If you want to imagine rural NYC with rolling hills and vistas everywhere, go to the Morris-Jumel Mansion. It’s actually pretty hard to imagine the city in colonial times especially when you look around and it’s extremely developed but the land the mansion sits on is the same. It’s amazing being able to walk into a house that was built in 1765 (9 years before the American Revolution). Continue reading
USA
Loew’s Wonder Theatres – Loew’s Jersey
The Loew’s Jersey Theatre is one of the five Loew’s Wonder Theaters in the NY area. It was designed by architectural firm Rapp and Rapp like Kings Theatre, their sister theater. The Jersey theater opened to the public in 1929 in Journal Square, Jersey City. The building is built in Baroque/Rocco style. In 2009 it was designated a New Jersey Registered Historic Site. You met the sister theatre in our post here. Continue reading
San Gennaro Feast
Little Italy will always have a special place in my heart because Italian is my favorite food and I have many fond memories there. What does Little Italy mean to me? Home, friends, family, and festivities, and the annual local tradition, The Feast of San Gernarro. We all go, my friends still go with their families and friends. Continue reading
Chihuly Nights at NY Botanical Garden
The New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx is one of my favorite gardens, I even like it more than the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. It’s larger and for much of the park, you don’t see high rise buildings so it really feels like you have gotten away. Right now they are featuring world renowned artist Dale Chihuly. It’s his first major exhibition in NY in over 10 years. His works have been here since April 22, 2017 and the exhibit will close on October 29, 2017. The garden stays open late for Chihuly Nights and the glass pieces are really an extra special something at this time of day. Continue reading
Cold Spring, NY
Cold Spring is a town in Putnum County, NY . It’s a great getaway when you need a break from the humdrum of the city. The historic area is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and has many preserved buildings from the 19th century. Metro-North Railroad commuter service is about an hour and 10 minutes from Grand Central. Continue reading
West Point Foundry Preserve
West Point Foundry was an ironworks operation in Cold Spring, New York, located north of Manhattan along the right side of the Hudson River. It opened in 1817 and closed in 1911. Continue reading
The New Yorker Hotel Behind The Scenes
This Art Deco beauty opened on June 2, 1930, a popular style in the 1920s and 1930s. The hotel was built in the Garment District by developer Mack Kanner. It was designed by Sugarman and Berger and the original plan was 38 stories. When it was finished the hotel stood 43 stories, had 2500 rooms, and cost $22.5 million (original estimated construction cost was $8 million). Continue reading
Loew’s Wonder Theatres – Kings Theatre
Kings Theatre is one of the five Loew’s wonder theaters in the NYC area. We had the pleasure of visiting two of them. This one is in the Flatbush neighborhood in Brooklyn. The building was deisgned by Rapp and Rapp architectural firm. Kings Theatre opened in 1929, seated 3,676 people, and presented movies and vaudeville shows. Continue reading
Muir Woods
Muir Woods National Monument is my first and favorite forest. To this date, they are the tallest trees I’ve ever seen. I was ten the first time I walked amongst these tree friends. Every hike gets compared to Muir Woods’ redwood trees. Continue reading
California Academy of Sciences
California Academy of Sciences is one of the nations largest natural history museums. It houses over 26 million specimens according to wiki and is located in Golden Gate Park. Continue reading