Day 3 - Flatiron & MoMA

While I was in NYC I missed my family a lot, especially my sweet little Bean. I have never been away from her for so long before. Every time I would spot a child about her age I would just marvel at how wonderful their joyous little souls are and miss my daughter even more. In a way, I was almost surprised to see so many kids in NYC. I tend to think of the city as lots of big buildings, traffic and serious business going on, not a place where people are raising families. But of course there ARE families in NYC. In fact, I saw lots of kids. Some were walking to the neighborhood playground with a group that I assumed to be kids in day care. They were adorable all walking in a line with a few adults hovering very closely to assure their safe passage. Often they were holding a tow rope down the middle to ensure everyone stayed together. Also I saw plenty of rather fancy looking kids in strollers being taken for a walk by a woman who was obviously their nanny.

The Pork Store.

The Flatiron Building
The Flatiron Building, or Fuller Building as it was originally called, is located at 175 Fifth Avenue in the borough of Manhattan, and is considered to be one of the first skyscrapers ever built. Upon completion in 1902 it was one of the tallest buildings in New York City. The building sits on a triangular island block at 23rd Street, Fifth Avenue, and Broadway, anchoring the south (downtown) end of Madison Square. The neighborhood around the building is called the Flatiron District after its signature building, which has become an icon of New York.
The Flatiron Building was designed by Chicago's Daniel Burnham as a vertical Renaissance palazzo with Beaux-Arts styling. Unlike New York's early skyscrapers, which took the form of towers arising from a lower, blockier mass, the Flatiron Building epitomizes the Chicago school conception: like a classical Greek column, its facade of limestone at the bottom changing to glazed terra-cotta as the floors rise) is divided into a base, shaft and capital. Since it employed a steel skeleton it could be built to 22 stories (285 feet) relatively easily, which would have been difficult using other construction methods of that time. It was a technique familiar to the Fuller Company, a contracting firm based in Chicago with ties to Burnham and considerable expertise in building such tall structures. At the vertex, the triangular tower is only 6.5 feet wide; viewed from above, this ‘pointy’ end of the structure describes an acute angle of about 25 degrees.
The Flatiron Building has become an icon representative of New York City. It was the subject of one of Edward Steichen's iconic atmospheric photographs, taken on a wet wintry late afternoon in 1905, as well as a memorable image by Alfred Stieglitz. Stieglitz reflected on the dynamic symbolism of the building, noting that it "...appeared to be moving toward [him] like the bow of a monster ocean steamer—a picture of a new America still in the making," and remarked that what the Parthenon was to Athens, the Flatiron was to New York.
_________________________________
Pete, Brian's roommate works in the Flatiron building so we were very lucky to have the opportunity to venture inside the building and actually look at the offices in the "point".

My favorite photo from the whole trip......The Empire State building taken through the front, curved, window of the Flatiron Building.

View of the park below.

This is one of the original window frames that has been converted into artwork and hung in the conference room. As best I could tell, all the flat windows have been upgraded and the curved windows in the very front of the building are still original. We also figured out you can open the windows. New building certainly don't have that option.

Photo I took up the stair well in the Flatiron Building.

After our amazing time IN the Flatiron Building, we went to the Shake Shack for lunch. It is another touristy spot that I just had to see for myself.

The line was VERY long.

But we finally got our burgers and shakes. They were good, but not something I would wait in line for again.

We walked by Radio City Music Hall.

The next big adventure was the MoMA.

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been singularly important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world. The museum's collection offers an unparalleled overview in modern and contemporary art, including works of architecture and design, drawings, painting, sculpture, photography, prints, illustrated books and artist's books, film, and electronic media.

This photograph was on display and I deemed it my favorite.

Dummy me, didn't know the "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon" was even in the United States, much less the MoMA. So, when I rounded the corner to see this I was totally blown away. I admit that I got a little choked up. I studied art history a lot in school and have done more than one paper on Picasso, so I am very aware of the significance of this painting.

AMAZING that I saw it in person!!!

The museum architecture itself is a very interesting.

Day 2 - The Business District and MORE

We started by taking the subway to Manhattan and then walking to Ground Zero. It looks like a giant construction site; not very interesting.

We then visited Trinity Church.

The first Trinity Church building, a modest rectangular structure with a gambrel roof and small porch, was constructed in 1698. The church was destroyed in the Great New York City Fire of 1776. The fire that started in the Fighting Cocks Tavern destroyed nearly 500 buildings and houses and left thousands of New Yorkers homeless.

Construction on the second Trinity Church building began in 1788; it was consecrated in 1790. The structure was torn down after being weakened by severe snows during the winter of 1838–39.

The third Trinity Church was finished in 1846 and at the time of its completion its 281-foot spire and cross was the highest point in New York until being surpassed in 1890 by the New York World Building.

Architectural historians consider the present, 1846 Trinity Church building, designed by architect Richard Upjohn, a classic example of Gothic Revival architecture. In 1976 the United States Department of the Interior designated Trinity Church a National Historic Landmark because of its architectural significance and its place within the history of New York City.

We did not actually go in the church but instead marveled at the really old grave stones.
Died in 1796!

Grave stone for 8 children.....sad.



They really do have a lot of Yellow Cabs in NYC!


Next we walked up to Wall St. and looked at the New York Stock Exchange. They have a guard at the door so there is no way you can peek inside. Bummer.


Then, like every good tourist, I had my photo taken with The Bull.


The other end may get even more attention.


