Posts Tagged ‘Manhattan’
Madison Avenue Bridge Centennial
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The last of the bridge centennial parades was held on Wednesday, May 12, 2010. The Madison Avenue Bridge spans the Harlem River and connects Manhattan with the Bronx.
from wikipedia
The Madison Avenue Bridge crosses the Harlem River connecting Madison Avenue in Manhattan with East 138th Street in the Bronx in New York City. The bridge is operated and maintained by the New York City Department of Transportation. It was designed by Alfred P. Boller and built in 1910 to replace and double the capacity of another earlier swing bridge dating from 1884.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It rained, at this parade.
from nycroads.com
The Madison Avenue Bridge, which today is maintained by the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT), provides two lanes of eastbound and two lanes of westbound traffic between Manhattan and the Bronx. On the Bronx approach, the bridge directly connects to the Major Deegan Expressway (at EXIT 3). On the Manhattan approach, motorists must take side streets to connect to the Harlem River Drive. According to the NYCDOT, the bridge carries approximately 45,000 vehicles per day (AADT).
– photo by Mitch Waxman
American Bridge Company? That was J.P. Morgan, wasn’t it?
from wikipedia
The Harlem River is a navigable tidal strait in New York City, USA that flows 8 miles (13 km) between the Hudson River and the East River, separating the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. Part of the current course of the Harlem River is the Harlem River Ship Canal, which runs somewhat south of the former course of the river, isolating a small portion of Manhattan (Marble Hill) on the Bronx side of the river.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The indomitable DOT crew that provided electricity and made sure that tents were in place to shield the dignitaries and speakers from the weather. Notice their high visibility safety gear.
from wikipedia
The New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT or DOT) is responsible for the management of much of New York City’s transportation infrastructure. Janette Sadik-Khan is the current Commissioner of the Department of Transportation, and was appointed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg on April 27, 2007.
The department’s responsibilities include day-to-day maintenance of the city’s streets, highways, bridges and sidewalks. The Department of Transportation is also responsible for installing and maintaining the city’s street signs, traffic signals and street lights. The DOT supervises street resurfacing, pothole repair, parking meter installation and maintenance, and the management of a citywide network of municipal parking facilities. The DOT also operates the Staten Island Ferry.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The bridge itself is a rather straightforward swing bridge, with trusses and box girders forming the superstructure for the busy roadway.
from wikipedia
Harlem stretches from the East River west to the Hudson River between 155th Street; where it meets Washington Heights—to a ragged border along the south. Central Harlem begins at 110th Street, at the northern boundary of Central Park; Spanish Harlem extends east Harlem’s boundaries south to 96th Street, while in the west it begins north of Upper West Side, which gives an irregular border west of Morningside Avenue. Harlem’s boundaries have changed over the years; as Ralph Ellison observed: “Wherever Negroes live uptown is considered Harlem.”
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Two young fellows opened a large box and revealed this cake. As soon as I saw it, I knew what must happen next, for I know a secret about politicians…
from wikipedia
Cake is a form of food that is usually sweet and often baked. Cakes normally combine some kind of flour, a sweetening agent (commonly sugar), a binding agent (generally egg, though gluten or starch are often used by lacto-vegetarians and vegans), fats (usually butter, shortening, or margarine, although a fruit purée such as applesauce is sometimes substituted to avoid using fat), a liquid (milk, water or fruit juice), flavors and some form of leavening agent (such as yeast or baking powder), though many cakes lack these ingredients and instead rely on air bubbles in the dough to expand and cause the cake to rise. Cake is often frosted with buttercream or marzipan, and finished with piped borders and crystallized fruit.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
All Politicians love cakes and cameras, and are magnetically attracted to them from wherever they may be in the city.
from wikipedia
To balance local authority along with the centralization of government, the Office of Borough President was established with a functional administrative role derived by having a vote on the New York City Board of Estimate, which was responsible for creating and approving the city’s budget and proposals for land use. The Board of Estimate consisted of the Mayor, the Comptroller and the President of the New York City Council, each of whom were elected citywide and had two votes, and the five Borough presidents, each having one vote.
In 1989, the Supreme Court of the United States, in Board of Estimate of City of New York v. Morris (489 U.S. 688) declared the New York City Board of Estimate unconstitutional on the grounds that the city’s most populous borough (Brooklyn) had no greater effective representation on the board than the city’s least populous borough (Staten Island), this arrangement being an unconstitutional violation of the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause pursuant to the high court’s 1964 “one man, one vote” decision.
The city charter was revised in 1990 and the Board of Estimate was abolished. The Office of Borough President was retained but with greatly reduced power. The borough budget reverted to the mayor or the New York City Council. A Borough President has a small discretionary budget to spend on projects within the borough. The last significant power of the borough presidents — to appoint a member of the New York City Board of Education — was abolished, with the board, on June 30, 2002.
The two major remaining appointments of a Borough President are one member of the city Planning Commission and one member of the Panel for Educational Policy. Borough Presidents generally adopt specific projects to promote while in office; but, since 1990, Borough Presidents have been seen mainly as the ceremonial leaders of their boroughs. Officially, they advise the Mayor on issues relating to each borough, comment on all land-use items in their borough, advocate borough needs in the annual municipal budget process, appoint Community Boards, chair the Borough Boards, and serve as ex officio members of various boards and committees They generally act as advocates of their boroughs at the mayoral agencies, the city council, the New York State government, public corporations and private businesses.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Borough President of Manhattan Scott Stringer arrived first, and seemed pleased with the confection.
from wikipedia
Scott Stringer (born 1960) is a New York Democratic politician and the current Borough President of Manhattan. His mother, Arlene Stringer-Cuevas, is a cousin of Bella Abzug and served on the New York City Council. Stringer grew up in the Washington Heights/Lower Inwood neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, attended Manhattan public schools and graduated from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. In 1983, he became a legislative assistant to Assemblyman, and future Congressman, Jerrold Nadler. During these years, he supported Democratic candidates such as Governor Mario Cuomo. In 1992, Stringer ran for Nadler’s Assembly seat representing the Upper West Side when Nadler replaced deceased Congressman Ted Weiss.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. arrived in a nearly simultaneous fashion, and the two exchanged pleasantries- while eyeing the pastry.
from wikipedia
Ruben Diaz, Jr. (born April 26, 1973) is a Democratic Party politician from the Bronx in New York City, and the son of New York State Senator Rubén Díaz.
