Some of the activities available, free bike repair, free portraits with your bike, free bike rentals, free rock climbing and free cookies and lemonade.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Summer Streets
For the fourth year in a row and for four Saturdays in August one street is open to the public from 72nd Street and Central Park East to the Brooklyn Bridge.
There is a lot to do and a lot of New Yorkers out today doing it.
Some of the activities available, free bike repair, free portraits with your bike, free bike rentals, free rock climbing and free cookies and lemonade.
There are sand boxes for some play.
You are sure to have a good time. So if you are in the city next Saturday bring the whole family.
Some of the activities available, free bike repair, free portraits with your bike, free bike rentals, free rock climbing and free cookies and lemonade.
Empire State Building
The real estate between 34th street and 33 street on Fifth Ave. had been home to the Astor's. The famous Mrs. William Astor lived at 34th and Fifth. Because her ballroom could only accommodate 400, N.Y.'s social elite were listed as 'the 400'. Her nephew was at 33rd. The nephew built the Waldorf Hotel on his site, ruining the neighborhood; so Mrs Astor built the Astoria Hotel on her corner and moved uptown. So they created the Waldorf-Astoria so I could have my prom.
The Empire State Building was planned during the booming 1920s by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon but completed in1931. It is constructed in the Art deco style of the time. It cost $40,948,900 then, about $500,000,000 today. It was largely vacant in the early years. They say fees to the observation deck paid the bills. The bills for building the Empire State Building were paid by one man, John Jacob Raskob, KCSG, 1879-1950.
Born in Lockport, NY, his grandfather was an immigrant from Germany and his father sold cigars. After High School he went to a local Business School but had to drop out when his father died in 1898. He worked as a secretary to support the family.
1911 ... hired as a personal secretary to Pierre DuPont
1914 ... appointed Treasurer
1918 ... Vice President for Finance of DuPont and General Motors. He was an early investor in GM and engineered DuPont's ownership of 43% of GM.
In the 1928 Presidential campaign he supported Al Smith for President. Chairman of the Board, Sloan supported Herbert Hoover. Raskob was asked to resign. He sold his stock, built the Empire State Building, and made Al Smith President ... of the Empire State Building Company.
The KCSG after his name signifies that he is a knight of the Catholic Church. He was given the title for his philanthropy, not because of the 13 children his wife had. Another member of the KCSG is Rupert Murdoch.
3000 men rose the framework at a rate of 4 and a half stories per week to 102 stories total and 1454 feet.
In 1951 the Raskob Estate sold the building for $34 million
Today $550 million is being spent on renovations with $120 million being used to make the building Greener
It has its own zip code 10118
In 1945, a plane crashed into the building, killing 14 people. It also resulted in Betty Lou Oliver surviving a plunge of 75 stories inside an elevator. That still stands as the Guinness World Record. Anyone want to go for 76.
It was the tallest building for 42 years until the World trade center in 1973
There have been over 30 suicides. The first was by a worker before the building was completed. He had been laid off. Evelyn McHale on 5/1/47 jumped from the 86th floor, landed on a U.N. limo and her curiously intact body was photographed. It was later used by Andy Warhol for his painting 'Suicide'. Elvita Adams on 12/2/79 jumped from the 86th floor only to be blown back and land on the 85th floor with a broken hip.
In 2/24/97 a Palestinian gunman shot 7 people, killing one and wounding himself.
There have been 110 million visitors to the Empire State Building. Named America's favorite building in a poll by the American Institute of Architects, designated a National Landmark and listed as one of the 7 wonders of the Modern World. But I've never liked that name!
The Empire State Building was planned during the booming 1920s by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon but completed in1931. It is constructed in the Art deco style of the time. It cost $40,948,900 then, about $500,000,000 today. It was largely vacant in the early years. They say fees to the observation deck paid the bills. The bills for building the Empire State Building were paid by one man, John Jacob Raskob, KCSG, 1879-1950.
Born in Lockport, NY, his grandfather was an immigrant from Germany and his father sold cigars. After High School he went to a local Business School but had to drop out when his father died in 1898. He worked as a secretary to support the family.
1911 ... hired as a personal secretary to Pierre DuPont
1914 ... appointed Treasurer
1918 ... Vice President for Finance of DuPont and General Motors. He was an early investor in GM and engineered DuPont's ownership of 43% of GM.
In the 1928 Presidential campaign he supported Al Smith for President. Chairman of the Board, Sloan supported Herbert Hoover. Raskob was asked to resign. He sold his stock, built the Empire State Building, and made Al Smith President ... of the Empire State Building Company.
The KCSG after his name signifies that he is a knight of the Catholic Church. He was given the title for his philanthropy, not because of the 13 children his wife had. Another member of the KCSG is Rupert Murdoch.
In 1951 the Raskob Estate sold the building for $34 million
Today $550 million is being spent on renovations with $120 million being used to make the building Greener
It has its own zip code 10118
In 1945, a plane crashed into the building, killing 14 people. It also resulted in Betty Lou Oliver surviving a plunge of 75 stories inside an elevator. That still stands as the Guinness World Record. Anyone want to go for 76.
