedroom apartment, we had a dumb waiter in the kitchen. Its long gone as the Spanish speaking "super" attested.
358 Wadsworth Avenue is right in the area of the Cloisters, an uptown chic which is gaining popularity among the urban professionals.
Though this photo is a bit hazy, there was nothing blurry about the ascent up to this third floor door. This was Apt 3B when I was a child, with all the smells and wonderful aroma's of European cooking lingering in the hallways. So many fabulous days did we spend here gossiping with our kith and kin and trading family history.
In the old days everyone was out on the fire escape. Notice how empty now!
Looking North on Wadsworth street. We have had enough of reminiscing and check our watches. Time to head to the Cloisters. What's the easiest way? Why through the tunnel says a friendly neighbor!
Well, here is that tunnel which leads to the Cloisters.
We never ever in a million years would have found this on our own. After going in the subway the transit officer pointed us through this labyrinth which finally broke above ground.
Can you believe this? Built right into the mountain! By the way, this is the subway we took back to the Village when leaving the Cloisters.
Fort Tyron Park. We walked through here to get to the Cloisters. OK, we know there's a fort around here somewhere... Cloisters? Yes, It is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art which houses some of the most prominent Medieval art anywhere!
We're on our way!
Yes, this is New York City and we are STILL walking to the Cloisters.
A view of the Hudson as we approached the Cloisters.
Guess who's coming down the steps?
View of George Washington Bridge.
Finally, We made it! The Cloisters.
Upon entering, the crypt like silence and beatific air gave one a feeling of Spiritual awe and Peace.
Stained glass from all over Europe was donated by the Rockefeller's and various other benefactors . We have a special penchant for stained glass since both John and I had workshops in the distant past.
These windows speak for themselves.
Not every snotty museum buff has heard of the famous Unicorn Tapestries . So instead of pontificating we have added a very informative link which expands on these priceless woven tales of yore. Though this museum was small, it housed a wealth of triptychs and other medieval treasures such as the Book of Hours by the Duke de Barry.
A tad fuzzy but we believe you get the picture!
WE were excited about spending the day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art!
We took thousands of photos but we will only include a few. The Met is a massive Museum with five floors of Art from all over the globe including Egyptian and Buddhist antiquities. Here is a simple and elegant Degas.
Impressionist such as Manet, Monet and Seurat are timeless favorites since childhood.
Still life. One of my favorites. Simple! Henri La Tour, 1800's.
The impressionists such as Vuillard and Monet and Manet were and still are the creme de la creme.
Incredible! Believe its Signac.
We know who this is!
Matisse "Girl by a window".
Another Klimt. Any way, We won't bore you with the whole Met, there is just so damn much. If ya get a chance, Take a brief trip to the City , and you will fall in love. How about some good ole Street scenes?
Stephen lived in the West Village off Bleeker Street. See that garage sign? his first floor 2500$ a month apt was planted right below the neon. We had an absolute blast staying there and by the time we left it felt like home!
Sunday was time to see what the lower East side had to offer . Fulton street!
The very famous Fulton Fish Market.
New York is a paradise for the palate.
A morning of the lower east side turned into a steady drizzly rain. Time to head back to the casa and regroup. Seemed like it was time to explore Wall Street and the World Trade Center Memorial, We saved that for September 11th .
From this angle the street seems, well, small. Human bones and remains were found several city blocks away from the original site of where the two planes imploded at the Twin Towers. Most New Yorkers consider this site a War Memorial and want the whole area deemed so. It would seem callous and insensitive to those 3000 souls who perished on this infamous day if it were sullied with a mosque.
Not lacking in police force, the guys in blue were out by the hundreds.
Famous Park Place.
We attempted to get many shots of the construction that was going on.
Here one can see the area cordoned off getting ready for numerous public speakers such as Pam Geller of Atlas Shrugs and Gert Wilders,. a Dutch Parliamentarian who is an activist for American Liberty.
Reaching for the sky!
What a peach of a ride!
St. Pauls. So much rich history here in the City we could have easily spent months. St. Pauls Chapel is an American icon.
Here is the famous Dutch activist, GertWilders, who does not bend to Marxism or the left progressive Socialist agenda. What a hero.
At least 50 thousand strong turned out for this peaceful gathering. From ALL walks of life Americans for Liberty and justice and preserving the American way of life stood firm against the building of the Abomination at Ground Zero.
Another downtown scene.
We will break it up for a moment and show Wall Street.
Your stock exchange at work.
Looking down the street at St. Paul's.
Grieving Americans placing wreathes at the perimeter of the construction site. We will Never Forget.
After an emotional day We headed back to the West village .In need of a theater injection ,We headed to times square for tickets. . The play ,"In the Heights', meant so much to me. Although it did not capture the character of my grandmothers neighborhood , it did for the Dominicans who took it over in the 1980's. It was an incredible production about the area in uptown Manhattan Called Washington Heights. No, we did not see West Side Story as the photo shows, but instead chose the award winning musical about a beautiful memory shared by many Manhattenites. We were thrilled to catch this fabulous production 'In the Heights'.
We also got to see Jersey Boys, a musical about Frankie Valli.
Times Square throngs .Crazy. There was a place here to get just about any Broadway ticket at half price so long as you waited in line. We were very fortunate and had almost front row seats for a bargain basement price, though it still set us back 140.00 bucks plus some.
This is where we stood in line. As you can see the names of what is available is highlighted in yellow neon. Hundreds of anxious theatre revelers dashed to the Square in hopes of picking up their favorite play at half the cost. We spent more time at museums than the theatre due to time and currency constraints! Below John showcases T-Rex .
Although we have not spent much blog time on The American Museum of Natural History , it took up almost a whole day and then some to get through it. We were virtually museumed out at this point. The architecture was sumptuous. Below is a pic taken from one of the balconies.
A view of The American Museum of Natural History. Though we won't take you through it, we can say its a must do! Before we depart New York, a few last looks at Lower Manhatten.
The defunct infamous Burlington Coat Factory.
This kind officer was not impressed with gawking tourists. Guard Duty at the Burlington Coat Factory was probably not what he had in mind this fine Sunday.
Farewell, New York.
Manhattan, My favorite Island. There's No Place like Home! A salute to Judy Garland! And though I may have been maudlin and silly in regards to 'back home' These years I spent as a child with my family were by far the most important in shaping my entire being. There is nothing more important than a loving family, and I know, That's exactly where destiny brought me. A loving family. A 360 degree world circumnavigation.
Copyright © John & Vera Williams 2000-2015 All Rights Reserved
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