Diaz became the Bronx Borough President in April 2009 after representing the 85th Assembly District in the New York State Assembly. When first elected in 1996 he became, at age 23, the youngest member of the New York State Legislature since Theodore Roosevelt.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The two BP’s electrified the crowd of well wishers, reporters, and invited guests. Diaz also maintained a certain vigil on the cake.
from wikipedia
On February 18, 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama appointed Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión, Jr. to the position of Director of the White House Office on Urban Affairs.
When Mayor Michael Bloomberg declared a special election to choose his successor,[64] Diaz was considered the leading candidate for the position of Bronx Borough President.
The special election was held on April 21, 2009. Diaz defeated Republican Party candidate Anthony Ribustello by an overwhelming 87% of the vote, to become the 13th Borough President of the Bronx.
On July 1, 2009 Diaz appointed Delores Fernandez to the reconstituted New York City Board of Education. Fernandez is anticipated to be the sole member of the Board that will have a perspective independent of mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Diaz ended his first summer as borough president by recommending that the New York City Council reject Related Companies’ proposal to turn the Kingsbridge Armory into a shopping mall. In an editorial in the New York Daily News, Diaz wrote he is “fighting to make sure that this development includes ‘living wage’ jobs that offer health insurance.” Related’s proposal is still going through the city’s review process.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The ceremonies began with the national anthem as sung by members of (I believe) the Choir Academy of Harlem.
from wikipedia
Samuel I. Schwartz, a.k.a. Gridlock Sam, is one of the leading transportation engineers in the United States, and is widely believed to be the man responsible for popularizing the phrase gridlock. Educated at Brooklyn College and the University of Pennsylvania, he originally worked as a cabbie. He eventually held the second-in-command post of Deputy Commissioner in New York City’s transportation department for many years and now operates as a private consultant. One of Gridlock Sam’s newest developments is that of a plan to enhance truck traffic along the Detroit-Windsor border. Today he gives advice in his own column in New York City’s Daily News. He answers questions by mail and alerts readers about traffic patterns.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Master of ceremonies Sam Schwartz.
from gridlocksam.com
Some thirty-seven years ago I began my professional career as a New York City taxi driver. This provided basic training for maneuvering through the city’s streets. Though trained in science, I switched majors to transportation engineering in graduate school. I thought I would save the subways, but the Transit Authority wouldn’t offer me a job. I ended up as a junior engineer at the old Traffic Department.
Initially I worked developing neighborhood one-way plans but soon I was moved to “Special Projects”. John Lindsay was mayor and proposed many innovative and bold schemes to reduce traffic in Midtown. I spent a lot of time on these plans, working with an old-time traffic engineer named Roy Cottam. One day, Roy spoke of his fears if we closed the streets in the Theater District, the grid system would “lock-up” and all traffic would grind to a halt. Soon we simply juxtaposed the word, and the term gridlock was born.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There was a general feeling of happiness, despite the wet and cold. Of course, we were all under the tent.
from nycbridges100.org
In the spring of 2007, a group of civic minded individuals realized that several of New York City’s bridges were approaching their 100th anniversary. In order to commemorate the significance of these magnificent spans and their role in making New York City the greatest metropolis in the world, the group formed the NYC Bridge Centennial Commission, a 501 (c) 3 corporation.
The aim of the Commission is to promote the 100th year anniversary of six historic New York City bridges, to educate the public about the bridges’ role in the life of the city, to encourage respect for the history of New York City; to heighten the public’s awareness of the City’s infrastructure and the need to maintain it; and to stimulate the interest of the public in celebrating the centennial of these six bridges.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Out of nowhere, the Kevin C. Kane, NYFD Marine 6 appeared.
from limarc.org
Kevin C. Kane, N2MEI, was a New York City Firefighter, and a member of LI-MARC. Early on the morning of September 12, 1991, Kevin responded with Engine Com-pany 236 to a fire in at an abandoned apartment house in the East New York section of Brooklyn. Despite the knowledge that there might not be enough hose to reach all parts of the house, Kevin and his fellow firefighters entered the building in search of victims. Shortly thereafter, a section of burning ceiling fell on Kevin. Despite the frantic efforts of his colleagues, they were not able to reach him. Eventually he managed to jump from a window, into the bucket of a fire truck. Having been burned over most of his body, he died the next day. In his honor, The NYFD named a fireboat The Kevin C. Kane, and created the Kevin C. Kane Medal for bravery.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The kids from the Harry S Truman High School band, and I mean all of them, were just jumping with personality and enthusiasm.
from wikipedia
Marching band is a sport consisting of a group of instrumental musicians and usually dance teams / color guard who generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching (and possibly onto other movements) with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments. Most marching bands use some kind of uniform (often of a military style) that include the school or organization’s name or symbol, shakos, pith helmets, feather plumes, gloves, and sometimes gauntlets, sashes, and/or capes.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Suddenly, all the spectators were looking south while I was looking west.
from wikipedia
Harry S. Truman High School is a public high school at 750 Baychester Avenue, in the Bronx, New York City, United States. The school is designated as an Empowerment School by the New York City Department of Education, which allows it more autonomy in choosing a curriculum.
Truman High School is one of the remaining large high schools in the Bronx that has not been broken up into a number of small schools. This trend which has been popular in the city has seen South Bronx High School, Evander Childs High School as well as Roosevelt High School split into a number of smaller schools that are still located in the same building.
Truman High is located in the Co-op City section of the Bronx, yet many of the students commute to school from areas as far away as the South Bronx.
The size of Truman High School (over 3000 students) does give it the benefit of having many sports programs and extracurricular activities.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Marine 6 was starting its own performance.
from wikipedia
Types of Apparatus:
MARINE or Fireboat is a specialized boat outfitted specifically for firefighting capabilities. Its responsibilities include suppression of all fires that occur on water, such as boat fires, pier fires, etc. A Marine Unit also assists land based companies with securing a water supply, as they have the ability to “draft” water from the rivers they operate in.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Red and blue colorant is added to two of the firehoses…
from wikipedia
The first bridge on this site was constructed by the New York and Harlem Railroad in 1841. It was composed of four 90-foot (27 m)-long box truss spans, three of which were fixed iron spans, while the remaining span was a wooden swing span. In the closed position, the bridge had a clearance of only seven feet above mean high water. Masonry piers supported the four box-truss spans.