It was the tallest building for 42 years until the World trade center in 1973
There have been over 30 suicides. The first was by a worker before the building was completed. He had been laid off. Evelyn McHale on 5/1/47 jumped from the 86th floor, landed on a U.N. limo and her curiously intact body was photographed. It was later used by Andy Warhol for his painting 'Suicide'. Elvita Adams on 12/2/79 jumped from the 86th floor only to be blown back and land on the 85th floor with a broken hip.
In 2/24/97 a Palestinian gunman shot 7 people, killing one and wounding himself.
There have been 110 million visitors to the Empire State Building. Named America's favorite building in a poll by the American Institute of Architects, designated a National Landmark and listed as one of the 7 wonders of the Modern World. But I've never liked that name!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Follies
No this is not another piece on world order. it's about a musical; I just keep walking. Tuesday I saw 'Follies' at the Marquis Theater. It is one of my favorite Stephen Sondheim musicals and this is one of my favorite productions of any of the Sondheim shows I've seen. The reason? The book is emphasized, the 'ghosts' are made clear from the beginning, and we are watching great musical performers acting and bringing to life real, fascinating, people. I was taken aback at first site of Bernadette Peters. She looks like a small depressed middle-aged, middle-America housewife. She's Sally and she's supported by Jan Maxwell [Phyllis], Ron Raines [Ben], Danny Burstein [Buddy], Elaine Paige [Carlotta], Teri White [Stella] and 45 other performers. I can't imagine how many people are working off stage. "Who's that Woman" with Teri White and The Ladies is wonderful. What was new for me was how operatic the show is. "Too Many Mornings" tore my heart. Bernadette Peters hits notes I never heard her sing before and Ron Raines can match her. If I had deep pockets I'd go again and again.
Too many mornings
wasted in pretending I reach for you.
How many mornings
are there still to come!
How much time can we hope there will be?
Not much time, but it's time enough for me.
If there's time to look up and see
Sally standing at the door,
Sally moving to the bed,
Sally resting in my arm
With your head against my head.
End Act 1
The romantic dreams they have lived with all their lives ... reality comes in act 2.
wasted in pretending I reach for you.
How many mornings
are there still to come!
How much time can we hope there will be?
Not much time, but it's time enough for me.
If there's time to look up and see
Sally standing at the door,
Sally moving to the bed,
Sally resting in my arm
With your head against my head.
End Act 1
The romantic dreams they have lived with all their lives ... reality comes in act 2.
London Calling?
On my walk today, at 6th Ave and 20th street, the New Balance store had a line of men and women that went all the way around the block. There was a sales position available. At 9th street and Second Ave. behind St. Mark's in the Bowery there were 8 young people, boys and girls, sleeping on the street. I had my camera with me and was highly tempted to take a photo,but people have their right to privacy.
Amy Goodman on Democracy Now estimated that the unemployment rate among young black men is 30 to 40 %. The people I saw on line were in the vast majority white. The kids sleeping on the street were white.
In another great city that is suffering:
Monday was the third day of rioting in London. On Saturday Mark Duggan, Anglo-Caribbean, father of four and a resident of social [public] housing, was shot and killed by police. He was holding a loaded gun which police today confirm was not fired. His social housing project is called Broadwater Farm. Twenty-five years ago London had riots that also originated there. They are called The Broadwater Farm Riots. Margaret Thatcher, rather Baroness, was Prime Minister. Today the Prime Minister is David Cameron, also Conservative, who was on vacation at his villa in Tuscany, Italy, when the riots started on Saturday. He decided to come home on Tuesday to address Parliament and the riots. Today's headline at the BBC: "Police admit they got the riots wrong", says David Cameron. The official explanation for the rioting is criminality.
Prime Minister Cameron's speech listed his agenda to address the rioting:
To go ahead with his austerity plans to lay off 9,000 of 35,000 police force
To stop people from using social media in times of emergency
To allow courts to give tougher sentences
To allow landlords to evict criminals from social housing
The rioting started in one area of London and spread to 7 other districts in London, then to Birmingham, Liverpool, and Manchester. The cleanup will certainly be expensive but needs to done because London is hosting that billion dollar event: The Olympics. I don't think London is calling to New Yorkers but other European cities, perhaps.
Amy Goodman on Democracy Now estimated that the unemployment rate among young black men is 30 to 40 %. The people I saw on line were in the vast majority white. The kids sleeping on the street were white.
In another great city that is suffering:
Monday was the third day of rioting in London. On Saturday Mark Duggan, Anglo-Caribbean, father of four and a resident of social [public] housing, was shot and killed by police. He was holding a loaded gun which police today confirm was not fired. His social housing project is called Broadwater Farm. Twenty-five years ago London had riots that also originated there. They are called The Broadwater Farm Riots. Margaret Thatcher, rather Baroness, was Prime Minister. Today the Prime Minister is David Cameron, also Conservative, who was on vacation at his villa in Tuscany, Italy, when the riots started on Saturday. He decided to come home on Tuesday to address Parliament and the riots. Today's headline at the BBC: "Police admit they got the riots wrong", says David Cameron. The official explanation for the rioting is criminality.
