Central Park Archives
Columbus Circle
Columbus Circle: This whole area has been transformed ... the Mandarin Oriental Hotel has a bar on the 35th floor overlooking the Central Park South ... Columbus Circle is a great place to hang-out and meet friends...and now we get the Museum of Art and Design ... peel-off your cob-webs and head to the Columbus Circle area...
Post by Peter
More
- Columbus Circle on Google Maps
- Columbus Circle - from Wikipedia
- Shops at Columbus Circle Visitors Guide - from About.com
- Columbus Circle Fountain - from New York Architecture Images
- "Taking a Fresh Look at Columbus Circle," by Francis Morrone, New York Sun, August 8, 2008
- "Close-Up on Columbus Circle," by Christine Lagorio, Village Voice, September 6, 2005
Sandra Rivera - Flamenco San Juan - FREE
Free out-door concert at the Naumburg Bandshell, naumburgconcerts.org
Sandra Rivera - Flamenco San Juan, July 22, 2008, 7:30 pm, at the Naumburg Bandshell, Central Park, enter at 72nd Street and Fifth Avenue, then go to approximately 70th and mid-Park, 718-340-3018
A Mid-Summer Night's Dream
I saw this play, opening night at the Delacorte in Central Park ... a must see ....
A Mid-Summer Night's Dream, August 8 - September 9, 2007, Tuesdays - Sundays at 8:00 pm (more info and dates)
The Delacorte Theater is located near Turtle Pond, just south of the Great Lawn, in Central Park. The closest Park entrance from the East Side is Fifth Avenue at 79th Street; from the West Side, Central Park West at 81st Street. After entering, follow the footpath to the Delacorte Theater ...
Shakespeare in Central Park - FREE
Shakespeare in Central Park started last night .... at the Delacorte Theatre ... Romeo & Juliet ... it was a beautiful evening to enjoy a comedy in the Park ....
The evening was cool and autumn-like with clear blue skies and a stiff breeze ... the open-air stage was surrounded by lush green trees, which gave a magical feeling to the show ... the stage was very minimal with a revolving wood-plank circle and a shallow moat of water in the centre ... movable iron bridges and shelving provide the changeable scenes ... the actors gave a fine performance with much water trashed about ... it was thrilling to be at the show on opening night and enjoy a free performance.
Next week, the Metropolitan Opera will perform on Tuesday in the Great Lawn ... Patsy's fresh mozzarella & tomato pizza and vino to go ... summer-time and the living is easy, fish are jumping ...
- Romeo and Juliet, June 6 - July 7, 2007, Tuesday - Sunday at 8:00 pm (more info and dates)
A Midsummer Night's Dream, August 7 - September 9, 2007 Tuesday - Sunday at 8:00 pm (more info and dates)
Pick up your free Shakespeare in the Park tickets on the day of the performance beginning at 1pm at The Delacorte Theater in Central Park or from 1 to 3pm at The Public Theater Box Office, 425 Lafayette Street.
The Delacorte Theater is located near Turtle Pond, just south of the Great Lawn, in Central Park. The closest Park entrance from the East Side is Fifth Avenue at 79th Street; from the West Side, Central Park West at 81st Street. After entering, follow the footpath to the Delacorte Theater ...
Design for the Other 90%
On view in the Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden, this exhibition highlights the growing trend among designers to create affordable and socially responsible objects for the vast majority of the world's population (90 percent) not traditionally serviced by professional designers. Organized by exhibition curator Cynthia E. Smith, along with an eight-member advisory council, the exhibition is divided into sections focusing on water, shelter, health and sanitation, education, energy and transportation and highlights objects developed to empower global populations surviving under the poverty level or recovering from a natural disaster.
Design for the Other 90% is an exhibition at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum.
"The real stars of the show, though, are the stories behind the designs." microscopiq, May 17, 2007
They don't need a handout. What they need is an opportunity.
. . .
A poor person actually only cares about one thing: making more money. If they have more money, they can get ahead, take their family out of poverty.