In 1867, the wooden drawbridge was replaced with an iron one that gave a clearance of fifty feet. It was very busy. By the 1880s, the bridge was crossed by more than 200 trains a day.
The bridge was soon made obsolete by heavy traffic and dredging of the Harlem River Ship Canal. Alfred P. Boller worked with the railroad to create a new four-tracked swing bridge. The railroad and the city split the cost.
The new bridge was built in conjunction with the Army Corps of Engineers’ project to build the Harlem River Ship Canal. The Park Avenue railroad viaduct was also extended north of 115th Street at the same time. While the bridge was being built, a temporary bridge was built and the old span was demolished.
When the new bridge was finished, it had a 300-foot (91 m)-long steel truss span supported by masonry piers. The new span had a vertical clearance of 25 feet (7.6 m).
– photo by Mitch Waxman
… and a patriotic display is manufactured.
from nycroads.com
During the 1960’s and 1970’s, the Park Avenue Railroad Bridge passed through the hands of several financially ailing railroads, ranging from the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad to the Penn Central Railroad. Today, the lift span is operated by the MTA Metro-North passenger railroad.
Recently, the MTA Metro-North Railroad announced a $10 million project to rehabilitate the Park Avenue Railroad Bridge. The bridge control, power and lift systems are now beyond their useful life, and will not be replaced. Instead, the project will remove the moveable elements of the bridge (such as the wire rope and counterweight), and will rehabilitate the foundation. The MTA Metro-North Railroad currently is seeking approval from the U.S. Coast Guard to make this a fixed bridge in order to minimize the cost of rehabilitation.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The announcement was made that the rest of the ceremony would be kicking off “Bronx Week”, so the entire crowd began to lurch toward the Bronx shoreline.
from wikipedia
In a marching band or a drum & bugle corps, the colorguard is a non-musical section that provides additional visual aspects to the performance. The marching band and colorguard performance generally takes place on a football field while the colorguard interprets the music that the marching band or drum & bugle corps is playing via the synchronized spinning of flags, sabres, rifles, or through dance. The color guard uses different colors and styles of flags to enhance the visual effect of the marching band as a whole. The number of members in a colorguard can vary- some only having a few members while others may have 41 or more. Within the band, colorguard is often referred to as flagline or simply guard.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The Truman kids led the march off the Madison Avenue Bridge toward the Bronx side.
from wikipedia
The size and composition of a marching band can vary greatly. Some bands have fewer than twenty members, and some have over 500. American marching bands vary considerably in their instrumentation. Some bands omit some or all woodwinds, but it is not uncommon to see piccolos, flutes, clarinets, alto saxophones, and tenor saxophones. E♭ clarinets, alto clarinets, bass clarinets, and baritone saxophones are less common, but can be found in some bands. Bassoons and oboes are very seldom found on a field due to the risk of incidental damage, the impracticality of marching with an exposed double reed, and high sensitivity to weather.
The brass section usually includes trumpets or cornets, mellophones or E♭ alto horns (instead of horns), tenor trombones, baritone horns or euphoniums, and Tubas or sousaphones. E♭soprano cornets are sometimes used to supplement or replace the high woodwinds. Some especially large bands use flugelhorns and bass trombones.
Marching percussion (often referred to as the drumline, battery, or back battery) typically includes snare drums, tenor drums, bass drums, and cymbals and are responsible for keeping tempo for the band. All of these instruments have been adapted for mobile, outdoor use. Marching versions of the glockenspiel (bells), xylophone, and marimba are also rarely used by some ensembles. Historically, the percussion section also employed mounted timpani that featured manual controls.
For bands that include a front ensemble (also known as the pit or auxiliary percussion), stationary instrumentation may include orchestral percussion such as timpani, tambourines, maracas, cowbells, congas, wood blocks, marimbas, xylophones, bongos, vibraphones, timbales, claves, guiros, and chimes or tubular bells,concert bass drums, and gongs, as well as a multitude of auxiliary percussion equipment. Drum sets, purpose-built drum racks, and other mounted instruments are also placed here. Until the advent of the pit in the early 1980s, many of these instruments were actually carried on the field by marching percussionists by hand or on mounting brackets. Some bands also include electronic instruments such as synthesizers, electric guitars, and bass guitar, along with the requisite amplification. If double-reed or string instruments are used, they are usually placed here, but even this usage is very rare due to their relative fragility. Unusual percussive instruments are sometimes used, including brake drums, empty propane tanks, trashcans, railroad ties, stomping rigs, and other interesting sounds.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Word went around that refreshments could be found, and other entertainments offered, upon our arrival in Deegan Rock Park.
from wikipedia
For parades, bands usually line up in a marching block composed of ranks (rows) and files (columns). Typically, each member tries to stay within his or her given rank and file, and to maintain even spacing with neighboring musicians. It is usually the responsibility of the people at the end of each rank and the front of each file to be in the correct location; this allows other band members to guide to them.
Band members also try to keep a constant pace or step size while marching in parade. This usually varies between 22 and 30 inches (56–76 cm) per stride. A step size of 22.5 inches is called 8-to-5 because the marcher covers five yards (about 4.6 m) in eight steps. A step size of 30 inches is called 6-to-5 because five yards are covered in six steps. Because yard lines on an American football field are five yards apart, exact 8-to-5 and 6-to-5 steps are most useful for field shows.
A drum cadence (sometimes called a walkbeat or street beat) is usually played when the band is marching, sometimes alternating with a song. This is how the band keeps time. Alternately, a drum click or rim shot may be given on the odd beats to keep the band in step. Between songs and cadences, a roll is usually given to indicate what beat in the measure the band is at. Cadence tempo varies from group to group, but is generally between 112 and 144 beats per minute.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The band played on, as the crowd crossed safely over the flow of Harlem River.
from wikipedia
A musical instrument is constructed or used for the purpose of making the sounds of music. In principle, anything that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the beginnings of human culture. The academic study of musical instruments is called organology.
