4 Park Avenue and the Empire State Building towering over birds in flight. Midtown, New York City.
There is a majestic quality that 4 Park Avenue possesses which draws me in every time I pass it in my travels. Built in 1913, the building used to be the home of the famous Vanderbilt Hotel and among its famous residents throughout the years was opera singer Enrico Caruso who lived in the building in the 1920s.
Commissioned by the great grandson of railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, the hotel was erected in 1912 primarily for wealthy permanent residents looking to occupy space in a building with many amenities. It was designed by the co-designers of Grand Central Terminal, Warren & Whetmore. The Vanderbilts sold the building in 1925 and in 1967 the hotel was converted to apartments and offices.
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The Brooklyn Bridge. New York City.
One of my favorite things to do is to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge. I never take it for granted that I live in (relative) walking distance from one of the most photographed bridges in New York City. It’s an iconic legend and everything anyone tells you about the bridge’s views is absolutely true. It’s equally breathtaking at sunset, sunrise and at night when the building’s lights that make up the lower New York City skyline shine like a multitude of twinkling stars.
What I love most about bridge walks here in New York City is the changing view and the vantage points over the river. Brooklyn Bridge is also stunning due to its structural and architectural elements. It’s hard not to gaze up in wonder at the cables which lead the eyes towards its beautiful arches. There is always one point in my bridge adventures where I spend far too long with my head thrown back gazing up at these sorts of things that I almost tip over. Thankfully, I am usually not the only one experiencing this silly dizzying phenomenon .
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I will be absent from these parts for the next 3 days. My last semester of school starts early tomorrow morning and I am going directly from school in the evening to Philadelphia for a few days. A friend of mine who lives in Philadelphia will be moving to Ireland in a few weeks and so we will be celebrating her upcoming move. I love Philadelphia so much. The last time I was there I didn’t have a real camera with me so I am looking forward to getting a few photos of the city.
However, I am a bit worried about the imminent hurricane! New York has declared a State of Emergency. Thankfully my neighborhood is not in an evacuation zone but I live very close to an area on the Lower East Side that has major issues with flooding and is in Zone C. Zone C is a zone that experiences storm surge flooding from a major hurricane only (Category 3 & 4) and no one really knows how forceful Hurricane Irene will be when it gets in the vicinity of New York City. I am trying to think positively. The facts that give me some peace of mind currently are that my cats will be well taken care of and my building is very low to the ground.
To all my East Coast friends: please stay safe. Have a great weekend everyone!
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Summer in Central Park overlooking Conservatory Water. Central Park, New York City.
Conservatory Water in Central Park is a special spot in Central Park. Inspired by the model boat ponds of late 19th century Paris, the designers of Central Park created this pond specifically for people to enjoy the pleasure of model boating in New York City. Model boating usually incorporates scaled down models of real boats. It was a popular hobby in the 19th century and has grown into something of a sport in recent decades. Radio-controlled boats can go up to 20 miles per hour and model boating has come to include radio-controlled submarines, sailboats and yachts.
Reports of model boating in Central Park date as far back as 1875 when the NY Times ran a piece that mentioned model yachting in Central Park. Early boat races consisted of non-radio controlled model boats being placed in a set spot in the pond with a targeted goal. The time it took each boat to reach the set goal determined the winner. It wasn’t until after Nikola Tesla invented a wireless radio controlled boat in the late 1800s that model boat racing took on a whole other dimension. The Central Park Model Yacht Club was founded in 1916 and members competed against each other as well as in huge international championships. In 1934, model boat races in Central Park were at their peak with as many as a thousand model boats racing each other.
This spot, with its rich history, is one of my favorite summer spots in New York City. Ducks sit on the edge of the pond while onlookers lazily observe the model boats racing across the pond with the buildings that line this part of Central Park serving as a beautiful backdrop.
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