-- Martin Fischer, Kickstart International
The introductory video also provided an opportunity to explore an additional range of themes that may not be as apparent, running through the exhibition and this area of design: open source options, leapfrog technology, economic impacts, community building, testing and end-user research, low-cost innovations, social enterprise, humanitarian entrepreneurship, improved democracies and multiple calls to action.
"In Their Own Words," Design for the Other 90% blog, May 14, 2007
Design for the Other 90% (web site), an exhibition at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum through September 23, 2007. Cooper-Hewitt, web site, 2 East 91st Street, New York, NY, M-Th 10 am - 5 pm, F 10 am - 9 pm, Sat 10 am - 6 pm, Sun Noon - 6 pm. $ Admission fee.
More
- "Design for the other 90%: A review of the Cooper-Hewitt exhibition," by Natalia Allen, Core77, May 2007
- Design for the Other 90%, FastCompany, May 10, 2007
- "Alice Rawsthorn on design for the unwealthiest 90 percent," The International Herald Tribune, April 29, 2007
Central Park hot dogs no deal
I have noticed that the Central Park "hot-dog monopoly" is gouging the unsuspecting public ...
For example, the hot sausage (which is a large hot-dog, my favourite snack with mustard and red onions) sells for $3 and I can buy the same item for $1.50 at several hot-dog stands on the north-east corner of Madison Avenue and 81st Street (which is a block from the entrance to the MET Museum), the north-west corner of 71st Street and Madison Avenue, and 68th Street and Lexington Avenue ...
Post by Peter
Sonny Rollins - FREE August 27, 2006
Lincoln Center Out of Doors 2006 free concerts ... Celebrating the Spirit of the Blues ... Sunday, August 27, 2006, 8 pm ... Sonny Rollins: The Jazz Master ... ... Damrosch Park Bandshell, 62nd and Amsterdam ... [Sonny Rollins: web site | discography]
Lincoln Center Out of Doors 2006, August 4 - 27, 2006
Tosca - Free, August 1, 2006
Uncle Paq & Blackberry Ellie: Please go to the New York Grand Opera website for information about a free opera at 7.30 pm this coming Tuesday, August 1, 2006 ... Tosca ... at the Naumburg Bandshell, Central Park, 72nd Street at Mid-Park ... let us all go bring a pinic buffet and sing-along in Italian ...
Also see Naumburg Orchestral Concerts
Update: Postponed due to the heat.
Cappucino, ice cream and sorbet
The very best "ethnic" Italian cappucino and ice-cream is at Bottega del Vino, ... the real McCoy for $4 per cup ... the foamy milk is so thick it will float the sugar ... (a friend ventured into Starbucks and ordered an expresso that was served in an unappertizing paper cup - no class. What a contrast! I was ashamed for Starbucks) ... I enjoyed many World Cup matches standing at the coffee bar ... the ice-cream and sorbet are made in small batches ... $3 per two-scoops ... a great treat ... and just across the street from the Apple Store ... web site, 7 East 59th Street, 212-223-3028 [MenuPages | Citysearch]
The very best "ethnic" French ice-cream and sorbet is at Payard, also made in small batches ... the breads, pastries and chocolates are so delicious... web site, 1032 Lexington Avenue, 212-717-5252 [Yummy Baguette | MenuPages | NY Mag | Citysearch | Gayot]
Perfect after a meal in Chinatown, they both close at 11 pm ... Sweet dreams ...
Jazzmobile - Frick Collection - The Jewish Museum
Wednesday nights in the summer time are reserved for the free Jazzmobile concerts held at Grant's Tomb ... 7 pm ... 122nd Street and Riverside Drive ... this coming Wednesday features the Wycliffe Gordon Quintet ... jazzmobile.org ...