The date and origin of the first device of disputed status as a musical instrument dates back as far as 67,000 years old; artifacts commonly accepted to be early flutes date back as far as about 37,000 years old. However, most historians believe determining a specific time of musical instrument invention to be impossible due to the subjectivity of the definition.
Musical instruments developed independently in many populated regions of the world. However, contact among civilizations resulted in the rapid spread and adaptation of most instruments in places far from their origin. By the Middle Ages, instruments from Mesopotamia could be found in the Malay Archipelago and Europeans were playing instruments from North Africa. Development in the Americas occurred at a slower pace, but cultures of North, Central, and South America shared musical instruments.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Apparently, the syncopated footsteps of marching bands cause bridge engineers no small amount of worry, but the sturdy old girl didn’t shake a bit.
from wikipedia
The Bronx is divided by the Bronx River into a hillier section in the west, closer to Manhattan, and the flatter East Bronx, closer to Long Island. The West Bronx was annexed to New York City (then largely confined to Manhattan) in 1874, and the areas east of the Bronx River in 1895. The Bronx first assumed a distinct legal identity when it became a borough of Greater New York in 1898. Bronx County, with the same boundaries as the borough, was separated from New York County (afterwards coextensive with the Borough of Manhattan) as of January 1, 1914. Although the Bronx is the third-most-densely-populated county in the U.S., about a quarter of its area is open space, including Woodlawn Cemetery, Van Cortlandt Park, Pelham Bay Park, the New York Botanical Garden and the Bronx Zoo in the borough’s north and center, on land deliberately reserved in the late 19th century as urban development progressed northwards and eastwards from Manhattan with the building of roads, bridges and railways.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Word was that the cake had already been transported down to Deegan Rock Park, and somehow- Diaz knew it.
from wikipedia
In 1997, the Bronx was designated an All America City by the National Civic League, signifying its comeback from the decline of the 1970s. In 2006, The New York Times reported that “construction cranes have become the borough’s new visual metaphor, replacing the window decals of the 1980s in which pictures of potted plants and drawn curtains were placed in the windows of abandoned buildings.” The borough has experienced substantial new building construction since 2002. Between 2002 and June 2007, 33,687 new units of housing were built or were under way and $4.8 billion has been invested in new housing. In the first six months of 2007 alone total investment in new residential development was $965 million and 5,187 residential units were scheduled to be completed. Much of the new development is springing up in formerly vacant lots across the South Bronx.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Other Bronx politicos also eagerly followed the charms of the baked goods.
from ilovethebronx.com
Saturday, May 15th through Sunday, May 23rd, 2010
Throughout Bronx Week, residents of the Bronx and visitors from the tri-state region come together to celebrate the people, places, history and businesses of the Bronx. Outdoor performances, trolley tours, health fairs, a salute to volunteers and business workshops are just some of the events in store.
The grand finale is on Sunday, May 23rd, when famous sons and daughters of the borough will return home for induction to the Bronx Walk of Fame on the Grand Concourse, followed by our annual Parade, Food & Art Festival and Concert on Mosholu Parkway.
Bronx Week is the ideal time to remind all New Yorkers that The Bronx is a great place to live, work and play. Don’t Miss The Fun!
For more information on fun Bronx Week events happening in our borough, check back with us using our Bronx Week Calendar page or call 718.590.BRONX
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The lady who was holding this sign was chided by your humble narrator for hiding her face. That was the Madison Avenue Bridge Centennial Parade.
from nypost.com
Bronx Week 2010 kicked off yesterday, May 12, but fear not — all you’ve missed so far was a press conference.
This year’s festive celebration of the borough will include 22 events in only 12 days and culminate in a busy, exciting Grand Finale on Sunday, May 23.
“This time we have organized even more events, while keeping the traditional ones, to celebrate the beauty, culture, talent and development of our neighborhoods,” said Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. “No Bronxite should stay home during these many days full of activities.”
Doris Quiñones, executive director of the Bronx Tourism Council, said that this year, for the first time, Bronx Week has been moved up one month earlier.
“We moved it from June to May to make it easier for schools to participate,” she said. “Eighty schools are already scheduled to march in the parade on Sunday, May 23.”
That day is the Grand Finale, which is the big culmination of Bronx Week. In addition to the parade, which starts at noon on Mosholu Parkway, that night will be the famous Bronx Ball, at which the borough’s best and brightest show up in formal attire to dance the night away. This year the ball is under a huge tent at Orchard Beach at 6 p.m. and, as in the past, will have a red carpet, Bronx high school cheerleaders, and will kick off when Borough President Diaz honors a special few.
Circumnavigation 1
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The reason that I was in Manhattan on Saturday the 24th of April, rather than wandering about the dystopian hillocks of Western Queens (as usual), was that a friend was gathering a group of photographers and urban explorer types together on- of all things- a tourist boat. Coupons for a discount trip, and the offer of fraternal companionship, drew me to the west side of Manhattan to ride along for the three hour circumnavigation of the Shining City. The boat left from Pier 83, lately known as “the Circle Line” pier, on the Hudson River. That’s the John J. Harvey fireboat, incidentally- for more on the Harvey- click here, and here, and here.
from wikipedia
The Circle Line is the collective name given to two sightseeing ferry operations in Manhattan:
Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises at 42nd Street which circles Manhattan from its base at Pier 83 in Manhattan
Circle Line Downtown operates out of Pier 16, South Street Seaport. The company name is Circle Line Harbor Cruises, LLC. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Circle Line Statue of Liberty.
- The two companies split in 1981 from the parent Circle Line company and now have different officers and directors.
- Circumnavigation of Manhattan became possible in 1905 with the construction of the Harlem Ship Canal, the first regularly scheduled trip being the Tourist captained by John Roberts in 1908.
- On June 15, 1945 Frank Barry, Joe Moran and other partners merged several sightseeing boats to form the Circle Line operating out of Battery Park.
