GRAND LIFE: NEW YORK, NEW YORK DAY 1

Saturday, June 6, 2009

NEW YORK, NEW YORK DAY 1

Looking forward to another great trip to New York
Arrived and had dinner at Le Pain Quotident on Hudson.

Was tasty as usual.

The first full day DH and I hopped on the Red Bus Tour to do St. John the Divine and
Harlem--- Although if you want a good tour of Harlem you can't beat the M3 bus.

I've read about St. John the Divine for several years but had never worked

it into a trip.

Third largest Cathedral in the world and it will probably

never be finished. As the story goes---in the 30's the

Rockefeller family offered the needed money to finish the building

if the Episcopal diocese would allow it to be an Interdenominational church.

They said "I don't think so", so they gave the money to Riverside Church

which is huge now .

But St. John the Divine is pretty cool because it has "The Blessing of the Animals"

every fall and you can bring everything from crickets to elephants inside the church

to be blessed.

There is a school on the premises and beautiful gardens.
The old building in the background was the original
orphanage

Next on the stop was The Museum of the City of New York on the

east side of Central Park---not to be confused with The Museum of New York

on the West side of the park.

The building was home to Andrew Carnegie. I love walking through it and imaging what it was like to walk around in your bathrobe 100 years
ago.

They are having a great exhibit for the anniversary of Henry Hudson's discovery
of the Hudson River and Mannahatta.
The Hudson exhibit was very good but the Mannahatta/Modern New York exhibit
was extraordinary

Turtle Bay/Murray Hill area 500 years ago

Harlem

Times Square Area 500 years ago

Located at the entrance to Central Park Conservatory Garden, this gate

which was forged in Paris in 1894 was originally designed for the Vanderbilt Mansion at

5th Ave and 58th St. The Mansion was demolished to make way for Bergdorf Goodman.

The gate was donated in 1939 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney to the park.

There was a handwritten sign taped to the gate that said "Free Tulip Bulbs".

They were taking up the bulbs and getting ready to plant for the summer.

They had large black garbage bags and we could take as many as we could

carry. Loaded about 50 bulbs with foliage into a bag and proceeded down

5th Avenue to the bus stop.

Arrived at the Met and told security at the front door we

wanted to put our bag in the coat check. He looked in and then

looked at us and I explained to him where we had been and what

was in the sack. I believe I saw the glimmer of a smile as he called

his "uppity" supervisor. You would have had thought I had ask

him to babysit my doggie bag. He said, no one had ever brought a bag

of dirt and bulbs into the Met before. Score another one for me. We

were beginning to attract a crowd so he finally said he would keep it in

the foyer by the table "over there", if we would promise him we wouldn't be

very long.

We did promise and hurried up to see the Walker Evans postcard exhibit .
Tried to get tickets for Jersey Boys for tonight but could only manage Saturday

matinee.

Headed for Ellen's Starlight Diner and finished the evening off with

the movie "Angels and Demons". Tom looked better in this one and

you could actually understand the female lead with her accent.