The Frick Museum is "pay-as-you-wish" on Sundays between 11 am to 1 pm. Parking is very easy so early in the morning ... the Jean-Étienne Liotard exhibition runs through September 17, 2006 ... 1 East 70th Street, 212-288-0700
The Jewish Museum is free on Saturdays ... 1109 Fifth Avenue at 92nd Street, 212-423-3200
Jean-Étienne Liotard - at the Frick
Jean-Étienne Liotard (1702-1789), Liotard Laughing, c. 1770, oil on canvas, 84 x 74 (33 1/16 x 29 1/8), Musée d’art et d’histoire, Département des Beaux-Arts
Whatever Liotard was paid for these pictures [of Austrian Empress Maria Theresa's 16 children], it was too little. He poured every ounce of his talent into them. Each seamlessly blends several mediums: black and red chalk, pencil, pastel and watercolor. Details are executed with a watchmaker's precision. To give the figures a naturalistic glow, Liotard colored the reverse side of each thin sheet of paper. Marie-Antoinette is bathed in a rosiness that you sense rather than actually see.
"Jean-Étienne Liotard, the Unrelenting Eye of the Enlightenment," by Holland Cotter, The New York Times, June 23, 2006
To his admirers, Liotard was the “painter of truth.” The artist was unsparing in his depiction of his sitters, including himself, avoiding the flattery and embellishment that characterized the art of his colleagues. He also avoided the painterly touches and visible brushstrokes favored by his contemporaries, railing in his Treatise on the Principles and Rules of Painting, published in 1781, that since one did not see such flourishes in nature, they had no place in art. Although the artist’s scrupulous realism put him at odds with the artistic establishment and did not please all of his sitters, it was the startling veracity of his likenesses that attracted the attention of noble and non-noble elites and secured his international reputation.
"Special Exhibition: Jean-Étienne Liotard (1702-1789): Swiss Master," June 13 through September 17, 2006, at the Frick Collection
The Frick Museum is pay as you wish on Sundays, 11am to 1 pm. A great bargain, go early and enjoy...
The Frick Collection, web site, 1 East 70th Street, 212-288-0700
Macbeth at Delacorte Theatre - FREE
Macbeth is playing at ... through July 9, 2006 ...
Strongly recommended ... I saw the play last Wednesday and Thursday, even thought they posted a "Sold Out" sign ... there are tickets available at the last minute because of many no-shows ... sitting in the open fresh air in Central Park is so magical ... the blowing wind amongst the trees, the movement of the clouds, the airliners, the stars ...
The Delacorte Theater is located near Turtle Pond, just south of the Great Lawn, in Central Park. The closest Park entrance from the East Side is Fifth Avenue at 79th Street; from the West Side, Central Park West at 81st Street. After entering, follow the footpath to the Delacorte Theater ...
all shows at 8:30 pm
Pick up your free Shakespeare in the Park tickets on the day of the performance beginning at 1pm at The Delacorte Theater in Central Park (212-539-8750) or from 1 to 3pm at The Public Theater Box Office, 425 Lafayette Street [NYT | Central Park 2000]
APPLE store for music
Friday night I went to the APPLE store on 58th Street and 5th Avenue and did not leave until 2:15 am on Saturday ...they have a live DJ playing and creating contemporary dance music with lots of energy ... the DJ Friday night was Louis Vega ... I sat behind him on a bar stool and watched his fine performance ... the APPLE store plans to host a live DJ show every week, 12 am to 2 am Friday night/Saturday mornings ...
APPLE store, open 24 hours a day, every day ... 767 Fifth Avenue, 212-336-1440 [Yelp] ... see "Exclusive photos from the Apple Store Fifth Ave," by AppleInsider, May 18, 2006
Post by Peter
28th Annual Free Museum Mile - FREE
Mark your calendar for Tuesday, June 13, 2006, from 5:45 - 9:00 pm - the 28th Annual Museum Mile Festival ... FREE
all the museums along Fifth Avenue will throw open their doors to the public for free, the Avenue will be closed to vehicular traffic, there will be world music every few blocks, crayon drawing for children on the avenue, etc.
I will head to the Cooper-Hewitt for their show of Hudson River School paintings and the National Academy for the American Art contemporary show.