- In 1955 it began operating at its current Pier 83 location. In 1962 it bought the Hudson River Day Line.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
River traffic was at a minimum, and the relict gems that dot the coastlines were glittering in the morning sunlight. Pictured above is the Erie-Lackawanna ferry terminal in Hoboken, New Jersey.
check out this fascinating post at Hoboken411.com which details the reconstruction of this historic structure’s clock tower in recent years.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As the behemoth tourist ship entered into NY Harbor proper from the Hudson, along came the Marie J. Turecamo tugboat- a 2,250 HP twin screw tug operated by Moran Towing. It was originally built as the Traveller in 1968, by Tangier Marine Transport which operated out of the Main Iron Works facility in Houma, LA.
from morantug.com
Moran is a leading provider of marine towing and transportation services, a 150-year-old corporation that was founded as a small towing company in New York Harbor and grew to preeminence in the industry. The cornerstone of our success has been a long-standing reputation for safe, efficient service, achieved through a combination of first-rate people and outstanding vessels and equipment.
Over the course of its history Moran has steadily expanded and diversified, and today offers a versatile range of services stemming from its core capabilities in ship docking, contract towing, LNG activities and marine transportation. Our tug fleet serves the most ports of any operator in the eastern United States, and services LNG terminals along the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts and the West Coast of Mexico. The Moran barge fleet serves the U.S. Atlantic and Pacific Coasts, the Great Lakes, the inland waters of the U.S. eastern seaboard, and the Gulf of Mexico. We also provide worldwide marine transportation services, including operations in the Caribbean and periodic voyages to South America and overseas waters.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Playing at the serious business of being a tourist is no easy job. The Circle Line narration points out interesting features observed along its route, making frequent mention of “the sights they came to see”. An image of the Statue of Liberty is a popular and desired memory for visitors to the Shining City to acquire, and I couldn’t let it pass without a cursory shot. The events of September 11, 2001 received repeated mention in the script as well.
from wikipedia
The statue is made of a sheathing of pure copper, hung on a framework of steel (originally puddled iron) with the exception of the flame of the torch, which is coated in gold leaf (originally made of copper and later altered to hold glass panes). It stands atop a rectangular stonework pedestal with a foundation in the shape of an irregular eleven-pointed star. The statue is 151 ft (46 m) tall, but with the pedestal and foundation, it is 305 ft (93 m) tall.
Worldwide, the Statue of Liberty is one of the most recognizable icons of the United States.[11] For many years it was one of the first glimpses of the United States for millions of immigrants and visitors after ocean voyages from around the world.
The statue is the central part of Statue of Liberty National Monument, administered by the National Park Service. The National Monument also includes Ellis Island.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Speaking of 911, one of the newer Coast Guard patrol boats was busily speeding by. This is a “response boat small” I believe, and it was quick and seemed ready to become deadly at any moment.
from uscg.mil
Response Boat-Small (RB-S) was developed in a direct response to the need for additional Homeland Security assets in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks. The Defender-class boats were procured under an emergency acquisition authority.
With a contract option for up to 700 standard response boats, the Defender-class acquisition is one of the largest boat buys of its type in the world.
The 100 boat Defender A -class (RB-HS) fleet began arriving at units in May 2002 and continued through August 2003. After several configuration changes, most notably a longer cabin and shock mitigating rear seats, the Defender B-class RB-S boats were born.
This fleet was first delivered to the field in October 2003, and there are currently 457 Defender-class boats in operation assigned to the Coast Guard’s Maritime Safety and Security Teams (MSST), Maritime Security Response Team (MSRT), Marine Safety Units (MSU), and Small Boat Stations throughout the Coast Guard.
Mission Capability:
With an overall length of 25 feet, two 225 horsepower outboard engines, unique turning radius, and gun mounts both forward and aft, the Defender-class boats are the ultimate waterborne assets for conducting high speed maneuvering tactics in a small deployable package. This is evidenced by the fact that several Defender-class boats are already in operation at other Homeland Security Department agencies, as well as foreign military services for homeland security missions.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As the Circle Line crossed into the East River, nearing the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges, however, a ship that’s familiar to long time readers of this Newtown pentacle appeared- the M/V Red Hook.
from wnyc.org
When the city invited a select few reporters aboard the Sludge Boat Red Hook, we figured it would reek, naturally enough. But, despite all that human waste and other organic cargo sloshing about, the boat smells just fine.
This is a nice, clean, next-generation sludge vessel: 350 feet long, cruising speed 10 knots. Inside the cabin, it’s all fancy gadgets, everywhere.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The Red Hook is actually one of the newer Sludge Boats in the City’s fleet, built to modern specifications and environmental regulations.
from ny1.com
The $30 million boat, named Red Hook, is the latest addition to the marine fleet.
It will cart tons of sludge every day to waste water treatment plants. The plant on Wards Island processes about 200 million gallons a day of waste water; the sludge is the solid part of that waste.
“They are removing more of the solids from the water, we’re returning cleaner water to the harbor, but producing more sludge, and that’s a good news thing. But it also requires us to increase our capacity,” said acting DEP Commissioner Steven Lawitts. “This one is higher capacity. It has a capacity for 150,000 cubic feet of sludge, so it’s about 50 percent larger than previous boats.”
The Red Hook was built over a period of three years by a manufacturing company in Texas.
unchangeable power
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Found this auto on east 24th street, right after leaving a parade of (maybe) Sikhs on Madison Ave on Saturday the 24th. Categorically, this is the world’s coolest car, despite the jersey license plates. Seriously customized, it’s a Toyota of some kind under all the “bling”.
from wikipedia
Toyota has factories in most parts of the world, manufacturing or assembling vehicles for local markets. Toyota has manufacturing or assembly plants in Japan, Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Canada, Indonesia, Poland, South Africa, Turkey, Colombia, the United Kingdom, the United States, UAE, France, Brazil, Portugal, and more recently, Argentina, Czech Republic, Mexico, Malaysia, Thailand, Pakistan, Egypt, China, Vietnam, Venezuela, the Philippines, and Russia.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The exhaust pipes that adorn it, beneath the doors, are actually a weird combination of duct tape and pipe. The whole vehicle had a sense of “hand” to it, and a certain charm. Your humble narrator, of course, was drawn to the flyer tucked under the drivers side windshield wiper. I just can’t resist a good flyer.
from nylp.com
New York City Administrative Code
Sanitation
§ 16–118
5. No person shall throw, cast or distribute, or cause or permit to be thrown, cast or distributed, any handbill, circular, card, booklet, placard or other advertising matter whatsoever, in or upon any street or public place, or in a front yard or courtyard, or on any stoop, or in the vestibule of any hall in any building, or in a letter box therein; provided that nothing herein contained shall be deemed to prohibit or otherwise regulate the delivery of any such matter by the United States postal service, or prohibit the distribution of sample copies of newspapers regularly sold by the copy or by annual subscription. This section is not intended to prevent the lawful distribution of anything other than commercial and business advertising matter.