Prime Minister Cameron's speech listed his agenda to address the rioting:
To go ahead with his austerity plans to lay off 9,000 of 35,000 police force
To stop people from using social media in times of emergency
To allow courts to give tougher sentences
To allow landlords to evict criminals from social housing
The rioting started in one area of London and spread to 7 other districts in London, then to Birmingham, Liverpool, and Manchester. The cleanup will certainly be expensive but needs to done because London is hosting that billion dollar event: The Olympics. I don't think London is calling to New Yorkers but other European cities, perhaps.
Monday, August 8, 2011
House of Worship
The Church of the Transfiguration, probably better known as the Little Church Around the Corner.
The Transfiguration of Jesus is reported in the New testament by Mathew, Mark, Luke, and in the letters of Peter. It is that moment when Jesus and three of his Apostles go to a mountain. A radiant light shines upon Jesus. Moses and Elijah appear next to him and a voice from the sky calls Jesus, "Son". It is a pivotal moment in Christian teaching because it is the point where the temporal - the apostles - meet the eternal, and Jesus is the link.
The church began in 1848, and was designed in the Gothic style to follow the principles of the Camden-Cambridge Society. Those principals were meant to return the Anglican Church and its churches to the religious and architectural ideals of the Middle Ages. Richard Upjohn designed the elaborate brass pulpit and Edwin Booth gave the bible. The Chapel is dedicated to Blessed George Hendric Houghton who is called the "first saint of the American Church" [Episcopal]. The south transcript has two sixteen century Flemish painted wood panels. There is a carved figure of the Good Shepherd done in 1858. Because of Puritan inhibitions it is said to be the first carving of a religious figure for a church in America.
There are several stained glass windows dedicated to and/or depicting dramatic characters and actors. The most famous is depicting Rip Van Winkle, and it's called the Joseph Jefferson Window. Joseph Jefferson was an actor noted for portraying Rip Van Winkle. In 1870 he was rebuffed by one church in arranging for the funeral of his friend George Holland, also an actor. He was told to go to the little church around the corner, where they cater to that type. Hence the name of the church and its connection to the community of actors and musicians. Both men were married; had children and very successful careers. I think the reverent meant that the little church was the place for actors.
From the Tao:
What is a good man but a bad man's teacher?
What is a bad man but a good man's job?
If you don't understand this, you will get lost,
however intelligent you are.
It is the great secret.
The church began in 1848, and was designed in the Gothic style to follow the principles of the Camden-Cambridge Society. Those principals were meant to return the Anglican Church and its churches to the religious and architectural ideals of the Middle Ages. Richard Upjohn designed the elaborate brass pulpit and Edwin Booth gave the bible. The Chapel is dedicated to Blessed George Hendric Houghton who is called the "first saint of the American Church" [Episcopal]. The south transcript has two sixteen century Flemish painted wood panels. There is a carved figure of the Good Shepherd done in 1858. Because of Puritan inhibitions it is said to be the first carving of a religious figure for a church in America.
There are several stained glass windows dedicated to and/or depicting dramatic characters and actors. The most famous is depicting Rip Van Winkle, and it's called the Joseph Jefferson Window. Joseph Jefferson was an actor noted for portraying Rip Van Winkle. In 1870 he was rebuffed by one church in arranging for the funeral of his friend George Holland, also an actor. He was told to go to the little church around the corner, where they cater to that type. Hence the name of the church and its connection to the community of actors and musicians. Both men were married; had children and very successful careers. I think the reverent meant that the little church was the place for actors.
From the Tao:
What is a good man but a bad man's teacher?
What is a bad man but a good man's job?
If you don't understand this, you will get lost,
however intelligent you are.
It is the great secret.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
The Center for Architecture
I found some of the ideas brilliant, like using the cities vast underground spaces for aquaponics, which combines fish-farming tanks with greenhouse plants. Fish waste fertilizes the plants and the plants are used to feed the fish and clean the water. Then the fish are harvested. Some of the other ideas I'm a little skeptical about. Like dredging the lower Hudson River, the fourth largest estuary in the world, and using that material to build archipelagos around the city and up the Hudson. The Hudson River needs to be dredged. GE, between 1947 and 1977, dumped 1.3 million pounds of PCPs into the river. So lets do the whole river before we do the lower Hudson.
"Under the seeming disorder of the old city, wherever the old city is working successfully, is a marvelous order for maintaining the safety of the streets and the freedom of the city. It is a complex order. Its essence is intricacy of sidewalk use. Bringing with it a constant succession of eyes. The order is all composed of movement and change, and although it is life, not art, we may fancifully call it the art form of the city and liken it to the dance ... to an intricate ballet in which the individual dancers and ensembles all have distinctive parts which miraculously reinforce each other and compose an orderly whole."
Jane Jacobs
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