Participating Museums along Fifth Avenue
- 82nd Street: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- 83rd Street: Goethe-Institut New York/German Cultural Center
- 86th Street: Neue Galerie New York
- 89th Street: Guggenheim Museum
- 90th Street: National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts
- 91st Street: Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
- 92nd Street: The Jewish Museum
- 103rd Street: Museum of the City of New York
- 105th Street: El Museo del Barrio
Post by Peter
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Tony Dragonas - best grilled hamburger in NYC?
Tony Dragonas, street vendor who has been serving great hambburgers and souvlaki at the southwest corner of East 62nd Street and Madison Avenue for many years ... just one block from Central Park/5th Avenue ... weekdays only ...
Tony Dragonas grilling ...
may have the best grilled hamburger in NYC ...
try the outstanding chicken pita with lettuce and tomatoes - it is a large meal with a very generous portion of bite-sized grilled chicken ...
and if you like lamb get the gryos pita ... and make sure to get the secret tzatziki sauce (a yogurt sauce with cucumber and herbs) and on the pita offerings ... you can also get the pitas as plates (pictured above), with salad and rice, for an additonal $1 ...
Tony Dragonas was a finalist in the 2005 Vendy Awards
previous post: Tony and John Dragonas - street vendors
AGINY Good Value
Central Park in snow ...
Snow in Sheep Meadow, Central Park, December 6, 2005
Snow in Central Park, December 6, 2005
Elm trees in snow, Central Park, December 6, 2005
Technorati Tags: New York, NYC, New York City, Manhattan, central park
Central Park - WWI Memorial
Memorial to the Yankee Dough Boys who perished in France in WWI ... Veterans Day is November 11 ... I walk past this area daily between the West and East-sides ...
307th Memorial, Central Park
memorial trees planted for the fallen, who fell in France during WWI ...
Memorial to the 307th Infantry, A.E.F. (American Expeditionary Force) ... 11th hour, 11th day of the 11th month ... finally, the guns are silenced ...
The back of the stone memorial with a brass plaque inscribed with the names of all the dead from the 307th Infantry, A.E.F.
Central Park - Fall Foilage
The beauty of Central Park with Fall Foliage in full technicolor ... red, gold, brown and yellow ... Autumn, 2005 ... a great time to explore the Park with a bicycle ...
Sheep Meadow, Central Park
Sheep Meadow, Central Park
Gratuitous Central Park Pic
Central Park ... Sunday, October 30, 2005 ...
The Central Park Conservancy has photographs from each season ... here's the Fall Photo Gallery
Our Central Park archives
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Movies Under the Stars - Marathon Man, August 25, 2005
3rd Annual Central Park Film Festival
Marathon Man (1976) ... Directed by John Schlesinger ... with Dustin Hoffman and Laurence Oliver. Columbia University graduate student, Babe Levy, spends his spare time running in marathons. He finds himself running for his life, however, when a series of deadly events beyond his control leads to his pursuit by fierce Nazi fugitive, Szell ... 125 minutes
Wednesday, August 24, 2005, 8:00 pm, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park - East 72nd Street off Fifth Avenue ...
Gratuitous Gates pics
The Gates in Central Park (February 12-28, 2005).
Peter's 14-year old niece said, "It looks like a carwash."
Many more photos on the Christo and Jeanne-Claude web site.
Horseback Riding in NYC
Taxi, subway, foot, bus ... and horseback ... yes, you can ride horses in NYC ... although we've not tried it, experienced riders say it's a lot of fun ...
Links
- NYPD's Mounted Unit
- Horseback Ridng in NYC - from the NYC Dept. of Parks and Recreation
- "Urban Cowboy: NYC Horseback Riding: On Horseback in the Big Town," by Elzy Kolb, GORP (article cached on Google)
"I found that the horses in city stables live up to New York's high-energy vibe. In the Bronx and Queens, my horses were enthusiastic and ready to run for most of an hour's ride; I got occasional canters out of my stately Manhattan and Staten Island steeds; and my Brooklyn mount gave me a hard, fast trot."
