Of Cabbages and Kings

Of Cabbages and Kings
October 2015

I have to admit that I like this title which I dreamed up in a theatre waiting for the aptly titled King Charles 3rd to start, but more of that later.

We had unfinished business with MoMA so we picked up breakfast from a street vendor and were there at 10.30. Helen is more the one for modern art, so rather than interfere in her musings we separated and I wandered around alone. Some of the art is interesting but some of the stuff is barking mad and the artists must have been on wacky backy to come up with their odd ball canvases. 

Whilst I still think Mark Rothco had a weird fixation with sash windows, it was interesting to see a couple of his works in the flesh and I was interested to see examples of Picasso, Monet and Dali's works in reality.

I was more interested in the pop art of Hockney et al, but seeing about 50 images of Campbell's soup all together made me wonder if he had been at the weed as well!

With several attractions still on our pass we went up the Empire State, an Art Deco masterpiece which offered a really good sight of the Chrysler Building and, more excitingly, a first glimpse of the Cunard berth in Brooklyn Terminal.

We wandered back to the apartment via Broadway and discovered that it had been given over to a huge street market selling loads of street food, cheap tee shirts and trinkets - a perfect souvenir hunting ground. Oddly, all the planters in the area are full of vegetables, particularly cabbages. There are carefully tended and completely left alone by the public - and I attracted some odd stares when I started to sample the types on offer! Clearly the concept of Gorilla Gardening hasn't caught on here yet!

But the day kept its best for last. We had tickets for the 1st premier of King Charles 3rd and made sure we were there in good time to bag our seats in a sell out house. The show has recently transferred from London and it was both engaging and funny, looking at what could happen if Charles came to the throne and then decided to use his position to interfere in Government. The scenario unfolds within a script  with realisticly portrayals of the royals, led on by Tim Piggott Smith as Charles. Let's just say that the audience left the theatre buzzing so it bodes well for a good run on Broadway.

But that's not all. Miles Richardson invited us along to the first night drinks reception, so we hob nobbed with the luvvies, Helen being a complete theatrical tart and getting introduced to Tim  P S. The cast were a really interesting bunch and the event really rounded off a fascinating five days in New York. 

In reality we barely scratched the city, never seeing Greenwich village, SoHo or TriBeCa, but it's good to leave something for another day. Tomorrow we board the Queen Mary 2 and start a long and elegant trip home across the Atlantic. It's boating Jim, but not as we know it!

From Brooklyn to The Bronx

From Brooklyn to The Bronx
October 2015

Things became very steamy today and New York showed its summer face. The temperature was in the high 20's and rain was threatening.

Probably not a day for the cycle ride we had planned so we walked to the Circle Line pier on the Hudson River and used one of the five attraction phases to buy a pair of tickets on the "round the island" tour. Predictably, the section down to Manhattan and out to the Statue of Liberty was great, as was the run up the West River which gave a really good look at Brooklyn and the skyscrapers of Midtown. 

The northerly section was through an ever narrowing waterway which showed the less impressive side of New York and the commentator resorted to lengthy explanations about American Football and Baseball clubs which went a bit over my head. In some ways it had the feel of entering Birmingham or Manchester by canal, seeing the underbelly of the city. All in all it was a great way to get a feel for Manhattan Island as a whole and well worth a trip.

Fortunately the rain held off although the humidity was sky high and it was all very sticky!

We returned to Midtown at 4.00pm and as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) opens till 8.00 pm on Fridays we thought we would take a look. Big mistake! The museum is open free after 4.00 so it was more than rammed which caused us to turn back and leave it for another day.

With the storm clouds gathering around the towering skyscrapers we decided on an early meal and in desperation we literally stumbled across Ellen's Stardust Diner on Broadway. Oh wow! What a treat if you were just looking for a burger! Ellen's is renown for its singing waiters and the place comes complete with an MC and in turn all the waiters do their star turn, sometimes singing from the narrowest stage in town! It turns out that many of the waiters are actors between jobs and it's a good place to keep performing. With the rain hammering down we indulged in a pitcher of beer plus a dessert which pushed the bill up but it has to be said that the entertainment was well worth it.

But the night was young and at 10.30 we ventured out again to meet up with Miles Richardson in  Sardi's after his final rehearsal of King Richard 3rd which will be playing at The Music Box. We were ehtertained with thespian tales of years gone by, including stories from his youth when he lived in New York when his father played on Broadway. Miles guaranteed star treatment on hIs rerun to this watering hole by mistaking a 50 dollar bill for a 20 when he tipp the barman! Oops.

Liberty and Culture

Liberty and Culture

October 2015

We picked up the No1 downtown subway from near our 49th St apartment and rattled our way south to the final stop at the Staten Island ferry terminal. 

