There’s a difference between what inspires a statue to come into creation and what a statue represents, and it’s an interesting one when it comes to the Statue of Liberty. The inspiration for the Statue of Liberty is said to have occurred at a specific time and place, and among a particular group of people. But the mainstream meaning of the Statue […]
Category Archives: Old Posts
1700s, 1800s, Morningside Heights, Old Posts, Old Roads, St. John the Divine
Morningside Heights: History is in the Lay of the Land
13
Jan
Jan
And the bend in the road is still visible today! This is 114th Street and Riverside Drive looking north. (R) The topography is intensified in this image. The dog and walker are crossing Broadway at 115th Street toward the Hudson River. Not only can you see the bend in the road, there’s a dip where […]
01
Jan
Jan
My first New Year’s Eve in Times Square, no commentary along the way. Only to say, these are from different angles on different streets leading up to midnight, and they are all sequential. I didn’t make it into Times Square until after the ball dropped, but the confetti continued to come down forever. These are […]
Broadway, Madison Square, Morningside Heights, Old Posts, Old Roads, Union Square
Why the West Side is Different
31
Dec
Dec
The west side and the east side are frequently sized up against each other, and it’s often the residents themselves who are the first to point out the defining personality traits—the “energies” if you will—of the two parts of town. The conventional wisdom holds that the east side is younger, more bustling and vibrant; the […]
17
Dec
Dec
…and a few special links. Trump Tower, 721 Fifth Avenue. Rockefeller Center Midtown Lobby Trees The New York Public Library… Macy’s dual holiday theme is Miracle on 34th Street and Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus. Unfortunately, there was too much reflection in the windows to get good pictures… But I remembered last year that Justin Ferate, […]
14
Dec
Dec
As happens, while doing research on one project I stumbled on something so remarkable I thought it deserved its own post. At first I didn’t think it could be possible, but Stoke’s Iconography (v. 3) had this image from 1846 of a quaint little country church, that looked eerily familiar. Then I read the name: Church of […]
10
Dec
Dec
Here’s the rest of Monday’s walk through Inwood Park, Manhattan’s last vestige of primeval forest. Not a lot of history discussed in this post, just pictures. A quick recap…this is the side of the park I entered through (on the west side of the Amtrak rails, and the West Side Highway)… In the summers lots […]
07
Dec
Dec
The Tuft of Flowers, by Robert Frost, came to life today at the start of a 90 minute walk on a desolate cold day through Inwood Park. I’ll take you just that far, we’ll save the rest for another day… Looking south to the George Washington Bridge, near the Dyckman Street entrance and the lower […]
1600s, 1700s, 1800s, Dutch history, English history, NYC seal, Old Posts
Decoding the Seals of the City of New York
05
Dec
Dec
A study of the current and past seals of New York City is an excellent way to learn the fundamentals of city history–ever wonder about the obscure symbols on the Municipal Building? Or why the seal appears differently from one building to another? The seal has a very rich, complex history, and counting every change, […]
27
Nov
Nov
Just a quick post and a few pictures to show the progress at the WTC site, the soon to be Reflecting Absence memorial in the footprints of the towers. They tested the waterfalls a few weeks ago. I haven’t gotten choked up about September 11 in a long time, but the size of the memorial is staggering when […]