- Kensington Stables - Brooklyn
- New York City Horses - photos of drinking troughs and stables from New York City Walk
The Carousel in Central Park
Here's a picture of the carousel in Central Park (mid-park at 64th Street) (Google map view).
From the Central Park web site:
After a long search the Parks Department discovered the present vintage Carousel, abandoned in the old trolley terminal on Coney Island. Crafted by the Brooklyn firm of Stein and Goldstein in 1908, the Carousel is one of the largest in the United States, with 58 hand-carved, painted horses. Stein and Goldstein were among the foremost carvers of their day and the horses – nearly life-size in the outer ring – are caught rearing or mid-stride with almost fierce reality.
If you like carousels, also check out Le Carrousel at Bryant Park.
Subway interactive map | schedules | HopStop: N or R train to Fifth Avenue, 6 train to 68th Street
forgotten NY - web site - highly recommended
If you love New York, then you must visit, and bookmark, forgotten NY. Run by Kevin Walsh, forgotten NY includes text and photographs of all parts of the City, new and old ... he also conducts walking tours ... upcoming tours are announced on the home page ...
Some of our favorite pages include
- Journey Through the Past (a subway tour on IRT Low Voltage cars)
- Jamican Red (original red brick pavement in Jamica)
- A Walk on 53rd Street (from the Hudson to the East River)
- Who Are those Guys and Gals and Dogs (The Statues of Central Park)
- Where Brooklyn Began - Fulton Street at the waterfront
An incredibly rich site, forgotten NY will keep you occupied for hours ... I bet most of you don't make it to this sentence ...
For more about Kevin Walsh, see the gothamist interview. Thank you, Kevin Walsh, for a wonderful web site.
AGINY Highly Recommended and Top 10
More fun things for summer visitors to enjoy - with a three-course lunch for $20.12
"Summer Restaurant Week" isn't over yet ... extended through Labor Day, some of New York's finest restaurants will continue to offer three-course lunches for just $20.12 (beverages, tax and tip are extra).
For example:
On the Upper East Side, before or after visiting the Whitney Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, enjoy the fine French cuisine at Cafe Boulud, 20 East 76th Street, 212-772-2600 or at Dumonet at The Carlyle, 35 East 76th Street, 212-570-7192 ... classic French and delicious
On the Upper West Side, a visit to the New York Historical Society and the American Museum of Natural History must be combined with a lunch at Cafe des Artistes, 1 West 67 Street, 212-877-3500 ... Austrian-Hungarian and very cozy ...
On Columbus Circle, visit and shop at our own "Las Vegas" mall ... the new Time-Warner Center ... and lunch at Asiate in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 80 Columbus Circle at 60th Street, 212-805-8881 ... a very spectacular view of Central Park from the 35th floor!
Subway interactive map | schedules | HopStop
Shakespeare in the Park
Sadly, July 17th was the last performance for As You Like It, Shakespeare in the Park. But, Two Gentlemen of Verona starts August 16 and runs through September 11.
Ha Jin at Summer Stage July 27
Ha Jin...National Book Award winner will read from his third full-length novel "War Trash" (Vintage). An interview with the author will follow the reading...Wednesday, July 27th, 7.30 pm ... Central Park, SummerStage, 69th Street & 5th Avenue ... eat watermelon, a pinic in the Park, stare up to the clouds and heaven ... relax... www.SummerStage.org
Central Park SummerStage is located at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park. Enter the park at 69th Street and 5th Avenue on the east side or at 72nd Street and Central Park West on the west side. MAP
Subway interactive map | schedules | HopStop
NY Philharmonic in Central Park - FREE
The NY Philharmonic is playing this evening ... Lorin Mazel is conducting... a program of Czech music composed by Antonin Dvorak ... on the Great Lawn, behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 81st Street & 5th Avenue or Central Park West....with fireworks after the music. Music starts at 8:00 pm - bring a picnic (and umbrella just in case) and enjoy a beautiful evening in Central Park ... bring a blanket for gazing at the stars and moon.
Subway interactive map | schedules | HopStop