6. No swill, brine, offensive animal matter, noxious liquid, or other filthy matter of any kind, shall be allowed by any person to fall upon or run into any street, or public place, or be taken to or put therein.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Unchangeable Power, it says, and I like to believe that whoever was pamphleteering the neighborhood- locally dominated by a National Guard armory, made it a special point to drop their booklet on this car. They must be attracted to fog lights and soldiers.
from wikipedia
The 69th Regiment Armory located at 68 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York, is a historical building completed in 1906. It still houses the U.S. 69th Infantry Regiment.
The building, which runs from 25th to 26th Streets on the west side of Lexington Avenue, was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1965.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The pamphlet, which is a screed published by Tony Alamo’s Christian Ministries- a Texas based church- is available online here. Pastor Alamo’s congregation is a familiar one to New Yorkers due to constant printed proselytizing, and the local meeting house is found at the Vincci Hoteles, 16 east 32nd street.
from hotelstravel.com
Vincci Avalon Hotel
Located off Madison Avenue, the Vincci Avalon Hotel incorporates European grandeur, boutique intimacy, and top of the line business amenities. The Avalon is situated three blocks from Penn Station and two blocks from the Empire State Building. Located in Midtown, the hotel is three blocks from Madison Square Garden, half a mile from Jacob Javits Center, three miles from the site of the World Trade Center, and eight miles from LaGuardia Airport.Rates include full buffet complimentary breakfast, morning newspapers, and complimentary access to Boom Fitness. The business center is also freeMore than half of the rooms are non-smoking, and the bathrooms are all marble with brass and chrome fixtures. All rooms have complimentary wifi high-speed Internet access and ihomes of ipods. The guestrooms feature desk chairs designed specifically for comfort and functionality, luxurious bath amenities, Egyptian Cotton linens, velour bathrobes, the Avalon signature body pillows, dual-line phones with voicemail, hairdryers and irons.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Pastor Alamo is a controversial figure, for those of you not in the know. Check out this 2007 page at the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Hatewatch for more info on him and his group. Nevertheless, this was a very cool car.
from wikipedia
Tony Alamo (born Bernie LaZar Hoffman; September 20, 1934) is an American preacher, singer, entrepreneur, religious evangelist, and convicted child sex offender. He and his late wife Susan are best known as the founders of an organization currently known as Tony Alamo Christian Ministries. The organization is based in and around Fouke and Alma, Arkansas, United States. It has been referred to as a cult. On July 24, 2009 Alamo was convicted in the Federal District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, sitting in Texarkana, Arkansas, on 10 counts of Interstate Transportation of Minors for Illegal Sexual Purposes, Rape, Sexual Assault and Contributing to the Delinquency of Minors. On November 13, 2009, he was sentenced to the maximum punishment of 175 years in prison.
merry sounds
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Wandering through Manhattan on Saturday the 24th of April, your humble narrator suddenly found himself in a throng of colorfully dressed people. Willfully, I denied myself the opportunity to ask anyone what was going on, and instead preferred total ignorance of the significance of such a gathering.
Why?
Because sometimes it’s important to let New York show you what it wants you to see and not ask too many questions.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Ethnographic assumptions suggested to me that this crowd most likely had its origins on the mysterious subcontinent of India, based on observable physical features and style of dress. Also, many people were eating what I recognized as Indian food. Further trespass into the unknown would assert that these folks are most likely Sikh’s. Such ideations of national specificity hatch from the particular head wrappings and sheer physical size of the men.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Crowded, with what seemed to be thousands of children dashing about in panics of joy, there was a cacophony of conversation and color all around me. Spoken in some foreign tongue, foreign to me at least, their language carried a certain lilting and almost musical tone in utterance- which, I noted- were backed up by a seemingly simultaneous stream of information manifested by a secondary language of hand postures. I have noted that Indian people “speak with their hands” in the past, a cherished tradition of all New Yorkers here in the Shining City.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
On 25th street, this enigmatic fellow was intently focused on what seemed to be either religious devotions or preparation of a ceremonial space. The little palace had flowers pinned to it, and seemed to a be a focal point for many of the men to gather and greet each other. On the corner of Madison, the female percentage of the crowd fell off somewhat. That’s when I realized this was a parade of some kind.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Scuttling to an out of the way spot, your humble narrator wondered if the variegated colors of the garb had any significance, and whether it denoted society or affiliation or caste. Musing about whether or not these might be gang colors in some far away place or time, a magnificent cast of characters then passed by- reminding me of a costumed group of super heroes.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Sikh’s, if Sikh’s these folks be, are known to exhibit great physical size- which distinguishes them from their more economically built Asian neighbors. This isn’t scientific, just a personal observation- if I see an Indian Guy who’s over 6 foot and well over 200 pounds, I always think “Sikh”. Afghans also are quite stoutly built, but Sikh men are huge.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Your humble narrator continued his long scuttle back to Queens, where- odds are- many of these people likely dwell. There are several Sikh temples near and in Astoria, and I’ve been trying to work up the courage to visit one. I’m intrigued, but I like churches best from the outside. Always… I must remain outside.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
If anyone can identify this event, or positively assess the identity of the crowd, please share.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A trappist abbot named de LeStrange, hiding in New York from the oppressions of the Corsican antichrist- Bonaparte- in 1813, purchased this land on 5th avenue between 50th and 51st streets from the Jesuits for $10,000.
from saintpatrickscathedral.org
While her cornerstone was laid in 1858 and her doors swept open in 1879, it was over 150 years ago, when Archbishop John Hughes announced his inspired ambition to build the “new” Saint Patrick’s Cathedral.