We visited the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House which was built by the federal government to house the duty collection operations for the port of New York. It is located near the southern tip of Manhattan, next to Battery Park, at 1 Bowling Green.

The building is now the home of the New York branch of the National Museum of the American Indian as well as the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.

The building was designed by Minnesotan Cass Gilbert, who later designed the Woolworth Building, which is visible from the building's front steps. The selection of Gilbert to design the building was marked with controversy. Until 1893 federal office buildings were designed by government architects under the Office of the Supervising Architect of the United States Department of the Treasury. In 1893 the Tarsney Act permitted the Supervising Architect to hire private architects following a competition. The Supervising Architect James Knox Taylor picked Gilbert who earlier had been his partner at the Gilbert & Taylor architect firm in St. Paul, Minnesota. The scandal never quite blew over and in 1913 the Act was repealed.

It was constructed between 1902 and 1907. It is a masterpiece of the Beaux-Arts style, where public transactions were conducted under a noble Roman dome. It incorporates Beaux Arts and City Beautiful movement planning principles, combining architecture, engineering, and fine arts. Lavish sculptures, paintings, and decorations by well-known artists of the time, such as Daniel Chester French, Louis St. Gaudens and Albert Jaegers, embellish the facade, the two-story entry portico, the main hall parallel to the facade, the Rotunda, and the Collector's Reception Room. Sculpture was so crucial to the scheme that the figure groups had independent contracts. Above the main cornice are standing sculptures representing the great seafaring nations, representing American seagoing commerce as the modern heir of the Phoenicians. In 1936, during the Great Depression, the Works Projects Administration commissioned murals for the main rotunda from Reginald Marsh.

We took the Staten Island Ferry (which is free) so we could get a look at the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan.

The route.

Looking back at the business district.

Lady Liberty herself!

View of the deck we were standing on.

Inside the ferry.

At the ferry station on Staten Island we saw some pigeons that had come inside to beg. The pigeons are everywhere in NYC and they are fearless and hungry all the time. We just got back on the ferry and returned to Manhattan.

Then we walked to Time Square. Now you would think that what basically amounts to an intersection could not be THAT interesting and you would be wrong. It is really amazing. It has an energy, like it’s always a holiday year round.

Here is the Times Square police station……so cute. Looks like a donut shop don't you think. Maybe that is no coincidence?!

You can see the darnedest things in NYC.

For dinner, we went to Grand Central Station and dined at the Oyster Bar.


The place seemed to be trapped in time and we were transported to 1959. I had the She Crab Soup and it was divine.




Finally we ventured into Macy's Flagship store at Herald Square. The place is enormous and they have some really cool old wooden escalators.


We took the subway home and I slept like a log despite the street light and constant noise coming in the window and the fact that I was on a strange leather sofa in a strange apartment. I was just completely exhausted.

The Subway

My friend and tour guide, Brian does not have a car and quite frankly, having a car in New York City is not necessary, in fact it may be just an inconvenience. There is no where to park and traffic is always so congested. So, one of the first things we did was buy me a metro pass that is good for unlimited trips on the subway or bus for a whole week. The card costs $27 and it is my best souvenir from my trip. We used it a lot....totally worth the cost.

One day I saw two girls getting on the subway. First girl went through the turnstile then she passed the card to the second girl who used it as well. Obviously it would be easy enough to jump over or climb under. I am sure many people don’t pay but still ride.


Here we are waiting on the platform for the F train to come. We took the F train to get home to Brooklyn. On weekdays the trains run often and they are easy to catch. At rush hour they are more crowded with passengers. On the weekend the trains run less often or not at all so getting around on the weekend is a bit trickier.

The tracks of the subway are about the grossest thing I saw when in NYC. They are dirty and rats live down there. We saw one (he was kinda cute). I thought about the poor people whose job it is to maintain these subways and I thought it would be a rather nasty job.

It is mind boggling to think of all the things that are underground in NYC and all the work and money that must go into keeping it all working for such a massive concentrated population.

There are always street performers trying to make a few bucks. These guys were actually pretty good and had a nice gimmick with the costumes.

Another subway platform. I liked the red tile. Some of the stations had been recently renovated and were very nice. Others were worn looking. We rode the bus only one time and it was way over crowded and stopped way too often. The subway was certainly the best way to travel if it was going anywhere near your destination.

Where I stayed

While I was in NYC I was so lucky to have a place to stay for FREE. That’s right I did not have to pay for a hotel. I know! An old friend from high school, Brian, lives in Brooklyn now with his roommate Pete and he was super nice to let me crash on his couch as well as show me all around the city. There apartment is in a really great location. No big tall building nearby, but only a couple miles from the Brooklyn Bridge and a few blocks from a subway station.

As you go up the stairs in their building you know you have arrived at their level when you see the owl.

The apartment has been recently renovated and had everything you could ever want; dishwasher, marble counter top and a gas stove. They even have a stacking washer and dryer. The front room is spacious with three big windows.

Here are all of Brian’s books tucked neatly in the hallway.

The apartment has 1.5 bathrooms and two bedrooms. Nice pedestal sink!

*******************

Pete has a full time job as a publisher for a book company and has a huge passion for books, especially books about New York City. He recently purchased a bookstore more as a hobby than an investment. Here is the front of the store when it is closed.

Open

Pete in his store.

This is the police station up the street from their apartment. It is such a little building and most of the time there is a line of police cars our front, all backed in on the sidewalk. However, the day I took the photo there were just regular cars so my picture is not as exciting as I had hoped. The whole station just looks sort of out of place to me. Not what you would find in the midwest.