The world's most iconic view?

This was our first experience of the subway system and it's fair to say it shares most of the negative dimensions of the London version i.e. hot, smelly and crowded. But on top of that the ride is anything but smooth. But then it is certainly cheap - less than two pounds to ride anywhere so long as you only change once (and with the tracks faithfully following the gridiron streets above you only need to change once).

Manhattan skyine 2015

The station at Battery Park on the southern tip of Manhattan is a temporary affair as the main station is still being pumped out after hurricane a couple of years ago, and evidence of  the destruction remains ongoing. 

Statue of Liberty, New York Harbour

We used a pre booked ticket to Liberty Island and with the sky a cloudless blue we had fantastic views back over the Manhattan skyline, with the gleaming new One World Trade Centre rising majestically above the rest.

The selfie brigade

The Statue of Liberty is an impressive construction in itself, but more profound is the message it conveys and the aspiration it stands for. It's link to American patriotism is palpable and its a must visit site for any itinerary. 

We did stop off at Ellis Island, the gateway to America for millions of immigrants, but without any personal connection it was less than gripping. So we just watched a 30 min film and caught the boat back to New York.

We wandered into the financial district in search of lunch and came across George's, a family diner which managed to trade in the aftermath of the 9-11 disaster, but which was ultimately condemned as a result of broken foundations and water damage. Because the building was still standing the insurers refused to pay out so the family sold their assets and rebuilt at a cost of two million dollars. 

The new One World Trade Centre and Ground Zero

And so we found ourselves just a block from the 9 11 memorial and in spite of not intending to visit we stumbled into the site almost by accident. The two gaping chasms into which an endless cascade of water flows is very moving, ringed by the names of the thousands who lost their lives in the tragedy. The backdrop to this is an array of new glass fronted building which sparkled in the mid day sun - if nothing else the site demonstrates the resilience of New York.

The Opera House at The Lincoln Centre

By contrast we went all cultured in the evening, attending the premiere performance of Wagner's Opera, Tannhauser. The Metropolitan Opera House at the Lincoln Centre is a majestic gilded setting and the ambiance of the event made up for a rather unengaging musical dimension. We were obliged to take pot luck with the opera and maybe Wagner is not really to our tastes. We stayed for two of the three acts (which were about already 3 hours long) and skipped the last.

Another big day in the city which never sleeps.

New York exploring Midtown

New York - exploring Midtown
October 2015

For our first full day in town we linked up with Craig from the Big Apple Greeters, a voluntary organisation which links new visitors to a local who will guide you round their part of the city. This service is free but massively over subscribed, with maybe 25% of applicants being matched. We received conformation of our link a couple of weeks ago and the plan was a three hour walking tour of the core of Midtown, drawing on Craig's personal experiences.

Craig - our Big Apple Greeter

Craig actually originated near Nottingham but came to New York in the early 1960's doing several sales jobs, but mostly working as a broker for Merryl Lynch, initially working a pitch in Grand Central Central Station. 

Grand Central Station

We were introduced to the hidden gems of Grand Central and the history of its construction including an ongoing project to build a new station 8 floors down to connect it to the Pennsylvania railway which tunnels beneath.  From there it was out through the old Pan Am building and over to what was the Catholic Archbishop's headquarters before it was converted into a hotel. We were shown the old priests bar and private rooms which have been retained in all their splendour for corporate use.

Outside the Rockerfeller Centre

Then it was passed the Rockerfeller block and up to Central Park via 5th Avenue for a walk across Strawberry Fields to the Dakota Building, home of Yoko Ono and site of John Lennon's death. Fascinating stories abounded and it was with some sadness that we said our goodbyes near the Lincoln Centre.

With an afternoon to fill in Midtown we followed Broadway down through Times Square to Macy's, the iconic department store. If you want clothes this is the place for you but we didn't and frankly the place was a mess and I was glad to escape. 

Then it was back up 5th avenue to Grand Central Station where Helen's whim for oysters and champagne was indulged. I tried an oyster but whilst it was tolerable, I was profoundly indifferent and can quite happily not ever eat another. Tasteless and dull in my opinion.

With the pedometer reading 25,000 it was time to get back to the apartment. Weary feet and weary legs. The day was rounded off by a visit to the area beyond 9th St where the restaurants serve a local clientele and we visited an Italian eatery which was both excellent and economic.

Central Park

I will leave you with an observation. New York is pretty clean but it smells - sometime quite badly. The problem seems to be the gridiron pattern used, which means all the rubbish is stacked on the pavements rather that in service bays to the rear. Possibly not the city's  greatest attribute!