In a ceremony at Old Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Archbishop Hughes proposed “for the glory of Almighty God, for the honor of the Blessed and Immaculate Virgin, for the exaltation of Holy Mother Church, for the dignity of our ancient and glorious Catholic name, to erect a Cathedral in the City of New York that may be worthy of our increasing numbers, intelligence, and wealth as a religious community, and at all events, worthy as a public architectural monument, of the present and prospective crowns of this metropolis of the American continent.”
Ridiculed as “Hughes’ Folly,” as the proposed, near-wilderness site was considered too far outside the city, Archbishop Hughes, nonetheless, persisted in his daring vision of building the most beautiful, Gothic Cathedral in the New World in what he believed would one day be “the heart of the city.” Neither the bloodshed of the Civil War, nor the resultant lack of manpower or funds, would derail the ultimate fulfillment of Hughes’ dream and Architect, James Renwick’s bold plan.
Through the generosity of 103 citizens who pledged $1,000 each and the collective “pennies” of thousands of largely Irish, immigrant poor, Hughes’ vision became a shining reality.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After the Trappists returned to France, following the downfall of Napoleon, the land lay feral and abandoned- and was set aside for future usage as a cemetery. The Archbishop of New York, an Irishman named John Joseph Hughes (who also created the Parochial School System, I would add) decided in 1853 to replace the “old” St. Patrick’s on Mulberry Street with something a little finer.
from wikipedia
He was consecrated bishop on January 7, 1838 with the titular see of Basileopolis. He succeeded to the bishopric of the diocese of New York on December 20, 1842 and became an archbishop on July 19, 1850, when the diocese was elevated to the status of archdiocese. He campaigned actively on behalf of Irish immigrants, and attempted to secure state support for religious schools. He protested against the United States Government for using the King James Bible in public schools, claiming that it was an attack on Catholic constitutional rights of double taxation, because Catholics would need to pay taxes for public school and also pay for the private school to send their children, to avoid the Protestant translation of the Bible. When he failed to secure state support, he founded an independent Catholic school system which was taken into the Catholic Church’s core at the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, 1884, which mandated that all Parishes have a parochial school and that all Catholic children be sent to those schools.
He founded Manhattan College, St. John’s College (now Fordham University), the Academy of Mount St. Vincent {now (College of Mount Saint Vincent)and Marymount College. and began construction of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. He served until his death. He was originally buried in old St. Patrick’s Cathedral and was exhumed and reinterred in the crypt under the altar of the new cathedral.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Prominent and favored by the powers that were, an engineer and architect named James Renwick Jr. designed the Cathedral. It is virtually impossible for the New Yorkers of this 21st century to understand the prestige of building a cathedral (primarily) for the Irish in the 19th century. A brogue was the price of admission to city government back then, and the stereotypical Irish cop, fireman, and politician were manifest archetypes.
from wikipedia
Renwick was born into a wealthy and well-educated family. His mother, Margaret Brevoort, was from a wealthy and socially prominent New York family. His father, James Renwick, was an engineer, architect, and professor of natural philosophy at Columbia College, now Columbia University. His two brothers were also engineers. Renwick is buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife and father.
Renwick was not formally trained as an architect. His ability and interest in building design were nurtured through his cultivated background, which granted him early exposure to travel, and through a broad cultural education that included architectural history. He learned the skills from his father. He studied engineering at Columbia, entering at age twelve and graduating in 1836. He received an M.A. three years later. On graduating, he took a position as structural engineer with the Erie Railroad and subsequently served as supervisor on the Croton Reservoir, acting as an assistant engineer on the Croton Aqueduct in New York
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Many additions have been made to Renwick’s original design, including a dwelling for the Archbishop and Rectory. Every generation has found some reason to alter and magnify the structure, which is the seat of the Archdiocese of New York. The Archdiocese of New York is a larger Catholic organization than exists in many countries.
from wikipedia
Work was begun in 1858 but was halted during the Civil War and resumed in 1865. The cathedral was completed in 1878 and dedicated on May 25, 1879, its huge proportions dominating the midtown of that time. The archbishop’s house and rectory were added from 1882 to 1884, and an adjacent school (no longer in existence) opened in 1882. The towers on the west façade were added in 1888, and an addition on the east, including a Lady chapel, designed by Charles T. Mathews, was begun in 1901. The stained-glass windows in the Lady Chapel were designed and made in Chipping Campden, England by Paul Vincent Woodroffe between 1912 and 1930. The cathedral was renovated between 1927 and 1931 when the great organ was installed and the sanctuary enlarged.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, Archidioecesis Neo-Eboracensis, covers some 480 parishes and ministers to the roughly 2.5 million believers in its territory. St. Patrick’s is the ceremonial center of the organization.
from wikipedia
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York covers New York, Bronx, and Richmond counties in New York City (coterminous with the boroughs of Manhattan, The Bronx, and Staten Island, respectively), as well as Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester counties in New York state. There are 480 parishes. The Archdiocese of New York is the metropolitan see of the ecclesiastical province of New York which includes the suffragan dioceses of Brooklyn, Albany, Buffalo, Syracuse, Rochester, Ogdensburg, and Rockville Centre.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Major renovations to the structure, particularly the altars happened during the tenure of Cardinal Francis Spellman. Spellman was a firebrand priest and political operator cast in the Medici mold, with a long list of foes and allies, and an anti-communist. He also figures into the history of Calvary Cemetery, prominently.
from wikipedia
Vehemently anti-Communist, Spellman once said that “a true American can neither be a Communist nor a Communist condoner” and that “the first loyalty of every American is vigilantly to weed out and counteract Communism and convert American Communists to Americanism”. He was firm supporter of Joseph McCarthy. In 1949, when gravediggers at Calvary Cemetery in Queens went on strike for a pay raise, the Cardinal accused them of being Communists and recruited seminarians from St. Joseph’s Seminary as strikebreakers. He described the actions of the gravediggers, who belonged to the Food, Tobacco, Agricultural, and Allied Workers Union of America, as “an unjustified and immoral strike against the innocent dead and their bereaved families, against their religion and human decency”. The strike was supported by such figures as Dorothy Day and Ernest Hemingway, who wrote a scathing letter to Spellman. Spellman defended Senator Joseph McCarthy’s 1953 investigations of Communist subversives in the federal government, stating at an April 1954 breakfast attended by the Senator that McCarthy had “told us about the Communists and about Communist methods” and that he was “not only against communism—but … against the methods of the Communists”.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It was actually the Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral people from the Five Points who founded Calvary Cemetery in Queens, but it’s the New Cathedral’s offices that have dominion over the marble heart of the Newtown Pentacle today.
The Trustees also displayed a keen foresight in acquiring property for cemetery use and also great diligence and prudence in caring for and managing the cemeteries. In 1829, a tract of land was purchased, on what is not 50th Street, for use as a cemetery.
The purchased gave rise to much criticism because the property was so far beyond the city limits. This property was later used as the site of St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
Property closer to the city limits was acquired in 1832. Located between 11th and 12th Streets, from Avenue A to 1st Avenue, this parcel of land known as the 11th Street Cemetery, was opened for interments in 1833 and was used for the burial of Catholics until the year 1848.
Before that date, the Trustees came to the conclusion that the rapidly growing Catholic population of New York made necessary the acquisition of more cemetery property. It was decided that a large parcel of land would be necessary to satisfy the cemeteryrequirements of a growing population and so in 1845, the Trustees purchased the ALSOP Farm, consisting of 115 acres in Newtown Township, Long Island.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The center of Manhattan’s urban life lay far south of 50th street when the Cathedral was built. What Times and Herald Square are to modernity, Union Station was. The great press and tumult of tenement New York, where the “old” St. Patrick’s Cathedral still stands, did not appeal to the Irish who had “made it” into the bourgeois class via the seeming experiment in social Darwinism which was called the Five Points.
from wikipedia
The neighborhood took form by about 1820 next to the site of the former Collect Pond, which had been drained due to a severe pollution problem. The landfill job on the Collect was a poor one, and surface seepage to the southeast created swampy, insect-ridden conditions resulting in a precipitous drop in land value. Most middle and upper class inhabitants fled, leaving the neighborhood completely open to the influx of poor immigrants that started in the early 1820s and reached a torrent in the 1840s due to the Irish Potato Famine. It was situated close enough for a walking commute to the large mercantile employers of the day in and around the dockyards at the island’s southern tip, but it was far enough away from the built-up Wall Street area to allow a total remake of character.
At Five Points’ “height,” only certain areas of London’s East End vied with it in the western world for sheer population density, disease, infant and child mortality, unemployment, prostitution, violent crime, and other classic ills of the urban destitute. However, it was the original American melting pot, at first consisting primarily of newly emancipated African Americans (gradual emancipation led to the end of slavery in New York on July 4, 1827), and newly arrived Irish.
The rough and tumble local politics of “the ould Sixth ward” (The Points’ primary municipal voting district), while not free of corruption, set important precedents for the election of non-Anglo-Saxons to key offices. Although the tensions between the African Americans and the Irish were legendary, their cohabitation in Five Points was the first large-scale instance of volitional racial integration in American history. In the end, the Five Points African American community moved to Manhattan’s West Side and to the then-undeveloped north of the island.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
When first built, St. Patrick’s towered over the surrounding area’s building stock. The 20th century put an end to that, especially when the Rockefellers built their 22 acre “center” around it. Rockefeller center represents a composite eight million square feet of commercial real estate, spread out amongst 19 skyscrapers.
from wikipedia
Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering 22 acres (89,000 m2) between 48th and 51st streets in New York City. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Eight Archbishops of the Roman Catholic church are entombed in St. Patrick’s, 6 of whom held the office of Cardinal. 4 other officers of the See are entombed here as well- including the Haitian “venerable” Pierre Toussaint who is on the road to being declared a Saint.
from wikipedia
Venerable Pierre Toussaint (1766 – June 30, 1853) was born in Haïti. He learned to read and write and he came to New York from Haiti in 1787. In New York, he became an apprentice to one of the city’s leading hairdressers.
Pierre Toussaint quickly became a popular abolitionist. He was freed from slavery when his owner died in 1807 and later became quite wealthy. He fell in love with another slave, Juliette Noel, and purchased her freedom when she was only fifteen years old. Noel married Toussaint and together they set out to help those in need in New York City. They opened their home as a shelter for orphans, a credit bureau, an employment agency and refuge for priests and poverty stricken travelers. Toussaint also funded money to build a new Roman Catholic church in New York, which became Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Mulberry Street.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I was in the area, having met with a new advertising client- a rare thing in the last few years due to the “Great Recession”- and was thunderstruck by the quality of the light hitting St. Patrick’s. The mirror surfaces of the hideous internationalist style office buildings- expressions of anti republic quasi fascism to my opinion- act as enormous “gelled’ light sources illuminating the Neo-Gothic structure they surround.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
An observation and opinion:
I rail against “LeCorbusier” and the “International Style” a lot. My opinion is that of a consumer, not an architect or engineer. Life as a freelance commercial artist in New York City has taken me to a lot of places and office buildings over the years, and the worst ones are those where only the bosses get to look out a window every now and then. I’ve worked for ad agencies or corporate graphics operations in:
- World Trade Center (which swayed uncomfortably, was huge and drafty, and difficult to get lunch)
- Empire State (cramped and dark, with lousy bathrooms)
- Chrysler Building (same complaints as Empire)
- Worldwide Plaza (not too bad, although environmental ventilation sucks)
- Rockefeller Center itself (in one of the original 19 and one of the Internationals on sixth avenue… there’s an enormous underground complex down there, by the way- guys ride around in little carts with flashing lights- looks just like you’d think Area 51 would)
- Saatchi Building (aces! and I used to watch Fireboats training on the Hudson from my desk)
The best buildings to work in are generally below 23rd street, however, the ones whose former lighting system- gas pipes- are still visible. Today, many of those gas pipes carry high speed fiber optic cables. Windows are openable, you are close to the street, and lunch options are abundant. There’s a real mix of people on the sidewalks, and such intercourse between strangers is critical to democracy and identification of one’s self as being part of a community.
The Newtown Pentacle 